Idaho assisted living facilities and personal care communities

Idaho Assisted Living Homes

Under Idaho law, the term assisted living home is interchangeable with the term residential care home. Idaho law defines a residential care or assisted living home as a residence operated by either profit or non-profit for the purpose of providing supervision, personal care services, meals and lodging to three or more adults who are unrelated to the provider.

Currently, there are 248 licensed assisted senior living homes operating in Idaho.

Assisted Living Communities in Idaho – Cost Comparison

City	Monthly Minimum	Monthly Maximum	Monthly Median
Idaho Falls	$2,460	$3,050	$2,850
Lewiston	$2,200	$4,850	$3,500
Nampa	$2,100	$4,300	$3,250
Pocatello	$2,775	$3,470	$2,800

The average cost of assisted living in Idaho is $3,240 per month. Compared to the states located to the north, Idaho has a fairly cheaper cost average falling right below the national average cost of assisted long-term living. Within the state of Idaho, most major cities have average senior assisted living costs at or close to the national average of $3,600 per month. There is little to no variation between average costs in competing areas of Idaho.

For more information about assisted living costs in Idaho, check out Genworth’s 2015 Cost of Care Survey.

Recreation & Attractions in Idaho

Located in the Mid-West of the United States, Idaho offers a versatile landscape ranging from high mountains to the deepest gorge in North America, Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area. Hell’s Canyon not only allows you to float down the river of the deepest gorge, but also view the various native wildlife to Idaho, such as bobcats, bighorn sheep, cougars, elk, and mountain goats.

Sun Valley resort takes you to the peaks of Idaho’s mountains for winter fun such as skiing. The Shoshone Indian Ice Caves allows the public to tour the depths below the state into Native American carved caves featuring artifacts and gems from a bygone era. On the surface level of Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument is a lunar landscape born from the volcanic eruptions approximately 2,000 years ago.

For more traditional activities, Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Lake Coeur d'Alene over beautiful large lakes and surrounding Idaho wilderness for fishing, boating, walking trails, and the like. For a more untraditional experience, the Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site allows the public to tour the haunted cells former homes to some of the most violent criminals in the state.

Idaho’s Climate, Geography, & Culture

Idaho is known for their strong farming communities and large Mormon population, second only behind Utah. Idaho residents are known as conservative, friendly, warm, and lovers of the outdoors.

Idaho, like most of the continental United States, experiences the progression of all four seasons throughout the year. January is the coldest month in Idaho with temperatures dropping below freezing and occasionally below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow will accumulate to an average of 20-35 inches in mountainous areas. However, the plains of Idaho only receive an average of 12 inches of precipitation a year. During the summer, temperatures reach their peak at 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the plains, especially during July, the hottest month of the year.

Idaho’s Assisted Living Communities Regulations & Laws

Assisted Living homes are regulated by a state-to-state basis. Every state has a publicly accessible legal document outlining the regulations, licensing, operation and other rules for assisted living. Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare is responsible for the regulation and oversight of residential care homes in Idaho. The complete legal document outlining the regulations for assisted living under Idaho law can be viewed online. Records concerning inspections, citations, violations and the like fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Welfare; public records concerning individual assisted senior living homes can be found here.

Crime & Safety in Idaho

Idaho’s crime rate is well below the national, but it is still important to know your surrounding when looking for a new place to live. If you are not sure where to start your search, look at some the safest communities in Idaho:

Location	Violent Crimes Per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Rexburg	0.34	8.18
Kimberly	0.86	7.78
Hailey	3.61	7.22

(Source: safewise.com)

Payment Options for Idaho Assisted Living Centers

The Aged and Disabled Waiver

For those looking for financial assistance, Idaho provides the Aged and Disabled Waiver through Medicaid. Elderly, low-income residents of Idaho can apply for services within an assisted living community to be covered by Idaho Medicaid. To find if you are eligible for this waiver, please visit the official page for the Aged and Disabled Waiver.

Assisted Living Family Loans

Alternate payment options are available. Families can apply for an assisted living family loan. This provides temporary or long-term financial assistance when paying for assisted senior care, including personal care services. The program allows multiple people to contribute to payment

Senior & Elderly Rights for Assisted Living Homes in Idaho

When staying in an Idaho assisted living center, a resident retains constitutional civil rights, rights of privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. The resident also retains the right to personal possessions, autonomy over personal finances, bodily autonomy, and power of attorney.

The resident has a right to be informed of the process to file a complaint of unsatisfactory living situations, abuse, neglect and the like. Idaho law allows individual homes to create home rules for residents provided the rules do not interfere with resident constitutional rights. Request a copy of the house rules before being admitted into an Idaho assisted living home.

Idaho Assisted Living Homes: Medical Record Rules & Regulations

Assisted living homes in Idaho are required to provide any type of heath services that are ordered by an attending physician, as well as keep all medical information confidential, accurate, and complete. Medical records shall be readily accessible upon request and should be kept for a period no less than 7 years from death or discharge date.

Residents have access to their medical records and can request a copy of all or a portion of their medical records. They can also request a copy of some or all of the information at a cost not to exceed the community standard for photocopies.