Moving a loved one to a nursing home or assisted living facility is a significant decision. By carefully considering factors such as the facility’s location and the types of care and activities available, families can find the right fit, ensuring their loved one receives the care and support they need.
In this guide, learn what nursing homes are, how nursing home care differs from other types of senior care settings and how much they cost.
[READ: What’s the Difference Between Memory Care and Nursing Homes?]
Understanding the Levels of Care: Long-Term vs. Short-Term
Nursing homes are care facilities primarily designed for older adults who need significant medical care and supervision, though duration and facility types can vary:
— Short-term care: Typically provided in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), short-term care encompasses treatment for acute conditions, such as recovery from an illness or surgery, and specialized services, such as physical or occupational therapy, wound care or chronic disease management. Licensed professionals provide care at SNFs, and staff there also include registered nurses, nursing assistants, physical and occupational therapists and other caregivers.
— Long-term care: Traditional nursing home settings provide round-the-clock custodial care, which includes assistance with multiple activities of daily living, or ADLs, such as eating, preparing meals, bathing, dressing, going to the toilet and managing medications. Nursing homes generally serve as a permanent residence for individuals who need constant care. Federal law requires that all nursing homes provide enough staff to safely care for residents. A specified number of nursing caregivers, such as registered nurses, licensed practice nurses, certified nursing aides and physical therapists, must be included among staff members. Exact staffing figures vary from home to home depending on the amount of care residents require.
(The terms “nursing home” and “skilled nursing facility” are often used interchangeably or under the umbrella of “nursing home,” though they offer slightly different services, as described above.)
What types of care do nursing homes provide?
Nursing homes and SNFs provide a wide range of medical care and services, which can include:
— Medical and clinical care: Wound or catheter care, chronic disease management, pharmaceutical services
— Custodial (nonmedical) care: Assistance with ADLs, laundry and homemaking services
— Rehabilitative services: Speech, occupational or physical therapy tailored to recovery goals
— Support services: Dietary services and nutrition support, psychological services to address mental health needs, social activities like musical entertainment and art therapy
[READ: What Qualifies a Patient for Skilled Nursing Care?]
When to Consider Nursing Home Care
When an older adult can no longer live independently, it might be time to consider a nursing home for long-term care.
Signs to look for include:
— Worsening medical condition
— Cognitive decline or signs of memory loss
— Noticeable changes in behavior
— Lack of mobility
— Increased falls or other injuries
— Increased frailty
— Difficulty maintaining proper nutrition
— Frequent hospitalizations or visits to the doctor
— Difficulty managing household tasks
— Difficulty keeping up with personal hygiene
— Difficulty managing finances
Beyond the state of your loved one’s health, it also may be time to consider a nursing home if they have inadequate support at home or their caregiver is overwhelmed. For older adults who live alone or lack sufficient in-home assistance, for instance, a nursing home can help ensure they’re receiving necessary round-the-clock care.
Caregiver burnout remains a common challenge — particularly if your loved one’s overall condition worsens and requires more intensive, continuous support. If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or physically unable to provide the necessary level of care for your loved one, transitioning them to nursing home care may be more sustainable and mutually beneficial for both of you.
[READ: How to Choose a Good Nursing Home: Expert Tips]
Who Qualifies for Care in a Nursing Home?
What qualifies someone for nursing home care may vary by state. Before your loved one can be admitted to a nursing home, the facility is required to conduct a thorough assessment — including an assessment of your loved one’s medical, physical and cognitive abilities — to determine the right level of care for their needs.
Their level of independence will also be considered with questions such as:
— Can they eat on their own?
— Are they mobile?
— Do they need assistance to go to the toilet or take a shower?
— Can they manage their chronic conditions and medications?
Acceptance into a nursing home or SNF requires sign-off from a medical professional, such as a geriatrician. However, this should ultimately be a joint decision that involves your loved one, family members or caregiver and medical provider.
[SEE: Nursing Home Red Flags You Should Watch For]
Comparing Costs: Nursing Homes vs. Other Senior Living Options
Long-term care facilities provide support for older adults who can no longer live independently, offering a range of options to meet different needs, budgets and preferences.
The most common options include:
— Assisted living. This second tier is for people who need help day-to-day with some ADLs, such as bathing and hygiene.
— Memory care. This type of senior care supports individuals with cognitive impairment or dementia.
— Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). These communities typically include all of the levels of senior care on a single campus so a senior can transition seamlessly from one to the next without having to move.
