The state of Alaska offers a variety of senior care options for residents and family members. These include personal care and skilled nursing facilities in several cities, as well as home care services for residents. While the average cost of living in a care facility in Alaska is the highest of any state, there are many locations that accept Medicare and Medicaid applicants. The national Medicare website offers a tool, Nursing Home Compare, that allows people to compare the number of beds, staff, and overall ratings of different care facilities across the state of Alaska alongside the national average.
Notable Care Facilities
Anchorage offers two main care facilities for residents, Prestige Care and Providence Care. Prestige Care is a skilled nursing facility, meaning that unlike a standard nursing home, the range of services and activities offered is typically greater. Skilled nursing facilities have professionals with a wider range of certifications, often including specialized practitioners like physical therapists. In Juneau, Wildflower Court is a non-profit facility recommended for short-term senior care and rehabilitative care; however, they do not offer a long-term retirement community. Other highly-rated centers in Alaska can be found in the cities of Fairbanks, Soldotna, Ketchikan, Seward, and Homer.
Alternate Care Options
Alaska has a limited number of beds in its nursing home facilities, which has led to a rising popularity in home care services. Especially for residents who live further from urban centers like Anchorage and Juneau, home care offers aid to seniors who wish to remain in their own homes. Part-time home care can also assist family members in taking care of loved ones even if they cannot afford full-time care. In 2007, AARP recorded that 74,000 Alaskans were providing care to a family member in their own home, indicating home care's prevalence over nursing homes in Alaska.