10 Best Nursing Homes in Tucson, AZ

Because some skilled nursing services can be covered with public assistance, most families look to pay for their skilled nursing care with a mix of public assistance and private funds. Medicaid, Medicare, and veterans benefits can help cover some of the costs of skilled nursing care, but most families need to use some private funds as well.

We know that careful planning is one step towards keeping the right senior living communities within grasp, so we’ve gathered information about how to use private funds, veterans benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare to pay for your or your loved one’s nursing home or senior care needs.

COVID-19 regulations for Tucson nursing homes

Tucson’s nursing homes and other long-term care facilities follow Arizona’s state guidelines — called the Arizona Together program — to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on residents, staff members, and visitors. According to this program, residents should mask when sick and test if exposed to COVID-19.

The Pima County Long-Term Care Resource Center provides at-home tests, vaccinations, and personal protective equipment, like gloves and masks, to local nursing homes and assisted living communities. While Arizona is behind other states in vaccination rates among nursing home residents, Pima County reports that 50% of local nursing home residents are vaccinated against COVID-19. The county reports weekly data about vaccination rates, deaths, and infections on its COVID-19 Data Reports page.

Arizona nursing homes and other senior care types maintain resident freedoms and are required to provide a high quality of care. Caregivers in Arizona’s nursing homes go through certified training programs, and the facilities themselves go through yearly inspections to retain licensure. As in many states, caregivers must be over 18 (and caregiver aides must be over 16), and all workers must pass a background check.

In 2022, Arizona strengthened requirements for caregivers at skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities. According to this new law, people with felonies due to violence or fraud are not permitted to work in any Arizona nursing home or long-term care facility.

What are the federal regulations for nursing homes?

Nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities are regulated by the federal government. Many of the services offered in skilled nursing facilities can be paid for with federal programs, like Medicare and Medicaid, which is why the government takes a greater responsibility in their oversight. The Code of Federal Regulations for Long-Term Care Facilities outlines the basic requirements for skilled nursing units, including the following:

• Skilled nursing facilities must keep residents free from any kind of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
• Facilities must provide residents access to quality of life and care.
• Nursing homes must provide high-quality, nutritious meals to residents.

The nursing home search tool on Medicare.gov provides a public report card for every skilled nursing facility in the country. You can find the results of their last inspection, recent violations and complaints, and general information about the facility.

What are Arizona’s regulations for nursing homes?

Arizona nursing homes are also regulated and licensed by the state through the Bureau of Long-Term Care Licensing. Compared to other states, Arizona has thorough requirements for all of its senior care communities, including nursing homes. The Bureau of Long-Term Care Licensing fully outlines the rights of all nursing home residents in its Consumer’s Guide to Nursing Homes, including the following:

• Medicare or Medicaid recipients cannot be asked to pay a cash deposit or prepayment before receiving treatment at a skilled nursing facility.
• Residents of skilled nursing facilities cannot be given chemical or physical restraints for any nonmedical purpose.
• Skilled nursing facility residents have a right to privacy and confidentiality.
• All residents are allowed to submit complaints without restraint or retaliation.
• Residents are permitted to engage in religious and social activities.
• Couples who live in the same facility must be allowed to share a room.
• Residents of nursing homes must be allowed to manage their own finances.
• All nursing home residents should be allowed to choose their health care providers.

Nursing homes in Arizona undergo state inspections about once a year, and you can find the results of these inspections on the Long-Term Care Provider Search Form. You can search for communities by name, ZIP code, address, or care type.

How Arizona regulates other senior care types

The Bureau of Residential Licensing regulates assisted living facilities, board and care homes, and memory care facilities in Arizona. After receiving an initial license, these senior care communities also go through annual inspections. All inspection results for these care types are publicly available on the same AZDHS Provider Search Form.

According to Article 8: Assisted Living Facilities from the Department of Health Services, all Arizona assisted living and memory care facilities must uphold the following resident rights:

• All residents should be free from any kind of abuse.
• The resident must be informed of their health care plan and how to make a complaint, and cannot be retaliated against or prevented from making a complaint.
• Residents should have access to their own medical records during normal business hours.
• Assisted living residents can request to move to a different room.
• All residents should have access to privacy for their personal needs.
• Residents can choose their own health care providers and pharmacy.

Also according to Article 8, caregivers of Arizona assisted living and memory care communities must be 18 years or older and complete an approved training program. All caregivers must also complete a first aid and CPR training and be up to date on their Tuberculosis vaccine.

