Types of senior care around Birmingham

What types of senior care are available around Birmingham?

Six types cover nearly every situation: assisted living (ALF), memory care (SCALF), nursing homes, home health, hospice and non-medical in-home care, and Alabama licenses all of them except the last through ADPH.

How do we know which type of care a parent needs?

Match the setting to the need: skilled medical care points to home health, a nursing home or hospice; help with daily activities points to in-home care or assisted living; dementia with poor safety judgment points to a SCALF.

A physician's evaluation and, for Medicaid programs, a level-of-care assessment through the area agency on aging make the decision less of a guess. Our situation guides start from what just happened.

Which of these does Alabama Medicaid pay for?

Alabama Medicaid pays for nursing home care, home health and hospice for eligible people, and for in-home services through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver; it does not pay assisted living or SCALF fees.

Medicare pays for short skilled nursing stays, home health and hospice. See costs and paying.

Which care types are licensed in Alabama?

ADPH licenses assisted living facilities, specialty care assisted living facilities, nursing homes, home health agencies and hospices; non-medical home care and independent living are not license categories in ADPH's facilities directory.

That is why our directory covers the first five and our in-home care page explains how to vet agencies yourself.

How do care types fit together over time?

Many Birmingham families move through several types: home care first, assisted living when needs become unpredictable, a SCALF if dementia brings wandering, and a nursing home or hospice at the end, with home health and rehab stays along the way.

Knowing the sequence helps families choose a first setting that can handle the next step, such as a campus with both ALF and SCALF licenses.