Activity Calendar Assisted Living
Your Guide To Assisted Living In Surprise, AZ In 2023
Surprise is located 22 miles northwest of Phoenix in Maricopa County. The city is home to about 155,000 residents, nearly a quarter of whom are at least 65 years old, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
According to Bill Lusk, owner of CarePatrol of Northwest Phoenix, the Surprise market offers plenty of assisted living options largely due to its proximity to Sun City and Sun City West, which are both 55+ retirement communities.
There are over 100 assisted living communities located within Surprise’s city limits, which fall into three categories: supervisory, personal and directed care. These licenses indicate the level of care that an assisted living facility may offer in the state of Arizona.
The supervisory license is the most hands-off level of care, offering general supervision and daily monitoring of residents’ needs, the ability to intervene in a crisis and assistance with resident self-administration of medications. The personal license is intended for facilities that help residents with their personal activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing, bathing and administering medication. The directed care license is the highest level of care and intended for residents with memory care needs who require a high level of supervision.
In Arizona there’s a distinction between an assisted living home and an assisted living center. The former provides rooms and care to no more than 10 residents while the latter is licensed for at least 11 residents.
Assisted Living Regulations and Records in Surprise, Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services creates rules for the state’s residential care institutions, including assisted living facilities (centers and homes), and it licenses and regulates them as well.
Assisted living centers are required to provide either residential units or single-occupancy or double-occupancy bedrooms. Residential units must have a keyed entry, bathroom, resident controlled thermostat and kitchen area with a sink, refrigerator, cooking appliance and space for food preparation.
“Assisted living communities are [required] to provide 24/7 care, so someone must always be at the facility to provide personal care for all residents,” says Lusk.
Facilities must also provide meals and snacks in accordance with federal dietary guidelines and are also required to provide options that meet any nutritional needs or therapeutic diets specified in each resident’s service plan.
Additionally, assisted living facilities must plan daily social, recreational or rehabilitative activities according to residents’ preferences, needs and abilities.
Furthermore, all staff and volunteers must have a valid fingerprint clearance card issued by the Department of Health Services before being hired. As of January 2023, staff background checks include additional requirements. For instance, individuals with certain felonies cannot receive licenses to work in assisted living facilities.
