10 Best Nursing Homes in Birmingham, AL

Long-term care can be expensive, often requiring a combination of private funds and some level of public assistance to pay for care. More often than not, that public assistance will come in the form of Medicaid, as Medicare pays for very little of skilled nursing home care, assisted living, or memory care. Medicare is more geared toward medical expenses, not custodial care, which is the type of service generally provided at senior care facilities.

While skilled financial planning has long been key to paying for senior care, there are plenty of other options available to ensure that you or your loved one gets the care they require in their later years. Here’s a quick breakdown of all the resources available to seniors and their families to cover the costs of nursing home care, assisted living, or memory care in the Birmingham area.

All nursing homes and other senior care facilities in the state of Alabama must be licensed by the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Health Provider Standards prior to operation. It’s all in an effort to provide a safe and healthy environment that meets the quality of care and services standards for residents set by the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which regulates nursing homes, assisted living communities, memory care facilities, etc. Fail to comply with or meet these standards and any government funding received by these facilities could be cut.

In Alabama, the standards include:

• Sufficient staffing levels to meet the needs of residents
• Optimal building safety, sanitation, and infection control
• Adequate food, nutrition, and medical care
• Proper protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• Free from discrimination, to receive visitors, and participate in decisions on their care

Also, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and memory care facilities are all subject to regular and periodic inspections by either the Alabama Department of Public Health or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Inspectors evaluate the facilities to determine whether they’re in compliance with state and federal standards. All inspection reports are available to the public through the Alabama Department of Public Health’s website.

Alabama Department of Health contact information

201 Monroe St.
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 1-800-252-1818
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

COVID-19 regulations for Birmingham nursing homes

While Alabama may have loosened its masking, social distancing, and safety restrictions, the Alabama Nursing Home Association does recommend that nursing homes and senior care facilities follow COVID-19 guidelines set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Visitors will be subject to COVID-19 screenings prior to entry. They may also be required to wear a mask while on the premises. For more information on the guidelines for Alabama, please refer to the state’s guidelines.

Moving into a senior care facility can be a difficult decision – for seniors and their family members alike. Not only are you trying to determine if the time is right to move into such an environment but find a facility that suits the wants, needs, and lifestyle of the individual. While a tall order, it’s one that Birmingham can certainly meet. The city is home to more than a few options in the area of senior care.

Multiple types of senior care

While A Place for Mom does not partner with nursing homes, it does partner with five facilities that offer a “combo” of senior care, with independent living, assisted living, and memory care options all within the same community. Two other partner communities offer assisted living and memory care options, while the others are strictly memory care or assisted living.

Healthcare services

Healthcare services provided by these facilities will generally vary but often include the likes of medication management, diabetic care, rehabilitation care, ambulatory care, incontinence care, oxygen care, memory care, and palliative care. In fact, all our community partners provide on-site nursing, and the majority have a doctor on call.

Memory care facilities

Seniors and their families can also find facilities that provide anxiety, aggression, and agitation care for seniors who experience these symptoms as part of their dementia at memory care facilities. In the 10-mile market radius of Birmingham, one of our partner facilities is a standalone memory care facility and one is a combination independent living/memory care facility. There are also two partner facilities in our network that are combination assisted living and memory care providers.

Facility amenities

Much like health care services, the facility amenities will vary greatly from one location to the next. Seniors and their families may find that the facility has an on-site beauty salon, TV lounge, library, central fireplace, meeting rooms, enclosed courtyard, and even a bar, pub, or cafe. They will also offer a number of meal options, including kosher, vegetarian, low-sodium diets, and other special diets. Rooms and apartments will be wheelchair accessible, air conditioned, and cable-ready.

Facility activities

Because senior care facilities want to enrich the lives of their residents, it isn’t uncommon for the facilities to offer a wide array of activities that meet a variety of interests and lifestyles. Again, these will vary from facility to facility but often include on-site devotional activities, pet-focused programs, group outings to area attractions, live musical performances, cooking classes, art classes, trivia nights, movie nights, fitness classes, yoga, barbeques, holiday parties, and so on.

Assisted living and memory care in the surrounding Birmingham suburbs

If seniors and their families still can’t find a facility in Birmingham that meets the wants, needs, and lifestyle of your loved one, the 25-mile surrounding area does offer a number of options – another 10 facilities in our partner network, in fact. These, too, come in a range of senior care options, with most being a combination of independent living, assisted living, and memory care units. You’ll also find standalone memory care and assisted living facilities. Each one will have a variety of different services, amenities, and activities to offer residents.

Health care for seniors in Birmingham

Birmingham has many healthcare providers for its aging population – chief among them being  the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, which is currently ranked 36th in the nation for Geriatrics . It’s also ranked 20th in the nation for Rehabilitation and 10th in the nation for Rheumatology.

Transportation for seniors in Birmingham

While services vary from one facility to the next, almost all senior care and assisted living communities in Birmingham offer some level of transportation to their residents. These transportation services are usually arranged by the staff for the purposes of medical appointments, social outings, and other local events and activities. Should a resident require specialized transportation services, these, too, will often be arranged by the staff. Arrangements can be made for a wheelchair-accessible van or medical transport vehicle.

MAX Transit, which is part of the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA),  operates a range of public transportation services in the Birmingham area that serve the senior community, including fixed-route bus services, paratransit services for individuals with disabilities, and vintage trolley services in the downtown district. BJCTA also offers a vanpool service for group outings.

The Birmingham Regional Paratransit Consortium (ClasTran) is a nonprofit organization that provides specialized transportation services for individuals with disabilities who live in the Birmingham area. Rides are subsidized, costing $4 for one-way travel and $8 for round trips.