Assisted Living in Kentucky

Assisted living in Kentucky provides long-term residential living in a community setting, with care services tailored to seniors’ individual needs. Assisted living communities offer a variety of activities for seniors, but also provide support with activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing, and eating. The median cost of assisted living in Kentucky is $4,100 per month or $49,200 annually, according to A Place for Mom’s internal data on our partner assisted living communities in Kentucky.^[01]

While the Bluegrass State is known for its annual derby, horse racing isn’t the only thing Kentucky has going for it. The state’s Appalachian region is teeming with natural beauty, music, and several historical sites. Cities offer a homey feel with plenty of Southern hospitality, and for those who like the taste of a fine bourbon, Kentucky is home to several well-known distilleries.

The median cost of assisted living in Kentucky can range from approximately $2,700 to $6,300 per month, which is lower than the national median. This range is based on A Place for Mom’s internal data and reflects what referred families actually paid at partnering assisted living facilities in Kentucky.

There are several factors that affect costs, including location, services, and amenities offered, as well as the specific care needs of each senior. Communities located near larger cities like Louisville or Lexington are likely to be more expensive. Luxury amenities can affect price, as well as specialized services and programming, such as chef-prepared meals, concierge desk, or on-site educational classes.

Other factors that can affect the cost of assisted living may include the following:

• Room size and design
• Admission fees
• Pet fees

Families typically pay out of pocket for assisted living room and board fees. However, to reduce the costs of medically necessary care, many families look into Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance, or veteran’s benefits.

It’s common for families to blend a variety of payment methods to pay for assisted living in Kentucky. Keep in mind that, even with a variety of options for payment, early planning often provides families with the widest range of options. The following section has information on private pay, public and private insurance options, and veteran’s benefits. For a more detailed overview, you can also visit our complete guide to paying for long-term care.

Kentucky has implemented laws and regulations for assisted living facilities to help ensure the safety and care of seniors. Assisted living communities are required to be licensed and undergo regular on-site reviews. The following rules highlight the system of accountability developed for communities when managing resident care and facilities.

Services and amenities

Assisted living communities are required to provide the following types of services and amenities:^[08]

• Assistance with activities of daily living
• Three meals daily and access to snacks
• Assistance with self-administration of medication
• Care plan assessments

Resident rights

Seniors living in an assisted living facility can expect to be treated with dignity. All residents have the right to live in an assisted living facility without experiencing abuse and/or neglect. Kentucky state law requires staff to report any suspicion of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.^[09]

Staffing requirements

In Kentucky, staffing requirements dictate that assisted living facilities be sufficiently staffed round-the-clock to meet the needs of residents. Regulations also require facilities to have one staff member always on-site and awake.

Facility requirements

Kentucky’s facility requirementsfor assisted living require communities to maintain adequate utilities and safety codes in regards to the following systems:

• Fire prevention equipment
• Water
• Air conditioning
• Heat
• Ventilation

Assisted living communities in Kentucky are certified annually through the Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living. Kentucky doesn’t provide online reports for annual reviews. However, you can find a list of currently licensed facilities at the Kentucky Division of Health Care website.

Ease of access to Kentucky assisted living records

We developed a system to rate each state on how easy — or difficult — it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and compiled tips to help you in your search.

States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.

Access to Kentucky assisted living records: Basic

Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of Kentucky is basic. Key findings that informed this rating include:

• Kentucky doesn’t make information about inspections, violations, and complaints for assisted living facilities available online.
• Kentucky is in the lowest quartile for assisted living transparency.

How to look up Kentucky assisted living licenses and records

• A directory of licensed communities can be found at the Division of Health Care’s website.
• Visit Kentucky’s Office of Inspector General Open Records Requests and the Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living for information about how to get records pertaining to Kentucky senior communities.
• You can also visit the US Administration on Aging’s Eldercare Locator to locate the appropriate long-term-care ombudsman. The long-term care ombudsman can often provide specific information about communities and their backgrounds.
• If you need to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get records, consider browsing the state-by-state resources from the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which includes sample state-specific FOIA letters.

How we arrived at our Kentucky rating

We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and we based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:

1. Are licensed assisted living communities listed online in any form? Yes
2. If Yes to #1, is the information updated frequently? Yes
3. If Yes to #1, is the list of licensed communities searchable? No
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? No
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently (within 90 days)? No or N/A
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? No or N/A
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations and inspections searchable at all? No
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes
9. Is capacity shown? Yes
10. Are payment types shown (e.g., Medicaid, private pay)? No
11. Is the administrator/contact name shown? No
12. Can the state fine a facility? Yes
13. What is the frequency of inspections? Every 12 months
14. Does the website include pricing of facilities? No