10 Best Nursing Homes in Arlington, TX

Most seniors and their families use some combination of private funds and public health insurance programs to cover senior care costs in Arlington. Depending on your senior loved one’s personal history and financial situation, they may even be eligible for some of the most common public support methods — VA benefits, Medicare, and/or Medicaid.

In this section, you’ll find an overview of the most common private and public pay methods used by families to cover nursing home or senior care facility costs in Arlington, Texas.

In Texas, all senior care facilities — nursing home, assisted living, and memory care facilities — are licensed and regulated by Texas Health and Human Services (also known as HHS or HHSC). Facilities must be licensed before they start providing housing and care services to residents. Furthermore, if a nursing home or senior care facility wishes to accept Medicaid or Medicare, it must be certified by the HHS to do so.

Here’s a brief outline of the licensing and certification requirements for Texas nursing homes and senior care facilities:

Resident admission processes

• Using a doctor’s order, skilled nursing facilities must craft a person-centered care plan for each resident. Care plans must account for each resident’s dietary, social, psychological, and other daily care needs.
• In assisted living and memory care facilities, a similar procedure must be followed, except facilities are not required to have a doctor’s order for care plans. Administrators will typically use family guidance, which might also include physician recommendations. For memory care facilities, a specialized admissions process must be in place to confirm a resident’s need for memory care services.

Management and staffing requirements

• Texas nursing homes and skilled nursing units are required to have licensed nurses, certified nursing assistants, nurse aids, and registered nurses on staff. They must also meet specific staff-to-resident ratios, i.e., one on-site nurse for every 20 residents at all times.
• Assisted living facilities must have an on-site, full-time manager to oversee the facility’s day-to-day operation. These managers are required to complete at least one 24-hour assisted living management course, while their staff must complete 16 hours of supervised on-the-job training.
• Memory care facility managers and staff members must continually participate in specialized memory care training in order to remain a licensed memory care facility.

Health and safety standards

• A certified skilled nursing facility in Texas must meet design, construction, and equipment standards that support the health and safety of residents, staff, and visitors. For example, each facility must have safety equipment and emergency procedures for accidents, fires, or power outages. All facilities must also allow for safe access to fresh air and common areas for activities.
• Both assisted living and memory care facilities are required to have similar health and safety standards in place as nursing facilities.
• Memory care facilities must have additional measures in place to prevent residents from harming themselves or wandering. Memory care facilities must also designate an activities director to encourage socialization among residents. This director must tailor activities based on each memory care resident’s specific abilities and arrange for special equipment, so all residents can participate in activities.^[09,10]

All nursing home, assisted living, and memory care facilities must follow specific health and life safety codes that regulate the following:^[11]

• Sufficient staff-to-resident ratios
• Employee background checks
• Management of the facility
• General construction of the facility
• Implementation of safety and emergency features
• Protection from hazardous areas
• Documentation of fire drills, system checks, etc.

Texas senior care facility inspections

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission performs inspections on all skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care facilities. These inspections take place approximately every two years. They check for a facility’s compliance with Texas’ life safety code and health code.^[11]

You can access a licensed community’s most recent inspection report and general facility information through the Texas Health and Human Services’ Long-term Care Provider Search. Inspection reports typically include the date of a community’s most recent inspection, a list of found violations, and the date violations were corrected. If you’d like to request any additional information, you can email rsltcr.recordsmgmt@hhsc.state.tx.us.

Nursing home quality monitoring in Texas

In an effort to continually enhance the quality of care provided in Texas nursing homes, the Health and Human Services Commission implemented a Quality Monitoring Program (or QMP) to monitor nursing facilities with a history of deficiencies. QMP reviews are conducted by nurses, pharmacists, and dieticians. They may recommend changes to policies or procedures, conduct staff trainings, offer technical assistance, and educate staff about evidence-based best practices during their visits to facilities.

Families can also visit the federal Medicare website to compare and contrast local nursing home ratings, staffing practices, and overall quality of Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.

Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC or HHS) contact information

4601 W. Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78751
Phone: 512-424-6500
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

COVID-19 regulations for Arlington nursing homes

Arlington doesn’t have any COVID-19 regulations specific to nursing homes or senior care facilities. However, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission does require all care facilities to set their own infection prevention and control measures. This is so facilities take accountability to prevent the spread of all common diseases and infections, including COVID-19.

A senior care or skilled nursing facility’s infection prevention and control measures may include guidelines on the following:

• Staff hygiene practices
• Disinfection and sterilization techniques
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Safe injection methods
• Physical distancing requirements

Because Arlington communities set their own regulations, it’s best to check with your prospective community about what measures they’re taking to protect residents against common infections. You can also visit the coronavirus informational page on Arlington’s city website to find regular updates regarding local risk levels, testing, vaccinations, and more.

Arlington has many aging-friendly and dementia-friendly initiatives. For instance, the city hosts an annual Aging Well Expo to help seniors thrive in Arlington. At the expo, seniors receive free health screenings, fitness demonstrations, and entertainment. They also receive free tips and information to help them lead fulfilling lives in Arlington.

The city is also a part of the North Central Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. This means affected community members have access to several local resources, programs, and events to help them learn about Alzheimer’s disease, cope with it, and fund research efforts.

And, of course, Arlington offers several senior care communities to help seniors lead healthy, engaging lives during their later years. Seniors and their families can choose from many skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Arlington. Or, if your senior loved one doesn’t require 24-hour medical care, Arlington offers many senior care options in assisted living. As a matter of fact, seniors can find specialized care for their unique needs at these assisted living and memory care communities in Arlington.

Below, you’ll learn how our partner senior care communities compare to typical nursing homes in the Arlington area. You’ll also find that assisted living and memory care communities can accommodate various lifestyles and even provide some on-site nursing care services.

Skilled nursing for seniors with serious medical conditions

Seniors can find the highest level of medical care outside of a hospital in Arlington nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities. These nursing homes have doctors and nurses on staff to attend to patients’ medical needs 24 hours a day. Even though A Place for Mom doesn’t partner with stand-alone nursing homes, we do partner with a few assisted living and memory care communities with skilled nursing units on-site. This means that current residents can be moved to an on-site skilled nursing unit for specialized 24/7 care in the event they need it.

Seniors can usually find the following services at Arlington nursing homes or within skilled nursing units:

• 24-hour licensed nursing care services
• 24-hour emergency response systems
• Rehabilitative care (speech, occupational, and physical therapies)
• Restorative therapy
• Pain management and wound care
• Hospice care
• Medication management
• Common areas and activity rooms
• Three meals and snacks daily
• Wellness programming (health education and fitness activities)

Assisted living or memory care for seniors without round-the-clock medical care needs

For seniors who don’t require 24-hour medical supervision, assisted living or memory care communities in Arlington may be a better fit. These communities provide personalized care services and are substantially more affordable. They also help seniors lead a social life filled with daily conveniences and activities on-site.

Senior care communities in our Arlington network typically provide the following services:

• Assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Personal care services
• Meals and snacks daily
• Housekeeping and laundry services
• Concierge services
• Transportation or ride-service coordination
• Standard nursing services

Residents can typically expect the following types of standard nursing care services at most Arlington senior care communities:

• Vitals monitoring (body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, etc.)
• Medication management
• Diabetic care
• Urinary or bowel incontinence management
• Dental care
• Podiatry
• Hospice care
• Rehabilitative care, like physical, occupational, and speech therapies

Memory care communities offer similar care services, but they often add an extra level of security and personalization to accommodate seniors with dementia. The following additional care services and features are typical of memory care facilities:

• Behavior management techniques (redirection, reassurance, relaxation, etc.)
• Advanced security systems for wander prevention
• Memory care design features (easy-to-navigate signs, calming colors, etc.)

How assisted living and memory care communities engage residents

Senior care communities in Arlington tend to offer more on-site entertainment and amenities than nursing homes. Arlington communities provide residents a range of activities and amenities that help them socialize, relax, and engage in unique ways.

