The 10 Best Nursing Homes in Port Saint Lucie, FL for 2023
Located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the sunny, nature-filled city of Port St Lucie is considered home by around 41,378 Floridians over the age of 65. With a total estimated population of 201,846, seniors make up 20.5% of the city’s residents, relatively high compared to the national figure of 17.6%. When it comes to emergency medical care, seniors have several options, including St Lucie Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital. In nearby Fort Pierce, seniors can visit the Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute, which specializes in heart and stroke care.
After hospitals, nursing homes offer the largest range of health care, with physicians and nurses remaining on-site 24/7 at most facilities. Diabetes and vital signs monitoring, wound care and rehabilitative services are common. While Port St Lucie’s seniors spend less on nursing home care than most older Floridians, the city’s $8,341 median monthly cost of care is $585 more than the national average, providing a moderate financial incentive for seniors who don’t require constant medical supervision to consider home health care or assisted living.
In this guide, we cover care costs and resources that may help seniors delay care, pay for care and reduce expenses.
Directory of Nursing Homes in Port Saint Lucie, FL
The Gardens of Port St. Lucie
1699 SE Lyngate Drive, Port Saint Lucie, FL, 34952
"My Mother lived in this facility, and we’ve been very impressed with the care she received up to and including the events 0f her passing. The staff is friendly, her daily needs are met in a timely an
… (read more)
"My Mother lived in this facility, and we’ve been very impressed with the care she received up to and including the events 0f her passing. The staff is friendly, her daily needs are met in a timely and high-quality manner, and Mom was happy to be there and called it her "home". The staff quickly learned our family members’ names and facts about our lives, and they alerted us to health concerns promptly or interesting tid bits of her day there. We feel confident that we chose the right home for Mom and would highly recommend this facility to other families."
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"My Mother lived in this facility, and we’ve been very impressed with the care she received up to and including the events 0f her passing. The staff is friendly, her daily needs are met in a timely an
… (read more)
"My Mother lived in this facility, and we’ve been very impressed with the care she received up to and including the events 0f her passing. The staff is friendly, her daily needs are met in a timely and high-quality manner, and Mom was happy to be there and called it her "home". The staff quickly learned our family members’ names and facts about our lives, and they alerted us to health concerns promptly or interesting tid bits of her day there. We feel confident that we chose the right home for Mom and would highly recommend this facility to other families."
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Palm Garden Of Port Saint Lucie
1751 SE Hillmoor Dr, Port Saint Lucie, FL, 34952
The staff of Palm Garden, like the directors and all that, are very attentive. Obviously because of COVID you can’t go into the facility or see the facility. As for trying to get in touch with my moth
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The staff of Palm Garden, like the directors and all that, are very attentive. Obviously because of COVID you can’t go into the facility or see the facility. As for trying to get in touch with my mother, that was very difficult. The phone number that they said rang into her room didn’t work. They said that they fixed it but they didn’t. Not being able to reach her on a daily basis or talk to her was difficult. My mother felt like we just kind of dropped her off somewhere and left her there.
I would say the care was very good. As for updates, I did not get them unless I called. So I had to call them to ask how things are going, what was happening and all that kind of stuff. Do they have time to call every single resident family member? I’m gonna go with no, but if they do say they have that plan, then they meet once a week to go over everybody’s scheduled plan then email us. We have so much modern technology that it doesn’t always require a cellphone to do that. I think that they could have updated a lot better than they did, but for care, it was good. She came home and she’s able to do things on her own. I do have to compliment the dietician that does work there though because he took the time to email me the menu and to help pick out my mother’s meals for her. From what I can see, the facility is clean. The front lobby has everything like the tables for COVID precautions. They did that very well. This place was covered by my mom’s insurance so it was great.
