Caregiverlist® Announces California Nursing Home Rating and Cost Index for May 2015
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 11, 2015 -- The Caregiverlist® Nursing Home Index reports the updated costs and ratings for nursing homes in the state of California in order to assist seniors looking to plan ahead for their senior care options. Because Medicare does not pay for long-term care, but does pay for short-term stays in a nursing home, the costs and ratings of a local nursing home can assist a senior and their family to plan ahead for the right senior care option. Medicaid for low-income seniors may pay for an ongoing stay in a nursing home, but does have a financial requirement in order to qualify. The May 2015 Caregiverlist® Index reports the average annual cost for an California nursing home is $84,063.15.
Seniors in California looking to plan ahead for senior care options should first understand the daily costs of nursing homes in their area and review the most important factors indicating quality of care. This is because Medicare does not pay for long-term care but does pay for short-term stays in a nursing home, usually as post-hospital stay rehabilitation.
Golden State seniors needing nursing home care can now view the most recent ratings and costs of nursing homes in their area by using the interactive Caregiverlist® Nursing Home Directory. This month’s update of the California Caregiverlist® Index, indicates that the average cost of a nursing home in California is $230.31 a day, or about $7,005 per month. Of the 1320 total California nursing homes, just about half of the homes, 625, score a 4-star rating or higher, with 5-stars being the highest score. A score of 4-star means above average. Ten percent of California nursing homes receive a Caregiverlist® Nursing Home Rating of over 4-stars. Less than 7% of the nursing homes rank 1-star, the lowest quality rating, with just 87 nursing homes receiving this score. However, keep in mind that new nursing homes also will receive only a 1-star until they have had a chance to be rated.
May 2015, National Averages Weighting for Rating
2 hours, 28 minutes: C.N.A. Hours per Resident per Day 40%
15.7%: Long-stay Residents with Increasing Activities of Daily Living Needs 20%
1.0% Short-term Residents with Pressure Sores (Bed Sores) 20%
Overall Medicare Star-Rating Score 20%
Caregiverlist® California Nursing Home Rating and Cost Index
Total Number of Nursing Homes: 1,320
Average Cost Varies by Region
Average Cost of Private Room for California: $257.57
Average Cost of Shared Room for California: $203.05
Average Star-Rating: 3.1
California Nursing Home Star-Rating Results
5-Star: 134
4-Star: 625
3-Star: 412
2-Star: 62
1-Star: 87
The Caregiverlist® rating combines 4 criteria to calculate an overall star-rating with a 5-star rating as the highest and a 1-star rating as the lowest score, as rated against the results for the total number of nursing homes.
California seniors and their families must remember that nursing homes have become an extension of a hospital stay and many times Medicare health insurance will authorize a hospital discharge directly to a nursing home for rehabilitation after a major medical event has happened. This means researching the right nursing home ahead of time will ease the transition should a medical emergency occur.
Costs of senior care are always a factor when choosing the right senior care option, as many seniors live on a fixed income. The average annual cost of a nursing home in California is at $84,063.15. Low-income seniors in California may qualify for Medicaid, with the financial qualification of no more than $2,000 in assets for individuals and a $3,000 limit for couples. Medicaid will pay for long-term care in a nursing home for as long as the senior qualifies for needing care, even if this means multiple years of care until death. Visit the Caregiverlist® California Medicaid Eligibility Requirements for for more information.Because seniors must private pay for a nursing home if needing care beyond the number of days Medicare will reimburse (usually only up to 100 days), many seniors also explore senior home care and assisted living options. Some assisted living centers also provide nursing home care.
In-home senior care is also an option for older Californians, especially through a quality home care agency. Richard Adario, Intake and Quality Assurance Supervisor at Cambrian Home Care in Long Beach, California places an emphasis on one-to-one senior caregiving. "You have to find the right person to do the caregiving, someone loving, kind and patient. I have been with Cambrian for 15 years and have seen that seniors want to be at home. They tend to heal/get well faster when they receive one-on-one home care services in their own home, where they are comfortable."
Seniors should review the ratings and costs of nursing homes in their area and then visit the nursing homes which meet their budget availability. Ratings for nursing homes are only a starting point and while the Caregiverlist® Index calculates a custom rating based on the most important criteria for quality, Medicare will only begin auditing the nursing home’s submitted information for C.N.A. staffing next year. Right now all of the information for the nursing home ratings is self-reported.
About Caregiverlist®
Caregiverlist.com® is the premier service connecting seniors and professional caregivers with the most reliable senior care options, highest quality ratings and outstanding careers nationwide. Founded by senior care professionals, Caregiverlist® delivers the efficiencies of the internet to senior care companies by providing online job applications, caregiver training, background checks and industry news. Seniors and caregivers can access senior service information “by state,” view nursing home costs and star-ratings and learn about all senior care options and quality standards. For more information, please visit http://www.caregiverlist.com.
Renata Laszuk, Caregiverlist, Inc., http://www.caregiverlist.com, +1 312-669-8821, [email protected]
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