10 Best Nursing Homes in Scottsdale, AZ

Residents and their families or loved ones have a few ways to pay for monthly costs at a senior living facility. These may include private payments or state/federal perks like U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare. With the resources provided in this section, you can find the payment method that’s best for you or your family.

In Arizona, nursing homes are referred to as nursing facilities. They’re regulated and licensed by the ​​Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and certified by the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) in accordance with federal regulations.

The DHS houses a Bureau of Long-Term Care Licensing under its Division of Public Health Services, which is responsible for issuing licenses to nursing homes. As per state law, nursing homes must display their licenses conspicuously, and their administrators must also undergo licensing. Additionally, the Bureau of Long-Term Care Licensing is responsible for ensuring facilities are compliant with both state and federal mandates by carrying out surveys and investigating complaints. Survey questions are influenced by the CMS and evaluate 185 quality and life safety requirements.

All nursing homes are federally required to receive an inspection at least once every 15 months. During these visits, inspectors from the Bureau of Long-Term Care Licensing will ensure nursing homes meet standards meant to protect residents, including:

• Having adequate staff to provide care for residents.
• Ability to manage medications.
• Making sure residents aren’t being physically or mentally abused.
• Proper food preparation and storage.

Additionally, inspectors may gauge quality of life in nursing homes, considering factors such as the quality of care residents receive, interactions between patients and staffers, and the overall physical environment. Inspectors often consider resident records and conduct interviews with residents, loved ones, and staff.

Past inspection reports and licenses for Arizona’s nursing homes are available through AZ Care Check, DHS’s searchable online database.

Other federal requirements for nursing homes

According to federal regulations, nursing homes are required to have a full-time director of nursing on board. For facilities with an average daily occupancy of up to 59 residents, this director of nursing can provide direct care on a regular basis. Additionally, at least one nurse must be on site and responsible for giving care for no more than 64 nursing home residents.

Similarly, the federal government requires that all nursing homes carry out comprehensive and standardized assessments of new residents, repeat these assessments at regular intervals, and map out care plans tailored to residents’ needs.

For more information, Arizona provides this Consumer’s Guide to Nursing Homes.

Understand Arizona laws and regulations for assisted living and memory care

In Arizona, assisted living and memory communities are known as residential care institutions and are also licensed and regulated by the DHS (this time by its Bureau of Residential Facilities Licensing).

The DHS’s Bureau of Residential Facilities Licensing also carries out inspections of these facilities to ensure they’re aligned with state regulations. Inspections are required at least once every two years, but the DHS may choose to increase this frequency at its discretion.

Throughout inspections, DHS surveyors assess elements such as these:

• Staffing practices.
• Quality of resident care.
• Staff’s ability to manage resident medication.
• The quality of nutrition provided.
• Residents’ physical surroundings.

Likewise, surveyors are free to carry out interviews with staff and residents, read through care records and documents, and assess whether facility staffers are providing high-quality care.

If an assisted living or memory facility is found to be deficient in some regard or misaligned with state standards, it’s required to fix the issue. The DHS might also impose penalties or additional enforcement actions if a community doesn’t take corrective action. Licensing information for the state’s assisted living and memory care communities, including deficiencies and enforcement actions, is available through the DHS website’s AZ Care Check.

State regulations for memory care facilities

The state has requirements specific to its memory care facilities, which are responsible for following:

• Staff-to-patient ratio: The state doesn’t have a minimum staff-to-resident ratio requirement; however, enough staff must be present to provide adequate care to residents. Likewise, at least one manager or skilled caregiver should be available and on site at all times.
• Staffing and training regulations: Caregivers within memory care communities don’t need to undergo dementia training. However, administrators must complete this type of training.
• Required activities: It isn’t necessary for residents of memory care communities to undergo screening for cognitive impairments before their move-in date. However, individual facilities may have their own requirements.

Arizona Department of Health contact information
150 N. 18th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-542-1025
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

COVID-19 regulations for Scottsdale nursing homes

In Arizona, nursing homes do not have stringent COVID-19 regulations — but the state has published a set of official guidelines meant for long-term care facilities that provides advice on slowing COVID-19’s spread and preventing and mitigating outbreaks. Scottsdale itself also has its own COVID-19 best practices for COVID-19-conscious residents and visitors, and Arizona’s DHS has published COVID-19 guidance and stays abreast of new information from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

As one of the top three retirement communities in the country, Scottsdale is home to plenty of senior care offerings tailored to any resident’s needs and interests. Senior care facilities in the area boast beautiful desert and mountain views and kaleidoscope sunsets, and range from resort-like to luxury to retirement community-like to homey.

In this section, we’ll share more about what you can expect from the wider nursing home, assisted living, and memory care market in the Scottsdale area.

Expert medical care, no matter seniors’ needs

Scottsdale-area nursing homes have expert care on staff that are familiar with a wide variety of care needs. Specific care offerings will vary by individual facility, but some nursing homes offer care from physicians, nurses, and other health professionals. This care goes beyond 24-hour nursing, encompassing things like fall prevention, infection management, physical therapy, wound care, IV therapy, social services, and postsurgical care.

Scottsdale’s assisted living and memory care communities offer similarly comprehensive care offerings. For example, certain A Place for Mom partner facilities can provide full medication management; on-call doctors; on-site hospice; visiting dentists, podiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists; and low- or no-sodium dining.

In turn, you can rest assured that you or a loved one will be under the careful watch of experts.

