Alaska's biggest city, and still a small town
For many Alaska families, the search for senior living begins in Anchorage, even when a parent lives somewhere else in the state. The city can still feel like a small town: people run into old coworkers at the grocery store, and a parent who has spent decades on the Hillside or in Spenard may have deep roots in one neighborhood.
Many families also face a bigger question first. If grown children have moved Outside, does a parent stay in Anchorage among friends, church and familiar mountains, or move to the Lower 48 to be near family? There is no single right answer. Talk it through before the tours start, and let your parent's voice carry the most weight.
If the answer is Anchorage, think about which part of town. Eagle River and Chugiak sit inside the Municipality of Anchorage but feel separate from midtown, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough around Palmer and Wasilla is its own community with its own hospital and clinics. Map where the doctors, the church and the most frequent visitors are, then compare drive times in January, not July.
Hospitals in Anchorage and the valley
Anchorage has several hospitals, and all of those named here appear in the federal hospital registry kept by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Providence Alaska Medical Center describes itself as the state's largest hospital. Alaska Regional Hospital sits on DeBarr Road. Alaska Native Medical Center coordinates care across the tribal health system, and families who use tribal health care should ask how a community works with it. In the valley, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer serves families north of the city.
On each tour, ask which hospital residents usually go to, who goes with them to the emergency room, and how a community gets medication lists and discharge notes back after a stay. If your parent uses the tribal health system or the VA, ask whether staff have worked with those systems before.
When the ground moves
Every family here remembers where they were. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck north of Anchorage on November 30, 2018, at 8:29 a.m. local time, and landslides, liquefaction and ground cracking caused significant damage. For an older adult, a strong quake means more than broken dishes: it can mean dark hallways, stopped elevators, spilled medications and a frightened roommate. Ask every community what happened in its building that morning, and what changed afterward.
Winter is the other constant. Short days and icy parking lots both deserve a question, because a fall on the ice can end independence faster than almost anything else.
Anchorage earthquake-and-winter tour checklist
- What happened inside this Anchorage building during the November 2018 earthquake, and what was repaired or strengthened afterward?
- Are bookcases, televisions and medication carts anchored to the walls, and do residents know where to go when the shaking starts in Anchorage?
- If an earthquake cuts power in midtown or Eagle River, what does the generator run, and how are residents on upper floors brought down?
- How do aides commuting on the Glenn Highway from the Mat-Su get to work when the road is icy or closed?
- Who sands the walks and parking lot after freezing rain in Anchorage, and how quickly is it done?
- During the darkest weeks of an Anchorage December, what lighting, outings and activities keep residents active and in good spirits?
- If the Seward Highway or the Glenn Highway is blocked after a storm, how long can the kitchen keep feeding residents from what is on hand?
Help finding services
The Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center is the municipality's one-stop resource for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers. The Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center is at 825 L Street, Suite 200, 907-343-7770, and aims to respond to requests within 3 business days. Resource specialists offer options counseling, help with applications for programs such as Social Security and Medicaid, and the Person-Centered Intake that is the first step toward Alaska's home and community-based waiver programs.
If your parent might stay home longer with the right supports, that intake is worth starting early. It does not decide eligibility on its own, but it gets the process moving.
Getting around town
Rides matter in a city this spread out. AnchorRIDES provides shared-ride, accessible door-to-door transportation within the urbanized Anchorage area, and the Public Transportation Department decides who is eligible. Ask each community whether it runs its own van, and whether residents use AnchorRIDES for appointments and errands.
An advocate based right here
The Office of Long Term Care Ombudsman at 3745 Community Park Loop takes calls at (907) 334-4480 or (800) 730-6393 for Alaskans 60 and older in assisted living or nursing homes. The office keeps a caller's identity confidential unless the caller agrees otherwise, and it looks into complaints made by, or on behalf of, seniors in long-term care. Write the number on the inside of your parent's folder.
Veterans in Southcentral
The Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson Campus of the Alaska VA Healthcare System is at 1201 North Muldoon Road, and the Mat-Su VA Clinic is in Wasilla. Ask each community whether it drives residents to Muldoon Road, and look into the VA's Aid and Attendance benefit for qualifying veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities.
Alaska's records
Alaska calls these settings assisted living homes. The state posts a spreadsheet of open homes, with details such as the number of beds, rather than inspection reports, and it is linked in the directory disclaimer at the bottom of this page. Because the list says little about care, ask each home directly about staffing at night, its most recent state visit, and what happens if your parent's needs grow.
What care costs in Alaska
The table below shows Alaska's statewide medians from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025. Prices in Anchorage vary by home, apartment and level of care, and may not match the statewide figure. Ask for a written rate sheet, a list of care charges, and how much rates have gone up over the last three years.
Questions Anchorage families ask
Should Mom stay in Anchorage or move Outside near us?
If her friends, church and doctors are here, staying usually makes for an easier change. If no one in the family can visit often, a move closer may matter more. Ask her first.
Who helps families sort out services in Anchorage?
The Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center. Its staff can explain options, help with applications and begin the intake for home and community-based waivers.
What should we ask about earthquakes?
Ask what happened in the building in 2018, how furniture and equipment are secured, and how residents on upper floors would get out without elevators.
How do we look up an Alaska assisted living home?
Use the state list linked in the directory disclaimer at the bottom of this page, then ask each home about its most recent state visit.
Next steps
Read our assisted living and memory care guides, call the resource center, and bring the earthquake-and-winter checklist on every tour. When you are ready to talk it through, ask for a callback below. One local advisor for Anchorage will call you back, at no cost.