The Best Nursing Home Communities in Westchester County, NY

In Westchester, a semiprivate room in a nursing home costs around $14,113. For a private room, this price increases to $15,208.

Comparing the costs of semiprivate nursing home rooms, Westchester has some of the highest prices in the region. It’s significantly costlier than the national average of $7,756 and the state average of $12,319.

Westchester’s high nursing home prices are beaten only by Kingston, where a semiprivate room costs $14,797. On the coast, New York City is much more affordable, at $11,771. Central city Utica has the lowest nursing home costs in the state, averaging $9,581. At $12,380 per month, costs in lakeside city Rochester are close to the state average.

Considering the high cost of nursing home care in Westchester, seniors may find it helpful to look at long-term care alternatives that offer similar services. This includes assisted living, which averages a more affordable $7,838. Seniors looking to stay at home might consider home health aide services, which average $5,148, or homemaker services for $4,767 per month. Adult day health care is the most cost-effective option, at $1,926.

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.