Aurora Residential Alternatives

Tucked into Aurora's Tollgate Crossing neighborhood, Aurora Residential Alternatives is a converted single-family house where five residents make up the whole household. Walk in and it reads like someone's home, not a facility lobby — a shared living room, a kitchen table, hallways sized for a family rather than a campus. Where bigger communities might house residents by the dozen or more, the headcount here never climbs past five.

Care here is limited to assisted living: staff help residents bathe, get around safely, and stay on top of their medication schedule. That support can deepen as a resident's health changes without requiring anyone to pack up and move to another provider. What this household does not offer is independent living, memory care for dementia, or short stays for trial or respite purposes — anyone considering this home should plan for a longer commitment.

Every resident here pays out of pocket; the home does not bill Medicaid for any portion of care. Food comes from one kitchen and lands on one table, with residents usually gathering to eat together. Because the same small group of caregivers is on hand day after day, they get to know each resident's habits in a way that's harder to replicate on a rotating shift in a larger building. Activities and downtime aren't run off a printed schedule so much as shaped around what the five residents actually want to do that day.

Assisted living here runs about $5,500 a month, billed entirely to the resident or family rather than through any Medicaid program. Pets aren't part of the picture — the home doesn't have a setup for animal care alongside resident care. What tends to draw families here is less a checklist of features and more the fit of a small, calm household. The surrounding Tollgate Crossing streets are quiet and residential, with Utah Park close enough for a walk outdoors.

Havana Street's shops sit nearby for everyday errands, and the open-air Southlands mall isn't far for a longer outing. Children's Hospital Colorado is the nearest major hospital, putting emergency and specialty medical care within easy reach. Aurora Residential Alternatives isn't part of a national chain — it's run by the family that owns it, which keeps decisions about the household close to home. Seeing it in person is the best way to get a feel for the pace of the place, ask who's currently on staff, and figure out whether this size and setting fit what your family needs.