While not a care facility, some residents may start their senior living journey with independent living. This level is for individuals who need minimal to no assistance on a daily basis but who would benefit from some light housekeeping and meal prep assistance, as well as proximity to peers for social enrichment. Finding the perfect senior care fit depends on factors such as:
— The level of medical assistance your loved one requires
— Personal preferences
— Facility location and staff expertise
Below, compare various types of long-term care options and their average costs to help you understand the nuances and make an informed decision for your loved one.
Comparison of long-term care options
| Long-term care option | What it is | Average monthly cost |
| Nursing home | Provides round-the-clock supervision and assistance with ADLs, offering a higher level of supervision and nursing care than assisted living | $10,798 (private room) $9,581 (semi-private room) |
| Skilled nursing facility | Provides rehabilitation and medical services delivered by licensed medical professionals and often serves patients recovering from hospitalization, surgery or illness who need intensive medical monitoring or rehab | $10,798 (private room) $9,581 (semi-private room) |
| Independent living or retirement community | Self-sufficient communities where older adults don’t require daily assistance and can age in place; often includes amenities like social activities | $3,523 |
| Assisted living | Offers assistance with daily personal care in a residential setting, and sometimes health care services are available | $6,200 |
| CCRC | Provides a tiered approach to care for older adults, allowing residents to transition from independent living to on-site assisted living or nursing care as needs change — all within the same community | Varies depending on the contract and fee model |
| Memory care | Specialized unit or facility with 24/7 care and supervision for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia; includes structured activities and enhanced security | $7,645 |
Sources: CareScout, U.S. News
To summarize, the table above shows that independent living is typically the least expensive of the senior living options, while memory care, nursing homes and SNFs tend to be the most expensive. In short, the more services, care and support someone needs, the more expensive it will be.
Nursing Home Costs
According to CareScout’s Cost of Care Survey, the median cost of a private room at a nursing home will set you back $129,575 per year, versus just over $114,975 for a semi-private room. But prices can vary greatly depending on where in the country the community is located and which services a senior needs.
For example, Oregon has the highest daily cost for a private nursing home room at $606, closely followed by Connecticut and New York, which have private nursing rooms at $550 each. In Oregon, that adds up to more than $221,000 per year.
At the other end of the spectrum, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma are the least expensive areas, with per-day private room costs of $250 for Texas and Missouri and $255 for Oklahoma. The annual total ranges from $91,250 to $93,075 per year in those states. While significantly less than in the most expensive states, that is still a lot of money.
How to Pay for Care: Medicare, Medicaid and Private Options
A popular misconception is that Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older, pays for residency in a long-term care facility. In fact, Medicare does not cover long-term care in a nursing home facility. However, Medicare does pay for the first 100 days in an SNF, if certain criteria are met. For instance, the patient must have been hospitalized for at least three consecutive days before transferring to the facility.
If you meet all of the qualifying conditions, Medicare coverage for skilled nursing care includes:
| Timeline | Patient responsibility |
| First 20 days | Patients pay $0 after the initial $1,736 hospital deductible in 2026. |
| Days 21 to 100 | Patients pay up to $217 per day in 2026, depending on how they are progressing and what their care needs are over time. |
| After day 100 | Patients pay 100% of the cost of care. |
The coverage rules for Medicare Advantage plans are different, so check your specific coverage plan for details.
Because Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, people who need nursing home care must pay privately. Finding a way to pay for long-term care can be a big problem for many people, especially given the high costs associated with such care.
Long-term care insurance policies may be an option to pay for nursing home care, but these policies can be prohibitively costly for many. Some insurance companies also allow life insurance policies to cover long-term care expenses. But in most cases, people pay out of pocket until their resources are used up, at which point Medicaid, a joint federal and state program providing coverage to low-income individuals, kicks in to cover costs.
In fact, Medicaid is the primary payer for the majority of nursing home residents, with about 63% using this means, according to KFF. But the rules are state-specific, so it’s important to talk with an advisor to understand your options.
If you’re looking for a nursing home or a long-term care facility for a loved one now or if you will in the near future, take care to do some extra diligence — ask about their procedures and policies regarding infection control and how staff are working to keep residents safe from contagious diseases, such as the flu, RSV and pneumonia. You should also ask how the facility handles medical emergencies.
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What Is a Nursing Home? Definitions, Monthly Costs and Eligibility originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 04/28/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has now been updated with new information.