Arizona Department of Health contact information

Arizona Department of Health Services
150 N. 18th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-542-1025

Tucson is just right for many seniors. Beautiful weather, a large number of senior living options, and a zesty culture make Tucson appealing to plenty of people over 65. Arizona’s senior-friendly tax laws also keep Tucson within reach for many seniors.

Despite being smaller than its Arizona cousin, Phoenix, Tucson pulls its weight when it comes to senior living options. Skilled nursing facilities in Tucson are well-established and have plenty of resources. Assisted living and memory care communities also offer a wide range of services and amenities.

Whether they’re moving in from out of state or staying put, most seniors can find a senior living option that’s just right for them in Tucson. In this section, we’ll go over the differences between skilled nursing and assisted living. Then, we’ll explain what skilled nursing care is really like in Tucson. We also add valuable information about other care types and some fun extras, like great senior-friendly activities.

What’s the difference between skilled nursing homes and assisted living?

The term “nursing home” is sometimes used to refer to any senior living community. But nursing homes are actually a specific type of rehabilitation facility most often used by people recovering from a medical procedure or an illness. Nursing homes provide a skilled nursing level of care associated with hospitals, not assisted living communities. Many seniors who don’t need round-the-clock medical help find a better fit in assisted living or memory care.

Also, nursing homes are not the only option for receiving skilled nursing services. In Tucson, A Place for Mom partners with 47 assisted living and memory care facilities that also offer access to skilled nursing care on site.^[01] These communities come in all shapes and sizes, including stand-alone nursing homes, traditional assisted living communities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), and board and care homes. Read on to learn what it’s like to live in each of these communities as a senior in need of skilled nursing care.

What are traditional nursing homes like in Tucson, Arizona?

Traditional, stand-alone nursing homes in Tucson provide exceptional care for a variety of clientele. Some seniors may need a two-week stay to recover from surgery, while others may need longer-term medical care. Regardless of the length of the stay, seniors in Tucson’s nursing homes have access to skilled nursing care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

They also provide social services. All nursing homes in Tucson provide a case manager to advocate for each client and make sure they’re discharged at the right time. High standards reflect the higher cost of nursing homes in Tucson, which is $6,601 a month on average, according to Genworth’s most recent Cost of Care Survey.^[02]

Many of these stand-alone nursing homes offer private or semi-private rooms and meals. Lifestyle amenities like outdoor courtyards and beauty salons are also common. Far from the more institutional aesthetic of nursing homes in the past, nursing homes in Tucson now tend to be more homelike and create a warm, pleasant environment as part of the healing process.

What are the assisted living and memory care options in Tucson, Arizona?

Assisted living and memory care in Tucson can be organized into three types: traditional stand-alone communities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), and board and care homes. Tucson has a roughly equal split between these three. This gives seniors a higher chance of finding a great option that suits their budget and their needs (and many of their wants, too).

Both traditional assisted living communities and CCRCs often have skilled nursing wings or access to nursing care services in the resident’s unit. However, these assisted living and memory care facilities don’t typically accept new residents in immediate need of 24/7 skilled nursing care. On-site skilled nursing services are instead reserved for current residents who grow to need such services in the event of surgery, illness, or hospice, so that they won’t need to move if their needs change.

Because assisted living and memory care don’t immediately offer the kind of medical services as nursing homes, they cost about half as much monthly. Residents receiving skilled nursing care at these communities often pay for their skilled nursing with additional fees, which can become very expensive. Traditional assisted living communities and CCRCs use a different payment structure to account for skilled nursing costs.

Features of assisted living and memory care facilities in Tucson, Arizona

Most traditional assisted living and memory care communities provide some form of skilled nursing care, often in a skilled nursing wing or through access to on-site nursing care services in the resident’s unit. It’s important to note that skilled nursing care is not included in the monthly payment and instead is added on as an additional charge. Skilled nursing care is expensive, and these additional costs can add up very quickly.

Traditional assisted living and memory care communities offer semi-private or private rooms and restaurant-style dining. They also have design features with their residents’ safety and general well-being in mind, like shower rails. Memory care communities in Tucson tend to be connected to assisted living communities but often have a higher level of security and activities that support seniors with dementia. Not all assisted living communities have 24-hour awake staff, but most memory care communities do, and both provide personal care, maintenance, housekeeping, and meals.

