Little Rock Senior Advisor
What is Little Rock Senior Advisor?
Little Rock Senior Advisor is a free senior care referral and advisory service for families in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway and the rest of the six-county central Arkansas metro, from Cabot and Maumelle to Benton, Bryant, Sheridan and Perryville.
We start with the public record: what Arkansas's rules require, what the published cost data shows, and every licensed building in the state's own bed tables and CMS's nursing home data. Then an advisor helps you narrow the list. Communities pay us a referral fee when a family moves in, which is how the service stays free for you, and we would rather say so on the first page than the last.
How many older adults and licensed care options does the Little Rock area have?
About 141,631 residents of the six counties were 65 or older on July 1, 2025, by Census Bureau estimates, and the state's bed records show 31 assisted living facilities, 7 residential care facilities and 44 CMS-certified nursing homes across the same area.
| County | Age 65+ | Share 65+ | Assisted living facilities | Assisted living beds | Nursing homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski | 75,609 | 18.7% | 18 | 1,354 | 23 |
| Faulkner | 20,667 | 15.4% | 4 | 327 | 6 |
| Saline | 26,399 | 19.8% | 6 | 527 | 6 |
| Lonoke | 12,920 | 16.9% | 2 | 165 | 7 |
| Grant | 3,674 | 19.6% | 1 | 69 | 1 |
| Perry | 2,362 | 22.9% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025). Assisted living: Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency, Bed Need Book, July 2026. Nursing homes: CMS Care Compare, October 1, 2026.
How does Arkansas license assisted living and memory care?
Arkansas licenses assisted living at two levels: Level I buildings may not serve anyone at nursing home level of care, while Level II buildings have a registered nurse and may; memory care is an Alzheimer's special care unit inside a licensed building, with a written disclosure statement required before admission.
Level II dominates: of the 2,442 licensed assisted living beds in the six counties, 2,166 (89%) are Level II, spread across 27 buildings, while 4 buildings hold the 276 Level I beds. See Level I vs. Level II and Arkansas's memory care rules.
What does senior care cost in Little Rock?
No Little Rock-specific median is published; CareScout's 2025 Arkansas figures put assisted living near $4,562 a month, a semi-private nursing home room near $7,452 and home care at about $25 an hour, with no memory care figure at all.
Arkansas Medicaid's Living Choices waiver can pay for care services, not rent, in participating Level II buildings, so the long-term payment plan deserves as much attention as the monthly rate. Start with costs and paying for care.
Is assisted living hard to find around Little Rock?
By the state's own planning numbers, yes in places: the six counties have 2,811 licensed assisted living and residential care beds, against a projected 2031 need of 4,456, and Perry County has none at all.
The gap shows up as waiting lists at popular buildings and for Medicaid-participating apartments. Each county page shows the local supply against projected need.
Where should a central Arkansas family begin?
Begin with what just happened rather than with a care type: a hospital discharge, a fall, a dementia diagnosis, a worn-out caregiver or shrinking savings each call for different first steps, and each has its own guide.
What we are, and what we are not
| Little Rock Senior Advisor is | Little Rock Senior Advisor is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to you | Free; communities pay a referral fee | Billed to families at any point |
| Data | Arkansas bed records and CMS Care Compare | Scraped listings or paid placement |
| Ratings | CMS stars for nursing homes, labelled as CMS's | Scores we invented |
| Affiliation | An independent referral service | A state agency or area agency on aging |
