Assisted Living In Wyoming

With many natural attractions from plains and hot springs to mountains, Wyoming is a beautiful state to retire in. Active seniors will enjoy the various outdoor activities hosted in the Cowboy State. Wyoming is also popular with retirees because of its low tax rates for seniors and its lack of an income tax.

Directory of Assisted Living Facilities in Wyoming

It’s crucial to research any facility you may be considering for your aging loved ones or for yourself. You’ll want to know the size of the facility, the rooms it offers, amenities they provide like community activities and social opportunities, fees, and more. Using the tool below, compare and research multiple facilities near you.

Paying For Assisted Living in Wyoming

The Cost of Assisted Living in Wyoming

The monthly median cost of assisted living in Wyoming is $4,235, which is slightly more costly than the national average of $4,000. According to Genworth’s 2018 Cost of Care Survey, the average cost of assisted living in Wyoming is more expensive than other states in the region.

 

The average cost of assisted living is more in metropolitan areas like Casper and Cheyenne, which are both more expensive than the nationwide average. However, the rest of the state is well below the national average at only $3,500 a month, which makes rural Wyoming one of the least expensive options in the region for assisted living costs.

 

In Wyoming, assisted living is the least expensive option of residential care at $4,235, followed by in-home care at $4,767 a month. Memory care and nursing home care are much more expensive alternatives to assisted living in the state.

Financial Assistance for Assisted Living in Wyoming

Assisted Living Medicaid Waivers

While Medicaid does not pay directly for the cost of room and board in assisted living, qualified residents may qualify for a financial assistance waiver for services received while in an assisted living facility. The waiver is designed to provide the greatest amount of choice in the environment and care services for those that need nursing home-level care but want to avoid moving into an institutional-type home.

The assisted living waiver does not cover the cost of room and board. Daily care services and case management received in a qualified assisted living facility (ALF) may be paid for through this waiver, which does not have a waitlist.

Who is Eligible?

To qualify for long-term care coverage through the Medicaid program, applicants need to require enough assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) to warrant nursing home care, as determined by an assessment, and qualify based upon age and income limits:

• All applicants need to be age 65 or older, or disabled.
• Applicants must be legal US citizens and residents of the state.
• Monthly income is limited to $2,250 a month for an individual. Applicants have the ability to establish an Income Trust to protect money over that limit.
• Total assets cannot exceed $2,000, or $3,000 for a couple if both are applying. If only one spouse applies, the other spouse may have up to $123,600 in assets. Houses valued up to $572,000 are not counted, nor is one vehicle and any personal belongings like furniture or clothing.

How to Apply

To apply for a long-term care or assisted living facility waiver, contact the Medicaid Long-Term Care Unit at 1-855-203-2936 or visit their website. For questions about the waivers, call 1-855-203-2823.

More Ways to Finance Assisted Living

Other ways to finance assisted living costs may include:

• Veterans Benefits: VA funded pension programs and other benefits can help ease the financial burden of assisted living. See this article on benefits.va.gov for more information.

• Life Insurance Policies: Some life insurance policies pay death benefits as well as the option to withdraw money to pay for assisted living costs. For more information, see longtermcare.acl.gov.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: Long-term care insurance policies help you pay for assisted living costs in advance, find out more at longtermcare.acl.gov.

• Reverse Mortgages: Reverse mortgages allow elders to fund assisted living using equity from their homes. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides a federally insured reverse mortgage program.

Free Assisted Living Resources in Wyoming

Wyoming Senior Companions Program

The senior companion program provides opportunities for low-income elders aged 55 and older to serve frail and disabled residents part-time. Participants receive free training, are reimbursed for mileage, and earn a small tax-free stipend of $2.65 an hour. In return, they provide personal care assistance like light chores to residents 21 and older who are disabled or frail. Visit the website or call 1-800-856-4398 to find a service location.

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Residents and loved ones of those receiving long-term care services can reach out to the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) when residents rights are violated. The LTCO:

• Coordinates between agencies like the Department of Health, or law enforcement agencies, and residents of long-term care facilities
• Educates current AL residents, potential residents, families, friends and community members interested in improving long-term care in resident needs and rights
• Provides information and referrals to long-term care and related services
• Takes complaints and provides recommendations to facilities to solve resident issues in areas such as billing, dietary complaints, and health services

Wyoming Aging and Disability Resource Center

The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Wyoming operates as an information hub for senior services in the state. Visit their website to search for senior resources in the area, or call (307) 766-2765 to speak with a specialist.

Veterans Benefits

The Veterans Affairs office can provide valuable resources to eligible veterans and their families, such as medical benefits, pension payments, and burial cost assistance. You can visit the state Regional Benefit Office website, or click here to see a list of VA offices in Wyoming.

Social Security Offices

The Social Security Administration offers many resources for low-income and elderly citizens, including retirement benefits for qualified elders and their families. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit the Social Security Administration website to speak with a representative.

Wyoming Senior Centers

There are many senior centers in Wyoming, offering free and reduced-price services for the aging residents of the state, such as:

• Community meals and access to home-delivered meal programs
• Group fitness, line dancing, and balance improvement programs
• Card and table games, bingo, and pool
• Medicaid counseling, tax preparation workshops, and health clinics
• Community events like plays
• Art classes
• Referrals to senior services

Not every senior center has a website, see the table below for Wyoming senior centers with websites you can browse.

Assisted Living Laws and Regulations in Wyoming

Assisted Living Admission Requirements

An assisted living facility (ALF) may only admit a resident if they are able to provide for all of that resident’s needs. Third party services can be provided to residents in assisted living to fill in possible gaps of service, such as personal nursing.