Features of continuing care retirement communities in Tucson, Arizona

Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in Tucson are often newer and larger than their traditional assisted living or memory care counterparts. These communities usually include assisted living, memory care, independent living, and skilled nursing wings.

They tend to be a bit more expensive than other options because they offer seniors the opportunity to stay in the same community at a fixed rate even as their care needs change. These communities also tend to be more resort-like with many on-site services. Most CCRCs also have higher-end amenities that appeal to the range of residents, like luxurious pools and in-house bars.

CCRCs have a different payment structure than traditional assisted living communities. A large admissions fee, often more than $100,000, is the norm for CCRCs. However, the admissions fee offsets future skilled nursing care costs for the resident. This means after the initial fee is paid, monthly costs tend to stay about the same even when the resident needs expensive skilled nursing care.

Board and care homes in Tucson, Arizona

Board and care homes offer the same type of care as assisted living communities but in residential homes. They provide the same care services and meals within a more private, homelike environment. These communities usually have up to eight residents, and caregivers often live in the home with the residents.

Given their size, these homes don’t offer skilled nursing care as often as other senior living options in Tucson. However, many board and care home residents employ home health care agencies to provide skilled nursing care while they reside in the home. Home health care can be less expensive than skilled nursing care in a CCRC or assisted living facility because caregivers are usually paid by the hour. However, home health care stops being cost-effective if the senior needs round-the-clock skilled nursing care.

Also, due to their smaller size, board and care homes in Tucson are considerably less expensive than traditional assisted living communities or CCRCs. Tucson has about as many board and care homes as traditional assisted living communities, which means there are more cost-effective options for assisted living in Tucson than in many other cities.

Tucson is a Goldilocks town for seniors

Tucson’s charm is in the details. And for many seniors, the first detail they cite is the climate. At just under 2,500 feet, Tucson is more than 1,000 feet higher than Phoenix and has a milder climate to show for it. Summers can still top 100 degrees, but in general, being outside in Tucson is pleasant all year round. But it’s not just the nice weather: Tucson’s scenic mountain ranges and famous sunsets can be enjoyed just as easily from a back porch as they can from a mountaintop.

Cost of living is top of mind for most seniors, and Tucson is just under the national average for most cost-of-living standards, including the cost of skilled nursing and assisted living care. With a population of about 500,000, Tucson is also more manageable for seniors who may tire of the noise of a larger city but want to maintain a connection to cultural activities.

As Tucson is home to the University of Arizona and a thriving art scene, locals have no trouble finding cultural and intellectual pursuits. Because of the robust social programs at most senior living communities, staying connected and busy is easy even for seniors who stay home most of the day.

Nursing homes in the surrounding Tucson suburbs

Green Valley is a large retirement community about 30 minutes south of Tucson. It has a population of over 22,000 and is growing due to its status as one of the best places to retire in the United States. Although over 80% of the residents are over 65, the town has a school system, public parks, and shopping centers.^[03]

With so many seniors, Green Valley has a uniquely high concentration of senior living communities, a virtually nonexistent crime rate, and a lower cost of living than Tucson. Green Valley has plenty of nursing home options, most of which are traditional nursing homes and CCRCs. While not as culturally vibrant as Tucson, Green Valley has plenty of community-organized activities, and many seniors enjoy living full-time in this serene little hamlet.

Health care for seniors in Tucson

Tucson, Arizona, has a good number of health care options, and one of the best hospitals in the United States.

Transportation for seniors in Tucson

Like most Western cities, Tucson is best navigated by car. However, residents of Tucson’s senior care communities don’t need to worry about driving themselves. This is because almost all of our partnering senior care communities offer transportation services for their residents. Visiting family members can either rent a car or use Tucson’s public transportation system, which is called Sun Tran and includes the Sun Link streetcar, Sun Vans, Sun on Demand, and the Sun Shuttle.

The Sun Tran system is affordable and reliable for seniors and offers a few senior-specific benefits. Some of the perks for seniors on the Sun Tran system are the following:

• Customer service representatives can walk seniors through trip planning.
• Seniors enjoy reduced fees and senior-designated seats right behind the driver.
• Vans have lifts to make boarding easier for guests with limited mobility.
• The Sun Tran system offers a free class for seniors to learn how to use the Sun Tran system.

Information is available on the senior page of the Sun Tran website, or by calling 520-206-8881.