(a) The purpose of this subchapter is to:
(1) Promote the availability of appropriate services for elderly persons and adults with disabilities in the least restrictive and most homelike environment;
(2) Encourage the development of facilities that promote the dignity, individuality, privacy, and decision-making ability of those persons;
(3) Provide for the health, safety, and welfare of residents of facilities offering assisted living services in the state;
(4) Promote continued improvement of those facilities;
(5) Include residential care facilities in the assisted living program; and
(6) Encourage the development of innovative and affordable facilities particularly for persons with low to moderate incomes.
(b) The General Assembly recognizes that:
(1) Facilities offering assisted living services are a necessary part of the continuum of long-term care in the State of Arkansas;
(2) Facilities offering assisted living services should be operated and regulated as residential environments with supportive services and not as medical or nursing facilities;
(3) The services available in these facilities, either directly or through contract or agreement, are intended to help residents remain as independent as possible; and
(4) Residential care facilities have been providing many assisted living services for years and should be allowed to participate in the new assisted living program.