Arlington senior care communities typically offer the following sorts of on-site amenities:

• Fitness centers
• Libraries and business centers
• Movie theaters and/or TV lounges
• Game and activity rooms
• Salons and/or barbershops
• Private and restaurant-style dining rooms
• Courtyards, gardens, and walking paths
• Outside picnic areas or grilling stations

Seniors can also benefit from regularly scheduled activity programming at our partner Arlington senior care communities. These programs usually offer the following types of activities:

• Fitness classes
• Holiday parties and happy hours
• Arts and crafts classes
• Educational lectures/classes
• Group games
• Singing and musical performances
• Interest clubs (walking club, book club, etc.)
• Movie nights

Along with the amenities and activities found at most senior care communities, specialized memory care communities typically offer the following additional features:

• Secured units and enclosed courtyards to prevent wandering
• Life skill stations that replicate real-life environments
• Whirlpools for relaxation
• Reminisce therapies (art, music, memory box, etc.)
• Brain-stimulating puzzles and games

Health care for seniors in Arlington

Because Arlington is a suburb of Dallas, the city doesn’t have many regionally or nationally recognized hospitals. Dallas tends to house most of the nationally ranking hospitals. However, seniors still have a variety of high-quality hospitals within Arlington.

Here’s some information on Arlington’s top health care facilities:

Transportation for seniors in Arlington

Around 88% of partner communities offer complimentary or at-cost transportation services to current residents.^[02] The select few communities who don’t have their own transportation service will happily coordinate rides using a local service. If you’d like to schedule a ride, just ask the concierge.

Because Arlington doesn’t have its own public transit system, communities without their own transportation services typically coordinate rides for residents through Handitran — the city’s transportation service for seniors 65+ and individuals with disabilities.

To apply for the Handitran service, seniors need to provide proof of age and pay $10. From there on out, seniors only pay $2 per one-way trip or $55 per month for unlimited rides. If your loved one has a memory-related disability, be sure they’re accompanied by a caregiver while riding public transportation to ensure their safe arrival and return.

Senior activities in Arlington

There’s a range of activities for seniors of all mobility and cognitive levels in Arlington, Texas. Most of our partner senior care communities host regular group outings to local attractions and events catered to residents’ abilities. So, residents can choose to go on community outings or explore Arlington’s top attractions and events with visiting loved ones.

Here’s a glimpse at some of Arlington’s accessible, senior-favored activities:

Savor tasty meals and browse shopping centers

With all of the space available in the suburbs of Dallas, Arlington offers several shopping centers. The Parks Mall at Arlington is the most popular as it houses over 180 shops and restaurants — with several accessible entrances throughout. Families can also check out Arlington’s most-recommended restaurants on the city website. From fine dining and unique cuisines to local food trucks and fast food, the options are endless.

Immerse yourself in the arts

The Arlington Museum of Art is known for its range of exhibits. Visitors find themselves entranced by the modern, immersive exhibits, while the historic pieces transport them back in time. Seniors and their families can also attend their favorite concerts, plays, ballets, or symphonies at one of Arlington’s performing arts theaters. Both the museum and several local theaters offer accessible routes and accommodations for individuals with disabilities, so be sure to inquire before your visit.

Surround yourself with nature

Arlington seniors can stroll, birdwatch, or picnic in one of Arlington’s parks. Richard Greene Linear Park is especially popular in the city due to its unique environmental sculpture, expansive hiking trails, biking routes, and picnic areas alongside a peaceful lake. Some parts of the park are easily accessible while others may not be, so be sure to check before you plan a visit. River Legacy Park also offers 1,031 acres of greenery, with accessible areas for birdwatching.

Support your favorite teams at local sporting events

Many seniors are fans of the famous sports teams in the area. The area houses the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers stadiums, so fans find themselves gathering for the games on a regular basis. Seniors and their families can buy tickets to cheer on their favorite teams live, or they can go to an Arlington sports bar or pub to grab a bite or drink and watch the game. The stadium and many local pubs offer accessible seating, so be sure to check before you plan a visit.