Assisted Living in Kentucky

Agency: Cabinet for Health & Family Services, Department for Aging & Independent Living
Phone: (502) 564-6930
Website: www.chfs.ky.gov/aging

Assisted living community means a series of living units on the same site certified under KRS 194A.707 to provide services for five or more adult persons not related within the third degree of consanguinity to the owner or manager.

Facility Scope of Care:
Communities must provide assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living and make available three meals and a snack each day, scheduled daily social activities, and assistance with self-administration of medication.

Move-In/Move-Out Requirements:
Clients must be ambulatory or mobile non-ambulatory unless due to a temporary condition and must not be a danger to themselves or others. The assisted living community must have provisions for assisting any client who has received a move-out notice to find appropriate living arrangements prior to the actual move-out date.

Resident Assessment:
Each assisted living community must complete a functional needs assessment prior to entering into a lease and at least annually. The assessment must be updated to meet the ongoing needs of the client. Clients living on special programming units will have a functional needs assessment completed prior to entering into a lease agreement and at least annually thereafter. The assessment is not a standardized form

Medication Management:
Medication administration is not permitted. The assisted living community provides assistance with self-administration of medication that is prepared or directed by the client, the client's designated representative, or a licensed health care professional who is not the owner, manager, or employee of the assisted living community.

Physical Plant Requirements:
Private and dual-occupancy resident units, by mutual agreement, must be a minimum of 200 square feet (an exemption may apply). Each unit must have a lockable door, a window to the outdoors, a telephone jack, individual thermostat control (if more than 20 units), a private bathroom with tub or shower (an exemption may apply), and an emergency response system. Access to a central dining area, a laundry facility, and a central living room is also required.

Residents Allowed Per Room:
A maximum of two clients is allowed per resident unit and only by mutual agreement.

Life Safety:
Documentation of compliance with applicable building and life safety codes is required. The following items are reviewed: annual state fire marshal inspections (including sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc.), health department inspections, elevator inspections, boiler inspections, beauty shop and beautician licenses, food establishment licenses, and certificates of occupancy

Alzheimer's Unit Requirements:
An assisted living community shall provide any interested person with a description of any special programming, staffing, or training if it markets itself as providing special programming, staffing, or training on behalf of clients with particular needs or conditions

Staff Training for Alzheimer's Care:
The assisted living community must maintain a description of dementia-specific staff training that is provided, including at a minimum the content of the training, the number of offered and required hours of training, the schedule for training, and the staff who are required to complete the training.

Staffing Requirements:
A designated manager must be at least 21 years of age, have at least a high school diploma or a GED, and have demonstrated management or administrative ability to maintain the daily operations. One awake staff member shall be on site at all times and staffing shall be sufficient in number and qualification to meet the 24-hour scheduled needs of the clients. A criminal records check must be applied for from the Kentucky Administrative Offices of the Court within seven days of hire. Certain felons are prohibited from being employed in long term care facilities (KRS 216.789).

Staff Education Training:
All staff and management must receive orientation within 90 days of hire and in-service education annually on topics applicable to their assigned duties. If the assisted living community provides special programming, it must provide consumers a description of dementia-specific staff training provided, including but not limited to the content of the training, the number of offered and required hours of training, the schedule for training, and the staff who are required to complete the training.

Medicaid Policy and Reimbursements:
Medicaid does not provide services or reimbursement for assisted living clients or communities.