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The staff of Palm Garden, like the directors and all that, are very attentive. Obviously because of COVID you can’t go into the facility or see the facility. As for trying to get in touch with my moth
… (read more)
The staff of Palm Garden, like the directors and all that, are very attentive. Obviously because of COVID you can’t go into the facility or see the facility. As for trying to get in touch with my mother, that was very difficult. The phone number that they said rang into her room didn’t work. They said that they fixed it but they didn’t. Not being able to reach her on a daily basis or talk to her was difficult. My mother felt like we just kind of dropped her off somewhere and left her there.
I would say the care was very good. As for updates, I did not get them unless I called. So I had to call them to ask how things are going, what was happening and all that kind of stuff. Do they have time to call every single resident family member? I’m gonna go with no, but if they do say they have that plan, then they meet once a week to go over everybody’s scheduled plan then email us. We have so much modern technology that it doesn’t always require a cellphone to do that. I think that they could have updated a lot better than they did, but for care, it was good. She came home and she’s able to do things on her own. I do have to compliment the dietician that does work there though because he took the time to email me the menu and to help pick out my mother’s meals for her. From what I can see, the facility is clean. The front lobby has everything like the tables for COVID precautions. They did that very well. This place was covered by my mom’s insurance so it was great.
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Life Care Center Of Port Saint Lucie
3720 South Jennings Rd, Port Saint Lucie, FL, 34952
There are many times that the front desk phone rings and rings especially on the weekends and at nights.
Pauline at the front desk needs to be given some social skill lessons. She is the first per
… (read more)
There are many times that the front desk phone rings and rings especially on the weekends and at nights.
Pauline at the front desk needs to be given some social skill lessons. She is the first person a family member comes in contact with. I am told that this is not the frist time someone has complaimed about her. "oh, she just gets flustered" Well then, she has not busniess in that position.
This place is so unorganized and short of staff.
Mother’s first week sat in her own facies for at least an hour (confirmed also by her room mate) the wound care person was called in to address mothers’ painful rash/breakout.
Many of the CNS’s are rude and don’t appear to know what the heck they are doing.
Mother was placed on a nebulizer by Michael the weekend of Sept 5, 2021. The machine was to run for 15 minutes but ran way past that time frame. Of course my 91 year ol mother panic. Michael told my mother her forgot about her.
So sad!!!! the upper management has no idea what is going on.
You would of thought with people from corporate just being there in August 2021 that things would improve however, as I already said, management and directors have no clue.
I realize that all segments are short handed help but, if that is the case, Life Care has no business taking in clients.
I must say that there are a few good people there but I say FEW.
This has been such a disappointing experience and Life Care has a 4 rating??
I intend to share my review with mother’s insurance copmpany.
I also will be interest in seeing if anyone from Life Care reaches out to me.
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There are many times that the front desk phone rings and rings especially on the weekends and at nights.
Pauline at the front desk needs to be given some social skill lessons. She is the first per
… (read more)
There are many times that the front desk phone rings and rings especially on the weekends and at nights.
Pauline at the front desk needs to be given some social skill lessons. She is the first person a family member comes in contact with. I am told that this is not the frist time someone has complaimed about her. "oh, she just gets flustered" Well then, she has not busniess in that position.
This place is so unorganized and short of staff.
Mother’s first week sat in her own facies for at least an hour (confirmed also by her room mate) the wound care person was called in to address mothers’ painful rash/breakout.
Many of the CNS’s are rude and don’t appear to know what the heck they are doing.
Mother was placed on a nebulizer by Michael the weekend of Sept 5, 2021. The machine was to run for 15 minutes but ran way past that time frame. Of course my 91 year ol mother panic. Michael told my mother her forgot about her.
So sad!!!! the upper management has no idea what is going on.
You would of thought with people from corporate just being there in August 2021 that things would improve however, as I already said, management and directors have no clue.
I realize that all segments are short handed help but, if that is the case, Life Care has no business taking in clients.
I must say that there are a few good people there but I say FEW.
This has been such a disappointing experience and Life Care has a 4 rating??
I intend to share my review with mother’s insurance copmpany.
I also will be interest in seeing if anyone from Life Care reaches out to me.
