Baton Rouge Senior AdvisorWhat kinds of senior care can Baton Rouge families choose from?
Families here choose among assisted living (Level 3 and 4 ARCPs), memory care (dementia programs in ARCPs, or nursing homes), small personal care and shelter care homes (Level 1 and 2 ARCPs), nursing homes, care at home, adult day health care and hospice.
Each guide below explains what the license permits, what it costs at Louisiana's 2025 medians and how many the state licenses in the ten parishes.
How do we pick the right kind of care?
Match the care to the needs, not the label: daily help with stable health suits an ARCP, the level depending on how much space and independence a parent wants; occasional nursing points to a Level 4 ARCP or home health; round-the-clock nursing points to a nursing home.
The comparisons put two choices side by side, and the situation guides start from whatever just happened.
Which kinds of care do Medicare and Louisiana Medicaid cover?
Medicare covers short skilled nursing stays after a qualifying hospital admission, intermittent home health and hospice; Louisiana Medicaid covers nursing home care and, for those who qualify, care at home through LT-PCS, the Community Choices Waiver, the ADHC Waiver and PACE Baton Rouge, but not ARCPs.
VA pension with Aid and Attendance can help eligible veterans and surviving spouses with any of these, an ARCP included.
Care types: every guide
Assisted living
In Louisiana, assisted living means Level 3 and 4 adult residential care providers: apartments, personal care, medication help and, at Level 4 only, intermittent nursing. Costs, payers and what Baton Rouge families should check.
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Memory care
Memory care in Louisiana is a specialized dementia care program inside an ARCP (R.S. 40:1101.2), disclosed to LDH, with written criteria, Fire Marshal-approved locks and yearly training. What Baton Rouge families should ask.
Open guide →Personal care homes
Louisiana Level 1 personal care homes (2-8 residents) and Level 2 shelter care homes (9-16) around Baton Rouge: what they provide, who they suit, and how to check one.
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Nursing homes
Nursing homes in the Baton Rouge area: LDH licensing, CMS star ratings and inspections, admission through OAAS level of care, and how Medicare and Louisiana Medicaid pay.
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In-home care
In-home care in the Baton Rouge area: Medicare home health, private-pay personal care at about $26 an hour, Louisiana's LT-PCS and Community Choices Waiver, and PACE Baton Rouge.
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Hospice care
Hospice in the Baton Rouge area: who qualifies, what Medicare covers at home, in an ARCP or in a nursing home, and how to choose among LDH-licensed hospices.
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