Updated July 2025
About 4.5% of Americans who are 65 or older live in long-term care facilities. About 2.3% of older Americans live in nursing homes. Census data confirms that seniors are more likely to move into nursing homes as they grow older. Only about 1% of Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 reside in a nursing home, while 8% of people over 85 do so.
According to Morningstar:
- 70% of people turning 65 will develop a severe long-term care need in their lifetimes.
- 48% of people turning 65 will need some type of paid long-term care services in their lifetimes.
- 24% of people turning 65 will need paid long-term care for more than two years.
- 15% of people turning 65 will spend more than two years in a nursing home.
- The median annual nursing home cost (private room) is $108,405.
- The median annual nursing home cost (private room) is expected to be $141,444 in 2030.
- 62% of nursing home residents receive care that is paid by Medicaid.
In light of the fact that so many people are facing the nursing home decision, having some strategy for finding a good facility is critical. A few things to consider when choosing a nursing home are listed here. It is important for you and your family members to visit the nursing home to make sure that it meets your needs, as well as those of your family.
Questions to Ask
| Is the nursing home accepting new residents? | Yes/No |
| Is it easy to visit for family and friends? | Yes/No |
| Does the nursing home use hospitals where my doctor practices? | Yes/No |
| Is the level of services I need available? | Yes/No |
| Does the nursing home have a variety of activities I might enjoy? | Yes/No |
| Do residents appear clean and well groomed? | Yes/No |
| Do the residents have the same staff on a daily basis? | Yes/No |
| • Is there enough staff available to assist residents? | Yes/No |
| • Does the staff respond quickly to residents’ calls for help? | Yes/No |
| Does the nursing home have a resident and/or family council? | Yes/No |
| Is the nursing home clean and pleasant? | Yes/No |
| Have Medicare and/or Medicaid certified the facility? | Yes/No |
| Are the nursing home and administrator licensed? | Yes/No |
| How much is the cost of care in this nursing home? | |
| • What services are included in this price? | |
| • What additional costs will I have to pay? |
Ask to see the nursing home’s last annual state inspection report. Did the report find any problems? Ask how the problems were fixed.
Download and Print the Checklist (PDF)
Documents You Need to Have
When a person is admitted to a nursing home, the facility will require a fair amount of documentation as part of the process. This includes:
- Statement from MD specifying need for skilled care
- Primary Diagnosis
- Medical history
- Medications
- Care plan describing person’s ability to perform activities of daily living
- Insurance cards
- Durable powers of attorney
- Medical permissions
At the end of the day, the priority is that a loved one is in a nursing home that provides good quality care to meet their care needs.
(This article was updated July 2025 since it originally published April 2016.)