Utah assisted living facilities and personal care communities

Find Assisted Living Homes in Utah

According to Utah state law, an assisted living home or personal care home is defined as a residential home-like residence, which provides personal care services, assistance with daily living activities, housekeeping services, meal services, and social programs to a resident population of two or more adults for a period of time longer than 24 hours. Utah law proceeds to define assisted living facilities into two category types based on resident abilities.

Type I Homes are designed to care for residents who are capable of evacuating and follow directions without assistance from a staff member during emergency situations. This type of home is geared toward the social care of the residents.
Type II Homes are designed to care for residents who require limited assistance by a staff member due to mental or physical disabilities. This type of home is focused on coordinated supportive personal and health care services.

There are approximately 170 assisted senior living communities operating in Utah.

Assisted Living Communities in Utah – Cost Comparison

City	Monthly Minimum	Monthly Maximum	Monthly Median
Logan	$2,400	$3,600	$2,925
Ogden	$2,000	$3,568	$3,108
Orem	$1,890	$3,150	$2,438
Provo	$1,890	$3,150	$2,438
Saint George	$2,500	$4,340	$3,100
Salt Lake City	$2,000	$4,000	$3,150

The average cost of assisted living in Utah is $3,000 per month. Compared to the remainder of the United States, Utah is among one of the cheapest states for long-term senior care. Within the state, average area costs fluctuate between cities and the amount of personal care needed. However, most average area prices fall within the same low-cost range.

For more information about assisted living costs in Utah, check outGenworth’s 2015 Cost of Care Survey.

Recreation & Attractions in Utah

Known to be home to five major national parks, Utah is bursting with activities highlighting the natural beauty of the Utah wilderness. Each national park has its very own distinctive terrain and rock formations. The Bryce Canyon National Park is famed for the oddly shaped rock pillars named hoodoos found natural due to erosion over time. Camping, horse riding trails and guided moonlight hikes complete with stargazing are available at the Bryce Canyon National Park.

Characterized by over 2,000 naturally occurring rock arches, Arches National Park is home to unique and varying terrain consisting of balancing huge rock formations and colored dirt. Featuring historic paleontological sites and wide extent of geological areas, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument spans 1.7 million acres of Utah wilderness.

Located in Salt Lake City, Temple Square is an iconic site spanning 10 acres of landscaped earth. Temple Square allows visitors to explore displays explain the historical significance of the temple through multiple portions of the attraction such as Beehive House, Church History Museum, Family History Library, Salt Lake Temple, and Tabernacle.

Utah’s Climate, Geography, & Culture

Utah is known for their large Mormon population and their conservative values. Their religious values find their way into state politics and society. Don’t let their traditional values deter you from visiting or settling in the state. Utah residents pride themselves on the natural beauty of the state and are committed to keeping their state clean and looking picturesque.

Utah has a variety of terrain including arid deserts and snow covered mountains. The state’s climate overall is semi-arid to desert, though, in the mountainous regions, there are a variety of climates. Utah experiences extreme temperature throughout the year. During the winter, January high temperatures may range from 30 degrees Fahrenheit to nearly 60 degrees, depending on your location and elevation in the state. Some areas will see temperature dip below 0 degrees.

During the summer, depending on your location in the state, you can expect daily average high temperatures between 85 and 100 degrees. However, since the state is not really humid and highly elevated, summer nights are typically cool.

Utah’s Assisted Living Homes 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 personal care. The complete document outlining the official Utah regulations for assisted living homes can be obtained online via the Utah Department of Administrative Services website. These regulations can also outline any differences between personal care communities and assisted living.Public records concerning citations, inspections, violations and the like pertaining to individual homes is not available online for public search. To obtain these types of records, one must directly contact the Utah Department of Health and request access. Access must be granted as a requirement of the Freedom of Information Act.

Crime & Safety in Utah

Utah crime rates are consistent with the national average rates. There are plenty of safe places to settle down in Utah where you can feel secure and still witness the state’s beauty. If you are not sure where to start your search, take a look at some of these communities:

Location	Violent Crimes Per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Smithfield	0.37	4.22
Santa Clara/Ivins	0.71	6.28
Highland	0.25	6.79
Pleasant Grove	0.42	6.86

(Source: safewise.com)

Payment Options for Utah Assisted Living Centers

Home and Community Based Services Elderly Waiver

For those seeking financial assistance, Utah’s Medicaid offers the Elderly Waiver to aging residents to prevent unnecessary placement in nursing home care. This program is designed to offer a wide range of personal care services, medical services, and non-medical services to participants living in alternate senior care homes such as an assisted living community. For more information on this program, please visit the official Elderly Waiver page online.

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. The program allows multiple people to contribute to payment.

Senior & Elderly Rights for Assisted Living Residences in Utah

While residing in the home, 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. The complete list of resident rights as guaranteed by the state of Utah is detailed in the official Utah regulations for personal care communities.

Utah Personal Care Homes: Medical Record Rules & Regulations

Utah assisted living homes are required to provide appropriate health services that are ordered by an attending physician, as well as keep all medical information confidential, accurate, and complete. Medical records shall be kept for a no shorter than 7 years from death or discharge date.

Residents in Utah personal care homes 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, and it is to be provided at a cost not to exceed the community standard for photocopies.