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Port Saint Lucie Nursing & Restorative Care Center
7300 OLEANDER AVENUE, Port Saint Lucie, FL, 34952
My husband was a patient for two weeks for Rehab. The Staff were GREAT
My husband was a patient for two weeks for Rehab. The Staff were GREAT
Tiffany Hall Nursing And Rehab Center
1800 Se Hillmoor Drive, Port Saint Lucie, FL, 34952
Care is Wonderful with such caring staff. The laundry was the only thing that I had problems with. If not for the laundry I would have given a 5 star rating.
Care is Wonderful with such caring staff. The laundry was the only thing that I had problems with. If not for the laundry I would have given a 5 star rating.
The Palms Nursing and Rehab
1655 SE WALTON RD, Port Saint Lucie, FL, 34952
They should not take patients in that they cannot handle. Nurses are few and far in between. They are not trained properly for hard to handle patients. Some patients like my loved one needed more help
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They should not take patients in that they cannot handle. Nurses are few and far in between. They are not trained properly for hard to handle patients. Some patients like my loved one needed more help. Never received it. Wish I could have done more by watching the nurses overnight. He did not get the care that he needed. He was ignored!
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They should not take patients in that they cannot handle. Nurses are few and far in between. They are not trained properly for hard to handle patients. Some patients like my loved one needed more help
… (read more)
They should not take patients in that they cannot handle. Nurses are few and far in between. They are not trained properly for hard to handle patients. Some patients like my loved one needed more help. Never received it. Wish I could have done more by watching the nurses overnight. He did not get the care that he needed. He was ignored!
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Stuart Nursing & Restorative Care Center
1500 Se Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL, 34994
Evening crew is useless day and late night crew is reasonably helpful
Day crew very helpful
Therapists are stellar
Evening crew is useless day and late night crew is reasonably helpful
Day crew very helpful
Therapists are stellar
Solaris HealthCare Parkway
800 SE Central Parkway, Stuart, FL, 34994
My mother was at Solaris HealthCare Parkway. I liked that the staff was friendly, caring, and very helpful. They answered any questions we had. The facilities were pretty clean. It was all good. They
… (read more)
My mother was at Solaris HealthCare Parkway. I liked that the staff was friendly, caring, and very helpful. They answered any questions we had. The facilities were pretty clean. It was all good. They had everything you needed. They have a salon, a TV room, a little library type area, and an outside garden.
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My mother was at Solaris HealthCare Parkway. I liked that the staff was friendly, caring, and very helpful. They answered any questions we had. The facilities were pretty clean. It was all good. They
… (read more)
My mother was at Solaris HealthCare Parkway. I liked that the staff was friendly, caring, and very helpful. They answered any questions we had. The facilities were pretty clean. It was all good. They had everything you needed. They have a salon, a TV room, a little library type area, and an outside garden.
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Water’s Edge Health and Rehabilitation
1600 SW Capri St, Palm City, FL, 34990
I was pretty disappointed with Water’s Edge and the experience we had with my grandmother being there. She was there for 20 days for rehab after a short stay in the hospital. We had chosen Water’s Edg
… (read more)
I was pretty disappointed with Water’s Edge and the experience we had with my grandmother being there. She was there for 20 days for rehab after a short stay in the hospital. We had chosen Water’s Edge because of their past A rating by the state and I have to say the rating is in the past. I feel guilty for not checked out the rating again before having my grandmother admitted. Not all things are bad at the facility though. The facility is gorgeous, the food is so much better than you could ever expect from a nursing home/rehab, there is a variety of entertainment and some of the staff that works there are fantastic.
We ran into problems in some key areas though.