Plenty of activities that keep seniors engaged

Scottsdale’s senior care communities strive to keep residents not only cared for physically, but also mentally stimulated. Around 40% of Scottsdale senior care communities partnered with A Place for Mom offer activities directors who are there to ensure engaging programming for senior residents, including outings to off-site activities in the area. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that these communities offer plenty of chances for seniors to have some fun, including devotional activities, live musical performances, yoga (or chair yoga), barbecues and picnics, birthday parties, and holiday parties.

Combined facility types that ensure care continuity

Of the 70 A Place for Mom-partnered assisted living and memory facilities within a 10-mile radius of downtown Scottsdale, 31 facilities offer standalone care types (assisted living, memory care, or group homes). The rest include a variety of different care combinations:

• Five facilities combine assisted living and independent living.
• Eight facilities combine assisted living and memory care.
• 14 are combination group home and memory care facilities.
• Nine particularly progressive communities offer assisted living, independent living, and memory care.
• Three facilities are combination adult day cares, group homes, and memory care communities.

Seniors who are concerned about needing a different level of care later on in life might opt for combined care facilities — this will ensure they’re accommodated no matter their shifting needs.

Health care for seniors in Scottsdale

Scottsdale is known for its many quality health care options, which we’ll explore in this section.

Transportation for seniors in Scottsdale

Scottsdale is known as a car-dependent city, and most residents rely on taking their own four wheels when it comes to carrying out errands and traveling to appointments. For seniors in assisted living, memory care, or nursing home facilities, however, driving can be hazardous — if not impossible. Thankfully, many senior living facilities in Scottsdale that partner with A Place for Mom offer transportation. With 61% of these facilities offering complimentary transportation and 52% offering it at cost, residents can get from point A to point B safely.

Additionally, Scottsdale provides other transport options for seniors and their loved ones. With this, please remember that individuals with mobility issues or memory loss conditions should always be accompanied by a caregiver on public transit.

Valley Metro ADA Paratransit

The Valley Metro system, which is Phoenix’s public transportation offering, also serves the city of Scottsdale. It’s known for its fleet of buses, light rail system, streetcars, and vanpools, but Valley Metro also offers accessible bus and rail services as well as door-to-door and curb-to-curb Paratransit service for qualified individuals living with disabilities. One-way trips cost riders $4 and must be scheduled one day or more in advance.

Valley Metro RideChoice and Scottsdale’s Cab Connection

With Valley Metro’s RideChoice program, qualifying passengers earn 20 travel vouchers that renew monthly. They’re good for eight-mile rides in ADA- and wheelchair-compliant vehicles. An eight-mile ride costs $3, but passengers will incur excess fees if their trip goes over this distance. RideChoice services are available 24 hours a day year-round, and passengers can choose their own taxi provider.

If a passenger does not qualify for ADA paratransit service but is 65 or older, they can use Scottsdale’s Cab Connection program (a similar offering). Eligible passengers will get 16 vouchers per month, and the city of Scottsdale pays 80% of the fare (and up to $10).

Senior activities in Scottsdale

When you picture Scottsdale, you’re likely thinking of panoramic views of the Sonoran Desert, luxe lifestyle offerings, and a healthy scene for arts and culture. However, Scottsdale’s senior-friendliness also means it provides plenty of activities suitable to seniors of all abilities and their caregivers.

If your loved one has always had a passion for nature, why not take them on a visit to Cactus Park? This local attraction is a popular spot, spanning over 17 acres of lush greenery where visitors can relax and enjoy the scenery. The park also offers bench seating and three ramadas for picnics and gatherings, two of which can be reserved. It is open from sunrise until 10:30 p.m. Besides Cactus Park, Scottsdale also offers up public fishing spots at Chaparral Lake and Eldorado’s North Lake as well as plenty of aquatic centers to take your loved ones to. All of these locations have paved areas to make it easy for people with disabilities to get around.

For seniors who are more interested in viewing wildlife, Butterfly Wonderland is an excellent option. This destination is not only the largest butterfly conservatory in the United States, but it’s also a designated Pal Place that has taken special measures to accommodate guests with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including wheelchair accessibility and hearing assistance devices). Here, visitors can marvel at thousands of butterflies from up to 70 different species, learn about honeybees, interact with the conservatory’s friendly reptiles and amphibians, and more. Home to hundreds of aquatic species, Scottsdale’s OdySea Aquarium provides a different type of nature experience. It is wheelchair accessible and also offers seating within exhibits, so it’s a good choice for seniors who need to rest and recuperate every once in a while.

As a thriving cultural hub, Scottsdale also boasts plenty of museums. A visit to Taliesin West, winter residence of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, comes highly recommended. Taliesin West is a UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, and guided tours are available. Alternatively, audio-only tours can be arranged, and caregivers of guests with special needs or accommodation requests can contact the tour department via phone or email. It has a complex network of pathways and is therefore not recommended for people in wheelchairs, but there are ramps throughout the property.

The Western Spirit museum, affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, is another great destination for you and your loved ones to visit that provides insights into Western history and Indigenous culture. Self-guided audio tours are also available here. Art-loving seniors are also sure to enjoy the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which houses both contemporary and design pieces as well as architectural works, or the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, where you can catch anything from Grammy-winning musicians to packed festivals. All of these locations are wheelchair accessible

Have a senior in your life who’s more into sports than anything else? Worry not — they’ll love a trip to Scottsdale Stadium, an ADA-accessible sports venue where you can also catch the San Francisco Giants every spring training season, or even the Ziegler Fiesta Bowl Museum, which offers a self-paced tour for those who have a long-time love of college football.