What does assisted living provide in Kentucky?
Every licensed Kentucky assisted living community must give residents access to help with activities and instrumental activities of daily living, three meals and snacks a day, scheduled daily social activities, assistance with self-administered medication, and housing, under a written lease (KRS 194A.705(1)).
Assisted living is for adults who are largely independent but need a reliable hand with bathing, dressing, medications, meals and getting to appointments. Kentucky requires one awake staff member on site at all times and a functional needs assessment at move-in, updated at least yearly.
Which Kentucky assisted living license fits which resident?
A social-model ALC fits residents who need daily help but manage their own medications; an ALC-BH adds medication administration and health monitoring; an ALC-DC adds a secured dementia unit with dementia-trained staff.
Because one address can carry more than one license, ask which license covers the apartment your parent would occupy.
What does assisted living cost in Kentucky?
CareScout's 2025 Kentucky median for a private one-bedroom in assisted living is $63,480 a year, about $5,290 a month, up 8% from 2024; no Louisville-specific or memory care median is published.
Medicare does not pay for assisted living, Kentucky Medicaid has no assisted living waiver, and State Supplementation does not apply, so most residents pay privately, sometimes with VA Aid and Attendance or long-term care insurance.
How many assisted living communities are licensed around Louisville?
OIG's October 2026 directory lists 76 assisted living licenses in Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby, Spencer, Henry and Trimble counties: 21 ALC, 27 ALC-BH and 28 ALC-DC, totaling 2973 licensed units.
Browse them on the assisted living roster, or see how they are distributed across Louisville neighborhoods on the Louisville assisted living page.
What should Louisville families ask an assisted living community first?
Ask which OIG license covers the apartment, what the all-in monthly cost will be at your parent's assessed level, how often rates have risen, how many staff are awake overnight, and what would trigger a move-out notice.
Then confirm the answers against the public record: the license type and unit count on OIG's roster, and the latest licensure findings, which the community should share on request.
Where is assisted living licensed across the Louisville region?
Here is how OIG's October 2026 roster distributes assisted living licenses across the seven KIPDA counties; capacity is the licensed units or beds OIG lists (agencies have no capacity figure).
| County | Licenses | Licensed capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 59 | 2544 |
| Oldham County | 5 | 86 |
| Bullitt County | 4 | 99 |
| Shelby County | 6 | 196 |
| Spencer County | 1 | 20 |
| Henry County | 1 | 28 |
| Trimble County | 0 | 0 |
At a glance
| Assisted Living in Kentucky is | Assisted Living in Kentucky is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Oversight | OIG-licensed and inspected every 12-24 months | Rated by CMS |
| Residents | Ambulatory, including wheelchair users with help | People needing daily skilled nursing |
| Payment | Private pay, VA pension, LTC insurance | Covered by Kentucky Medicaid |