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

2013

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 an … (read more)

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 … (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 moth … (read more)

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 per … (read more)

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 … (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 … (read more)

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 … (read more)

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 Edg … (read more)

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 w … (read more)

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 he … (read more)

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. 

$8341

Port St Lucie

$8669

Florida

$7756

The United States

$8644

Sebastian

$9186

Palm Bay

$7452

Sebring

$9095

Miami

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. 

$4147

Home care

$4242

Home health care

$1517

Adult day health care

$4399

Assisted living

$8341

Nursing home (semiprivate room)

$9368

Nursing home (private room)

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. 

ResourceContactDescription
Florida Department of Children and Families(850) 300-4323The 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) 684-5885Utilizing 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) 414-2323Florida’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) 684-5885Funded 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.