A plain-language guide to what each type of care actually offers, so you know what to search for.
Senior care isn't one-size-fits-all — the right option depends on how much day-to-day help someone needs, whether that need is mostly physical, medical, or memory-related, and whether they want to stay in their own home. Below is a general overview of each category you'll find in our directory. Every facility and provider is different, so use this as a starting point for conversations, not a substitute for talking directly with a provider about a specific person's needs.
What it is: A residential facility where seniors live in their own private or semi-private space but receive help with daily activities — bathing, dressing, medication reminders, meals, and housekeeping. It's designed for people who don't need round-the-clock medical care but benefit from support and supervision.
Typical capabilities: On-site staff (though not always 24/7 nursing), prepared meals, housekeeping, transportation to appointments, social and recreational activities, medication management. In Utah, assisted living facilities are licensed as either Type I or Type II, with Type II generally supporting higher levels of need.
Good fit for: Someone who is largely independent but needs help with a few daily tasks, or who would benefit from more social interaction and less isolation than living alone.
Browse Assisted Living facilities →
What it is: A specialized form of residential care — sometimes its own facility, sometimes a secured wing within an assisted living community — built specifically for people living with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.
Typical capabilities: Secured entries and exits to prevent wandering, staff trained specifically in dementia care, structured daily routines designed to reduce confusion and agitation, higher staff-to-resident ratios than typical assisted living, and activities designed around cognitive engagement.
Good fit for: Someone with a dementia diagnosis who needs a secure environment and specialized care that a general assisted living facility may not be equipped to provide.
Browse Memory Care facilities →
What it is: Sometimes called a "nursing home," this is the highest level of residential care outside of a hospital. Skilled nursing facilities provide 24/7 medical care from licensed nurses, often alongside physical, occupational, or speech therapy.
Typical capabilities: Round-the-clock nursing staff, on-site or contracted physician oversight, rehabilitation therapy, management of complex medical conditions, and both short-term rehab stays (for example, after a hospital stay or surgery) and long-term residential care.
Good fit for: Someone with significant medical needs, recovering from a hospitalization, or who requires a level of nursing care beyond what assisted living or memory care can provide.
Browse Skilled Nursing facilities →
What it is: Housing communities built for seniors who are fully independent but want the convenience, community, and reduced home-maintenance burden of a retirement community. This is not a medical care setting.
Typical capabilities: Private apartments or homes, on-site amenities (dining, fitness, social activities), maintenance and landscaping handled by the community, and an age-restricted social environment. Independent living does not typically include personal care or medical services — residents who need that kind of help usually arrange it separately, or transition to assisted living.
Good fit for: Active seniors who don't need daily care assistance but want less home upkeep and more built-in community and social connection.
Browse Independent Living communities →
What it is: This is different from all the categories above — home health is not a building you move into. It's a service that sends licensed caregivers directly to someone's own home to provide medical care and assistance with daily activities.
Typical capabilities: Skilled nursing visits, physical or occupational therapy, medication management, help with bathing and mobility, and monitoring of chronic conditions — all provided in the client's own home rather than a facility. Home health is often prescribed by a doctor and, in some cases, covered by Medicare, which distinguishes it from non-medical "home care" (help with things like light housekeeping and companionship, without a medical component).
Good fit for: Someone who wants to remain in their own home rather than move to a facility, and needs either medical care, help with daily activities, or both, delivered on a visiting basis.
Browse Home Health providers →
Many families start in one category and move between them as needs change — for example, starting with independent living and later transitioning to assisted living, or moving from assisted living into memory care after a dementia diagnosis. It's normal not to know exactly which category fits at first. The best next step is usually to reach out directly to a couple of providers and ask about the level of care they can offer for your specific situation.
You can also look up a facility's official license type and compliance history directly through the State of Utah at ccl.utah.gov.