ARIZONA DESERT FALLS

Arizona Desert Falls is a licensed assisted living center on East Juniper Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. State licensing records from the Arizona Department of Health Services list a capacity of 30 residents and approval to provide directed care, the highest of Arizona's three assisted living service levels, which allows the community to serve residents who are unable to direct their own care, including many people living with dementia.

Arizona Desert Falls is a small assisted living community in a residential neighborhood in north Phoenix, where the team describes a close-knit setting in which residents are known by name. The activities program includes arts and crafts, fitness classes, exotic pet therapy, live music, and movie nights. In Arizona, assisted living centers serve eleven or more residents and are licensed by the Department of Health Services at one of three service levels.

Supervisory care covers general supervision and help in an emergency, personal care adds hands-on help with activities such as bathing, dressing, and medications, and directed care is for residents who can no longer recognize danger or direct their own care. Knowing a community's level helps families judge whether it can keep meeting a loved one's needs over time. Assisted living suits people who want help with daily routines such as medications, bathing, and dressing while keeping their own apartment and as much independence as possible.

Someone who needs daily skilled nursing or intensive rehabilitation may be better served by a skilled nursing facility. Arizona rules require an assisted living facility to prepare a written service plan for each resident that describes the care and services to be provided, and to review and update it as needs change. Families can ask to take part in that review and to learn who to call when something in the plan no longer fits.

Families can look up a community's license and inspection history on the state's AZ Care Check website before a visit, and reading recent inspection reports can show how a community has responded to any past findings. The Phoenix address keeps the community within reach of the area's hospitals, shopping, and services. When visiting Arizona Desert Falls, it helps to ask who completes the move-in assessment, how often care plans are updated, how many caregivers are on duty overnight, and how the team communicates with families.

Local Senior Advisor is a free service to families, and a local advisor can help you weigh Arizona Desert Falls against other options around Phoenix and plan the questions to bring on a visit.