The 10 Best Nursing Homes in Lafayette Parish, LA for 2024

In Lafayette Parish, seniors pay $5,627 for a semiprivate room in a nursing home, on average, while a private room costs $5,880.

The cost of a semiprivate room in a nursing home in Lafayette Parish is about $2,000 cheaper than the national median. However, it’s about $100 more expensive than the Louisiana state average. Compared to surrounding cities, Lafayette Parish is in the middle when it comes to nursing home care costs. Alexandria and Baton Rouge are both slightly cheaper, costing an average of $5,536 and $5,597, respectively, but Lake Charles and Houma are both more expensive, with respective monthly costs of $5,880 and $6,068.

Nursing home care is generally the most expensive type of senior care because it provides around-the-clock monitoring. In Lafayette Parish, a private nursing home room costs around $5,880, and a semiprivate room costs an average of $5,627. However, there are other types of care that can be much more affordable for seniors who don’t yet require that level of care. Assisted living is much cheaper at $3,850 per month, as are home care and home health care, which cost an average of $3,051 and $3,194 per month, respectively. Adult day health care is the least expensive care option at $1,083 per month.

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.