1) Diet – my grandmother was on a low sodium cardiac diet yet was served soup everyday two times per day until one of her doctors contacted the facility to reiterate that she needs to be on a low sodium diet. The notations were made and it seemed to be taken care of but only for a day. The very next day she was served soup for lunch, macaroni and cheese, and a pickle – none of which are low in sodium
2) Medication administration – even after reviewing medications several times that medications were still be administered incorrectly. No blood pressure pills even though her pressure was high. It wasn’t until she had a severe asthma attack that they allowed an inhaler at her bedside. The nurse took medications that were brought from home and then denied that she ever did so. We were told that certain pills were blood pressure medication when in fact they made a mistake and where giving her two different medications to treat the same condition – these medications counteract each other and could have caused her great harm.
3) Certain members of the nursing staff were terrible. Nasty and uncaring and unwilling to do their job. I will not say that this is true of all the staff – only one nurse in particular who was quite the bully and unprofessional. I will not bore you with all the details but there was one particular incident that I will share. My grandmother had an incision that needed to be kept cleaned and should have been dressed each day. One of her last days in the rehab she had a shower in the morning and the dressing was removed but not replaced. It was well after lunch and almost 3 pm which was when shifts change. When the nurse was approached and asked about the dressing she told us it would happen between 3 pm and 11 pm that evening and she was very busy but someone else would take care of it. Not really the attitude we were expecting as we tried to treat the staff with kindness and were never nasty. It turns out that after my grandmother was discharged we found out that the wound was not taken care of properly and she was at a severe risk of infection. She was rushed to see the surgeon immediately and now has to have a drain put in to excise the extra fluid from the wound.
During the time my grandmother was there at least two people were rushed to the hospital because they had been dropped while helping them in/out of bed.
Beware, this is a beautiful place but they have a long way to go before they can get back to being an A rated facility.
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I was pretty disappointed with Water’s Edge and the experience we had with my grandmother being there. She was there for 20 days for rehab after a short stay in the hospital. We had chosen Water’s Edg
… (read more)
I was pretty disappointed with Water’s Edge and the experience we had with my grandmother being there. She was there for 20 days for rehab after a short stay in the hospital. We had chosen Water’s Edge because of their past A rating by the state and I have to say the rating is in the past. I feel guilty for not checked out the rating again before having my grandmother admitted. Not all things are bad at the facility though. The facility is gorgeous, the food is so much better than you could ever expect from a nursing home/rehab, there is a variety of entertainment and some of the staff that works there are fantastic.
We ran into problems in some key areas though.
1) Diet – my grandmother was on a low sodium cardiac diet yet was served soup everyday two times per day until one of her doctors contacted the facility to reiterate that she needs to be on a low sodium diet. The notations were made and it seemed to be taken care of but only for a day. The very next day she was served soup for lunch, macaroni and cheese, and a pickle – none of which are low in sodium
2) Medication administration – even after reviewing medications several times that medications were still be administered incorrectly. No blood pressure pills even though her pressure was high. It wasn’t until she had a severe asthma attack that they allowed an inhaler at her bedside. The nurse took medications that were brought from home and then denied that she ever did so. We were told that certain pills were blood pressure medication when in fact they made a mistake and where giving her two different medications to treat the same condition – these medications counteract each other and could have caused her great harm.
3) Certain members of the nursing staff were terrible. Nasty and uncaring and unwilling to do their job. I will not say that this is true of all the staff – only one nurse in particular who was quite the bully and unprofessional. I will not bore you with all the details but there was one particular incident that I will share. My grandmother had an incision that needed to be kept cleaned and should have been dressed each day. One of her last days in the rehab she had a shower in the morning and the dressing was removed but not replaced. It was well after lunch and almost 3 pm which was when shifts change. When the nurse was approached and asked about the dressing she told us it would happen between 3 pm and 11 pm that evening and she was very busy but someone else would take care of it. Not really the attitude we were expecting as we tried to treat the staff with kindness and were never nasty. It turns out that after my grandmother was discharged we found out that the wound was not taken care of properly and she was at a severe risk of infection. She was rushed to see the surgeon immediately and now has to have a drain put in to excise the extra fluid from the wound.
During the time my grandmother was there at least two people were rushed to the hospital because they had been dropped while helping them in/out of bed.
