New Guide Helps Consumers Find Information on Assisted Living Facilities

Getting information on assisted living facilities just got a little easier. A new guide provides state-by-state information on where to find records on assisted living facilities and ranks the states by how easy it is to obtain inspection reports and safety information.

The guide, created by A Place for Mom, a commercial housing referral service, analyzes the amount of information states make available to the public, the ease of access to this information, and the frequency of state inspections or surveys. Investigators found that a majority of states make it relatively easy to get access to assisted living facility records, but a few states need major improvement.

The guide provides information on how to access assisted living facility records in each of the states, including phone numbers and Web links. States are ranked by how accessible the records are using the categories: exceptional, high, moderate, and basic. Accessibility varies wildly from state to state. The guide ranks Missouri the highest and Massachusetts the lowest. Missouri provides access to detailed inspection records online, while it’s necessary to fax a request to obtain records in Massachusetts. In some states, being a resident of the state is a requirement for obtaining records, and the time it takes a state to process a request can range from one week to several months.

To access the free guide, click here.