How to choose an assisted-living home under ALW

Once you have a shortlist, five checks matter more than anything else: the person wants to live there, the home takes ALW now, it can do the care plan, a room is open and the charges are in writing. Then look at care, money and what you see on a visit. A convenient location or an open room is not enough on its own. Bring this list with you. A good home will welcome the questions.

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Start with five checks

Before you look at anything else, you want a clear yes to each of these.

1. Does the person want to live there?
2. Is the home taking ALW residents right now?
3. Can it meet the care and supervision needs in the nurse assessment and the care plan, called the Individualized Service Plan (ISP)? The glossary explains the ALW terms.
4. Is there a room that would work for this person? A name on the home's own waiting list is not a room.
5. Are the monthly charges written down and workable?

Important: You choose the home, and you can change your mind. That freedom of choice is part of the program. A home being on the state's ALW list doesn't mean it has a bed open or will admit a particular person, and choosing a home never speeds up the state's waitlist. ALW pays the home for care, not for room and board.

The state's list shows a home's name, type, beds, address, county and phone, and whether its enrollment is closed. It does not show which ALW care tiers a home takes, or whether a room is open. Ask the home.

What to ask about care

The nurse assessment says what the person needs. These questions tell you whether the home can provide it.

Also ask what would make the home unable to keep the person. State licensing rules limit who a home may admit and keep, so it should be able to answer.

What to ask about money

Ask for the charges in writing before anyone signs. The list should say what is due each month and what that covers. It should also say which charges are extra, and what happens if the person is in the hospital or their income changes. See current costs and room and board for the full list and the 2026 figures.

On your visit, notice

Look and listen for yourself. Then compare what you saw with what you were told. Print the worksheet for comparing ALW homes and fill in one sheet for each home you visit.

• Is it clean, and does it smell clean?
• How do staff speak to residents? Do residents seem engaged and respected?
• Can the person get around the halls, bathroom and exits?
• Is there a way to call for help from the bedroom?
• Do the answers to your care questions match what's in the written material?
• Is rights and complaint information posted where residents can see it?

Ask the person what matters most to them. That could be privacy, a roommate or not, food, language, faith, visitors, pets, being near family or keeping their own routine. Put those answers on the shortlist next to the care questions.

Warning signs

Pause and ask more questions if a home does any of these.

• Promises that ALW approval is guaranteed, or says choosing it will get you a state opening sooner.
• Won't explain its charges, or pushes for payment before the terms are clear.
• Can't describe how it would meet the needs in the assessment.
• Claims a room is open without a recent date on that claim.
• Discourages questions, or won't coordinate with your Care Coordination Agency.
• Presents a paid relationship as an official recommendation.

What happens next

When you've chosen, the home decides admission. Your coordinator shares the care plan with the home you chose and completes the agreement and enrollment forms with you. The choice is final only when the program, care, admission and money pieces all line up.

Search the directory with these questions in mind, or talk them through with Beta's ALW team first.