Beware, this is a beautiful place but they have a long way to go before they can get back to being an A rated facility.
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Palm City Nursing & Rehab Center
2505 SW MARTIN HWY, Palm City, FL, 34990
My father-in-law is at the rehab place called Palm City Nursing & Rehab Center. He doesn’t like the food there. I saw some of the meals he got, and it was like a frozen chicken patty with a roll w
… (read more)
My father-in-law is at the rehab place called Palm City Nursing & Rehab Center. He doesn’t like the food there. I saw some of the meals he got, and it was like a frozen chicken patty with a roll with nothing on it. My father-in-law just was not happy at all with the food. The portions were small. The staff was nice. They came in at night, bathed him, and helped him with what he needed. I was just surprised because when he went in, he was continent, and now he’s in diapers because he says they just weren’t there sometimes. It’s clean. It didn’t smell like urine or poop all over the place. I did see a lot of staff when I walked through every time we came to visit.
My father-in-law is there for over a month and a half now. He wanted a private room and they had one available. Plus the doctor that did his surgery, gave us a list of facilities that he wanted his patients to go to because he knew the rehab was excellent. My father-in-law got excellent rehab there. Within a week, he was getting up out of bed and getting on the side of the bed. He had PT and he had OT. Physical therapy was exceptional over there. They did a great job with him. He did not do any activities. He stayed in his room and watched TV. They have a room where you could go and converse. If he was in a semi-private room and the family wanted to visit, you could wheel him down to that room and have family time. But we didn’t need it because he was in a private room. Also, the staff were wonderful, and the rooms and everything were clean.
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My father-in-law is at the rehab place called Palm City Nursing & Rehab Center. He doesn’t like the food there. I saw some of the meals he got, and it was like a frozen chicken patty with a roll w
… (read more)
My father-in-law is at the rehab place called Palm City Nursing & Rehab Center. He doesn’t like the food there. I saw some of the meals he got, and it was like a frozen chicken patty with a roll with nothing on it. My father-in-law just was not happy at all with the food. The portions were small. The staff was nice. They came in at night, bathed him, and helped him with what he needed. I was just surprised because when he went in, he was continent, and now he’s in diapers because he says they just weren’t there sometimes. It’s clean. It didn’t smell like urine or poop all over the place. I did see a lot of staff when I walked through every time we came to visit.
My father-in-law is there for over a month and a half now. He wanted a private room and they had one available. Plus the doctor that did his surgery, gave us a list of facilities that he wanted his patients to go to because he knew the rehab was excellent. My father-in-law got excellent rehab there. Within a week, he was getting up out of bed and getting on the side of the bed. He had PT and he had OT. Physical therapy was exceptional over there. They did a great job with him. He did not do any activities. He stayed in his room and watched TV. They have a room where you could go and converse. If he was in a semi-private room and the family wanted to visit, you could wheel him down to that room and have family time. But we didn’t need it because he was in a private room. Also, the staff were wonderful, and the rooms and everything were clean.
(read less)
Waters Edge Extended Care
1500 SW Capri Street , Palm City, FL, 34990
Don’t be fooled. When you tour this place, there are plenty of staff around. But in real life, they are severely under-staffed and the quality of care is poor. When you walk down the hall, you will he
… (read more)
Don’t be fooled. When you tour this place, there are plenty of staff around. But in real life, they are severely under-staffed and the quality of care is poor. When you walk down the hall, you will hear residents calling out for help and no one responds. Do NOT entrust your loved one’s care to this place. I wish someone had warned us beforehand.
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Don’t be fooled. When you tour this place, there are plenty of staff around. But in real life, they are severely under-staffed and the quality of care is poor. When you walk down the hall, you will he
… (read more)
Don’t be fooled. When you tour this place, there are plenty of staff around. But in real life, they are severely under-staffed and the quality of care is poor. When you walk down the hall, you will hear residents calling out for help and no one responds. Do NOT entrust your loved one’s care to this place. I wish someone had warned us beforehand.
