Nursing Homes and Senior Care in Arkansas

Nursing Homes by City in Arkansas

The Arkansas cities with the most CMS-certified nursing homes. All 121 cities are listed below the table. Homes in Arkansas average 4.0 hours of nursing care per resident per day; the national median is 3.7 hours.

5-Star Nursing Homes in Arkansas

Homes with CMS's top overall rating, ordered by inspection rating. See all highest-rated nursing homes in Arkansas.

Assisted Living in Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance, Office of Long Term Care licenses assisted living in Arkansas. License types: Assisted Living Facility Level I, Assisted Living Facility Level II and Residential Care Facility. Use the state's search to check a community's license and inspection history.

• Arkansas assisted living facility search
• Arkansas assisted living rules
• Arkansas assisted living licensing (Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance, Office of Long Term Care)

Memory Care Rules in Arkansas

Arkansas's term is "Alzheimer's Special Care Unit (ASCU)"; it isn't a separate license, but rules apply to facilities that offer dementia care. Facilities must give families a written disclosure of their dementia care services.

• An ASCU is a separate and distinct unit within an assisted living or other long term care facility that segregates and provides a special program for residents with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, and that advertises, markets or otherwise promotes the facility as providing specialized Alzheimer's or related dementia care services.
• Each facility that advertises or holds itself out as having one or more special units for residents with probable Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia shall provide an organized, continuous 24-hour-per-day program of supervision, care and services in a separate unit (Section 801).
• Prior to admission into the ASCU, the facility shall provide a copy of the disclosure statement and Residents' Rights policy to the applicant or responsible party; a signed copy is kept in the resident's file (Section 806). The disclosure statement describes the form of care, treatment, and related services suitable for ASCU residents.
• Admission requires a physician's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, the facility's assessment of the resident's level of needs, and a list of the services the ASCU can provide (Section 806).
• All ASCU staff members and consultants shall have the specified training in the care of residents with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementia; within six months of first advertising the unit, all staff scheduled to work in the ASCU must be trained (Section 805).
• New ASCU employees shall be trained within five months of hiring, with no less than eight hours of training per month during the five-month period; training consists of at least thirty hours on subjects including the unit's policies, dementia etiology and treatment, stages of Alzheimer's disease, behavior management, physical restraints, wandering and egress control, medication management, communication, staff burnout, activity programming, ADLs and individual-centered care, and assessments (Section 805).
• On-going in-service training of at least 2 hours every quarter (Section 805).
• Fifty percent of the staff working any shift shall have completed the required training (Section 805).
• ASCU staffing is determined separately from the assisted living facility, based on the ASCU census only; the intent is that ASCU staff be separate and distinct from the assisted living facility staff (Section 805).
• The ASCU shall develop policies and procedures for residents who wander or may wander, including identifying missing residents, making required notifications, and attempting to locate the resident (Section 804).
• All locking devices on exit doors shall be approved by the OLTC, building code agencies and the fire marshal, shall be electronic, and shall release upon activation of the fire alarm or sprinkler system; staff shall be trained in all methods of releasing the locking device (Section 804).
• Physical design includes a floor plan that does not require visitors or staff to pass through the ASCU to reach other areas of the facility, and a multipurpose room or rooms for dining, group and individual activities, and family visits.

• Arkansas memory care rules

Medicaid Long-Term Care in Arkansas

Arkansas's Medicaid program is Arkansas Medicaid. For nursing home Medicaid, the state lists an income limit of Individual: $2,982 (all applicants are treated as individuals for income purposes) and an asset limit of Individual: $2000. Couple: $3000.

• ARChoices in Homecare: in-home care, adult day and respite. For adults ages 21 through 64 with a physical disability and seniors age 65 or older who meet established financial criteria, meet the intermediate level of care required for nursing home admission, and need at least one available service. Services include attendant care, home-delivered meals, personal emergency response, adult day services, adult day health services, facility-based and in-home respite care, and environmental modifications.
• Living Choices Assisted Living: assisted living. For Arkansans age 21 through 64 with a physical disability or age 65 and older who meet established financial criteria, meet nursing home admission criteria at the intermediate level, and need at least one available service. Apply through the local DHS county office or the Choices in Living Resource Center at 1-866-801-3435.

• Arkansas Medicaid nursing facility coverage
• Arkansas Medicaid long-term care limits

Nursing Home Inspections and Complaints in Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Human Services, Office of Long Term Care inspects nursing homes in Arkansas for CMS. To file a complaint, call 1-800-582-4887 or use the state's complaint page.

• Arkansas nursing home inspection lookup
• File a nursing home complaint in Arkansas

Arkansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman

The Arkansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a free, confidential advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living. Ombudsmen help with complaints, residents' rights and problems with care.

• Contact the Arkansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Aging Services and Caregiver Support in Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services runs Arkansas's aging services, delivered through local Area Agencies on Aging. Family caregivers can get help through Arkansas Lifespan Respite. Adult day services are licensed or certified by Arkansas Department of Human Services, Office of Long Term Care.

• Arkansas aging services: Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services
• Area Agencies on Aging in Arkansas
• Caregiver support in Arkansas: Arkansas Lifespan Respite
• Arkansas adult day services

Guides for Your Next Step

See how to choose a nursing home, what memory care is, how Medicaid pays for nursing home care and what Medicare covers. For local help, call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.

Frequently Asked Questions