Wisconsin Assisted Living

SeniorLiving FAQ

By David Besnette


In this research guide you will learn how to get a COMPLETE, non-commercial, Statewide list of Assisted Living & Senior Living Facilities Provided by the State of Wisconsin.

We’ll show you how to access details and direct contacts for ALL FACILITIES statewide, including FACILITY COST information.   Wisconsin is one of only two states that provide cost information through State resources.  

In Wisconsin, Assisted Living is broken down into four different categories:

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services defines assisted living as:

“Assisted living facilities are for individuals who need some level of care monitoring services but choose to live in a setting without 24-hour access to nursing services.”  Learn more about assisted living on the WDHS site.

How To Learn Assisted Living Facility Costs in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Safest Facilities:


Safe Facilities

If you are researching Senior Living options in Wisconsin, you are lucky in that you have not only facility databases at your fingertips that cover the entire state, you also have access to facility cost information as well.  This information is free and easy to access, if you know where to look.

First, you should visit the DHS site that we mentioned above, and their “Finding and Choosing an Assisted Living Facility” section.  Here you have access to an incredible amount of information about the State’s assisted living programs and facilities.

You’ll see, as we mentioned above, the four main categories of assisted living that we listed above.

Selecting one of these groups, such as Adult Family Home (AFH) will bring you to a page specifically for that category of care. The page will look like this:

Adult Family Home

You’ll notice that it gives a more in-depth overview and definition of what you can expect from this specific Assisted Living type, what services are provided, Licensing information and much more.   

To Gain Access to Cost Information, Scroll to This Section

Cost Info Facilities

You will see links to Statewide Directories for that specific category, which can be accessed in either .PDF or Excel formats.   For this example I chose the .PDF format, and the directory list offered 232 pages of facilities statewide.    A sample page looks like this:

Facility Directory Page

This directory provides extremely useful data on each facility including

  • Facility Address
  • Direct Phone Number
  • Administrator’s Name
  • Type of Facility
  • Class
  • Gender and Capacity
  • LOW/HIGH rate or cost
  • License Number
  • License Through Date
  • Types of Care/Residents Accepted (aka Advanced Age, Physically Disabled)

This list can be easily printed, and the excel version can be easily formatted, and sorted.

Using the Wisconsin DOH Provider Search Database to Find Assisted Living Care

Another outstanding tool at your fingertips to find Senior Living options Statewide in Wisconsin is through the State’s Department of Health Provider Search Database.

You’ll have free access to all manner of Senior Care Facilities including:

  • Residential Care Homes
  • Assisted Living Homes 
  • Nursing Homes
  • FDD/ICF-IID
  • In-Home Care, including Hospice
  • Non-Long Term Care options including Rural Health Clinics, Hospitals and more

The search database, provided by the Division of Quality Assurance, looks like this:

Provider Search

You can see that you can search for facilities using a number of different search fields or criteria.  You can search by

  1. Provider Name
  2. County
  3. City
  4. Zip Code
  5. Provider / Facility Type

The great thing about this search is that you can also set the ‘distance’ radius for the search to either expand or narrow your search.  Additionally, you can select the ‘County Map’ option that will give you a visual graphic of the State of Wisconsin, broken down by County.  This page looks like this:

Wisconsin Counties

Search Results for Assisted Living & Residential Care in Wisconsin

For example, I did a test search using the provider search page for all Assisted Living Facilities and Residential Care Homes in a specific county in Wisconsin.   The results page created an interactive map with “pins” for where each facility is located, and then, a list of the many facility options available.  The page looked like this:

Results

The map function is useful in that you can get a ‘visual’ on where facilities are located, and if you click on a ‘pin’ it will show you the address, and directions to the facility.  However, if you want more detailed facility information, you’ll need to head down to the list and choose a facility by clicking the green link under the Facility Name column.

The initial output, though, is great in that it immediately provides a Direct Contact Phone Number for the facility. 

Selecting a facility will bring up tons of useful information about the facility including:

  1. Address, Map and Phone number
  2. Administrator’s Name
  3. Licensure Status
  4. Ownership Type
  5. Capacity
  6. Client Groups Served

Additionally, you’ll have access to facility Inspections and Survey information.    For example, I selected the link under ‘Statement of Deficiency” for a facility in the list, and the information provided what a .pdf document summarizing the inspection details.  

Statement of Deficiency

 

Additional Resources

Wisconsin Assisted Living Association

Chippewa Valley Assisted Living Association

How to file a complaint

 

Wisconsin Residents:


Availability

One thought on “Wisconsin Assisted Living

  1. Pingback: How To File A Complaint Against A Health Care Facility in Wisconsin - SeniorLiving FAQ

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