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is a Caring Star Community
Earning a Caring Star means this community is among the best Senior Living commuities in America.
Nursing Home Costs in Port St Lucie, FL
The monthly cost of nursing home care in Port St Lucie, FL is $8,341 for a semiprivate room and $9,368 for private accommodations.
The Cost of Nursing Home Care in Nearby Cities
The median cost of nursing home care in Port St Lucie is $8,341 a month, which is $328 below the statewide median and $585 above the national average. To the north, seniors in Sebastian and Palm Bay’s nursing homes spend about $303 and $845 more, respectively, while seniors to the south in Miami spend about $754 more. In Sebring, the average cost of nursing home care is $889 less than in Port St Lucie, making it the most affordable city in the area.
The Cost of Other Types of Senior Care
At $9,368 a month, nursing home care with a private room is the most expensive type of senior care in Port St Lucie. By opting for semiprivate accommodations in a nursing home, seniors save over $1,000 a month, on average. Home care, home health care and assisted living fill the middle of the cost range with respective monthly averages of $4,147, $4,242 and $4,399. The least expensive type of senior care in the city is adult day health care, which has a median monthly cost of $1,517.
Financial Assistance for Nursing Home Care in Port St Lucie, FL
Many seniors and their families use some form of financial assistance to help them pay for nursing care. The main options available are Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans benefits. These programs can be complicated, especially when it comes to benefit terms. Below, we give a brief overview of how these programs may be used towards paying for skilled nursing care.
- Medicare: Medicare will typically cover all skilled nursing costs for the first 20 days of one’s stay in a nursing home and a portion of the costs until day 100. After 100 days in a skilled nursing facility, Medicare will not cover any part of the cost of the stay. While this is adequate when short-term care is needed, those in need of long-term care will need to either pay out-of-pocket or use another source of financial assistance.
- Medicaid: Medicaid covers most of the costs of living in a skilled nursing facility for those who qualify. Care, room, and board are covered with no time limit, but residents may be charged for extras like specially prepared food or cosmetic services. Medicaid eligibility standards are strict and complex, so not all seniors are eligible for Medicaid benefits.
- Veterans Benefits: Veterans receiving a VA pension may also be eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit administered by the VA. Aid and Attendance is a monthly allowance that beneficiaries may use to pay for their long-term care, including skilled nursing care.
If these options aren’t available to you, check if your loved one has long-term care insurance or contact your Area Agency on Aging to ask about any local financial assistance programs for seniors.
Free Resources for Seniors in Port St Lucie, FL
We’ve compiled a few programs below that may help seniors pay for nursing home care, delay placement in a nursing facility with in-home services and help seniors reduce their overall spending on living expenses.
| Resource | Contact | Description |
| Florida Department of Children and Families | (850) 300-4323 | The Florida Department of Children and Families helps the city’s seniors enroll in Medicaid and other government assistance programs, including food and temporary cash assistance. The agency’s workers can provide information about Medicaid’s income and asset limits, as well as details on home and community-based services that pay for skilled nursing care. |
| Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast | (866) 684-5885 | Utilizing government grants, public funds and private donations, the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast manages various programs designed to promote healthy living in older adults. The A.A.A.’s Benefits Enrollment Center provides one-on-one assistance with completing Medicare and Medicaid applications. Its programs for transportation, respite care and homemaker services can help seniors delay transitioning into an institutional setting. |
| Long Term Care Ombudsman Program | (850) 414-2323 | Florida’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is composed of volunteers across the state who are dedicated to investigating and resolving complaints filed by nursing facility residents. Ombudsmen continually monitor senior care facilities and their staff to ensure compliance with local, state and federal laws, and they commonly get involved when there’s a financial dispute or concerns about care quality. |
| Older Americans Act | (866) 684-5885 | Funded by the Federal Government, the Older Americans Act helps seniors delay nursing home placement by providing helpful services to aid seniors living at home. Home delivered meals, caregiver assistance and in-home support are some of its key programs. |