Skilled nursing and assisted living have both gotten more expensive in the past year, reveals the MetLife Mature Market Institute in its 2012 market survey, while at-home care costs remained unchanged for home health aides and adult day services.
The cost of a private room in a nursing home rose 3.8% to a national average rate of $248 a day, or $90,520 a year. The expense for a semi-private room increased 3.7% to $222 a day, and an average yearly rate of $81,030.
More than half (56%) of nursing homes surveyed provide memory care, and out of those approximately 80% charge the same rate for caring for residents with memory impairments. However, for those that charge more for memory care services, the annual rate for a private rooms increases to an average of $95,265, and $83,950 a year for a semi-private room.
Assisted living costs grew 2.1% to an average monthly rate of $3,550, or $42,600 a year. Slightly more than half (51%) of assisted living communities offer memory care services for residents. In nearly two-thirds of communities (61%), that comes at an additional cost, averaging $57,684 a year.
Generally speaking, monthly rates were higher on the East Coast and in the New England region.
States with the highest average monthly rates for assisted living:
- Washington, D.C. – $5,933
- Delaware – $5,249
- New Hampshire – $5,086
- Connecticut – $4,935
- Maine – $4,881
States with the highest average daily rates for nursing homes (private rooms):
- Alaska – $687
- Connecticut – $406
- Hawaii – $384
- New York – $368
- Massachusetts – $360
The average age of an assisted living resident is 86.4 years old, according to the MetLife survey. A growing number of states have begun covering the cost of assisted living for low-income seniors who qualify through Medicaid waiver programs, the market researcher notes, but most assisted living residents still pay for their care privately or through long-term care insurance policies.
Only 8% of nursing homes and 16% of assisted living communities are part of a CCRC. The majority of assisted living communities (79%) are stand-alone, while 19% are connected to a nursing home.
Home care continues to play a growing role in the senior care industry.
Although rates for adult day services ($70 a day) and home health aides ($21 an hour) remained unchanged from 2011 levels, wages for “homemakers” on the home care services side grew the most out of any long-term care service surveyed by MetLife, increasing 5.3% to $20 an hour.
“The desire for families and friends to remain at home, or “age in place,” has created a diverse and dynamic home care service industry and a variety of service providers,” says MetLife.
View MetLife’s Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs for 2012.
Ed. note: A previous version of this article listed the nursing home rates as monthly when in fact they are the daily rates.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