Assisted Living Scope of Care

In Wyoming, assisted living facilities (ALFs) are licensed as level one or level two. All assisted facilities must provide a clean and safe environment, as well as:

• Activities for recreation and spiritual expression that are scheduled regularly in the days, evenings and on the weekends
• Three regularly scheduled meals a day
• Housekeeping and laundry services
• Help in arranging transportation including local services like the bus
• Assistance in obtaining dental care, optometric care, and social services
• Some help dressing, bathing, bandaging wounds, colostomy bags and walking
• Cueing guidance for the visually impaired and/or the intermittently confused that may need reminders as to the date or people’s names.

A level two ALF is a facility with additional training and security for residents with dementia. This facility must provide all of the above as well as:

• A secured building to prevent wandering
• Help grooming, dressing, toileting, mobility and bathing
• Provide assistance to residents that need help eating and drinking
• Continence and skin care
• Activities programs for individuals with dementia

• Assistance with eating or a monitored diet
• Total assistance with dressing or bathing
• Assistance or monitoring of an oxygen tank
• Continuous help with mobility
• Catheter or colostomy bag assistance, or incontinence care
• Wound dressing care or stage two skin care and beyond
• Care for acute medical conditions, addiction, or dementia that poses a danger to other residents through aggressive behavior or wandering

Assisted Living Medicaid Policy

Medicaid may help qualified residents pay for services received while in assisted living, but will not pay directly for room and board. Residents who are admitted using a Medicaid waiver must qualify based on an assessment that determines they need a nursing home level of care, along with income and age requirements.

Assisted Living Community Requirements

Assisted living facility rooms cannot be occupied by more than two residents. Of all rooms licensed in a facility, only up to half may be private, the rest must have two occupants. In double-bed rooms, there needs to be a privacy screen separating the beds. All sleeping quarters needs to have their own windows and an entrance that doesn’t pass through any bedrooms. Each single resident bedroom must be at least eight feet of space in one direction, and multiple-bed rooms must have ten feet.

There needs to be a well-lit and mechanically ventilated bathroom for every two residents, and a bathtub or shower for every ten. Bathrooms must have locks that allow for unlocking from the outside, and all drapery and curtains must be flame retardant.

Assisted Living Service Agreements

All assisted living residents must sign a service agreement no earlier than one week prior to admittance that outlines the services that the resident requires, their costs, and other available services. This agreement also details any third party service providers, like registered nurses. For admittance to a facility, the resident must be assessed by a registered nurse, as well as annually. In a level two facility, residents must also undergo a Mini-Mental State Evaluation (MMSE) to verify their cognitive impairment and ensure they are being admitted to the correct type of facility for their needs.

Medication Management Regulations

Each resident must have a record with their identifying information and a list of all current medications, which is updated as often needed. A certified RN must supervise and manage medication administration, but a non-licensed care staff member may help a resident by opening the package, reminding them to take it or writing down when it was taken. A certified RN must review the medications every 62 days or as they change.

Wyoming Assisted Living Staffing Requirements

An assisted living facility must have an administrator or qualified staff manager, no younger than 21, to oversee day-to-day operations. The facility is responsible for ensuring there is always enough staff to meet the needs of every resident, with at least one staff member awake at all times. A certified RN must be present on every shift for every facility. In level two facilities, there also must be at least one care staff member trained in care for individuals with cognitive impairments. Also, all staff members need to be screened for communicable diseases like TB.

Assisted Living Staff Training Requirements

Assisted living facility (ALF) administrators must have at least three years of experience in an ALF or the educational equivalent. The staff manager of an ALF must have at least two years of experience working in ALFs or have completed equivalent education in the field, as well as pass a competency exam. Care staff must be trained at orientation and throughout their employment in topics like:

• Resident rights
• Evacuation and emergency procedures
• Improving resident care

Background Checks

Before direct contact with any resident of an assisted living facility, all staff must submit to at least a background check and fingerprinting by the state Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and Department of Family Services Central Registry Screening.

Requirements for Reporting Abuse

In the event that a resident experiences a conflict with their care service provider, or experiences abuse of any form, complaints can be made to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. The LTCO will investigate all complaints made by or on the behalf of a resident of an assisted living facility.

The Department of Healthcare Licensing and Surveys (HLS) also handled complaints made against any health care facility, including assisted living, in the event that the LTCO is unable to resolve a grievance. To reach out to the HLS, go online or call (307) 777-7123.

To report witnessed or suspected elder abuse, call 1-800-457-3659 to speak with an Adult Protective Services case manager any time of the day, or call 911.

Wyoming COVID-19 Rules for Assisted Living Facilities

Note: The following information was compiled and most recently updated on 2/15/22. Since COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving crisis, be sure to contact your assisted living facility or local Area Agency on Aging for the most up-to-date information.

COVID-19 Rules in Wyoming
Are loved ones allowed to visit residents in their assisted living community?	Yes (Conditions Apply)
Are residents required to quarantine after their loved ones visit?	No
Are loved ones required to wear masks when visiting residents?	Yes
Are Hairdressers and other non-medical contractors allowed in assisted living communities?	Yes
Are visitors screened for elevated temperatures before entering the assisted living community?	Yes
Are residents allowed to leave the assisted living community for non-medical reasons?	Yes
Are residents who leave required to quarantine when they get back to the assisted living community?	No (Conditions Apply)
Are assisted living communities required to cancel all group outings?	No
Are assisted living communities allowed to host group activities within the community?	Yes (Conditions Apply)
Are staff members regularly checked for elevated temperatures?	Yes
Are staff members regularly tested for COVID-19?	Yes (Conditions Apply)
Are residents regularly screened for COVID-19 symptoms?	Yes
Are residents regularly checked for elevated temperatures?	Yes
Are residents regularly tested for COVID-19?	Yes (Conditions Apply)

Sources: health.wyo.gov www.cdc.gov