Vermont — home to Bernie Sanders, Ben and Jerry, and over 105,000 seniors.* And although the number of seniors receiving long-term care in an institutional setting is dropping, many elderly Vermonters find themselves utilizing one of the state’s 38 nursing homes at some point in their lives.
Vermont nursing home care costs are among the highest in the nation. Aside from Alaska and Hawaii, the top 10 most expensive states for nursing home care are on the east coast.
Vermont senior care planning includes understanding costs of nursing homes in the chosen area, along with their overall ratings. Many times, hospitals will discharge the senior to a nursing home for rehabilitation. If the senior’s stay is longer than the Medicare-covered 100 days, those costs becomes out-of-pocket.
Nursing homes cost a lot of money — ask any family whose senior loved one is burning through their assets in order to get quality long-term care in a nursing facility. The sad truth is that the general consumer has no idea how much nursing home care costs in their area, and usually doesn’t learn of those costs until their back is up against the wall and long-term care is needed.
Long-term senior care costs are a concern among our readers and we at Caregiverlist have an ongoing mission to educate the consumer. To that end, we are constantly updating our nursing home cost database and have released the latest costs and ratings for Vermont nursing homes.
Below is a snapshot of Vermont nursing home costs and ratings:
Total Number of Nursing Homes: 38
Average Single Price: $301.95
Average Double Price: $280.65
Average Rating: 3.1 (out of 5)
Star Rating Snapshot:
5-Star 2
4-Star 19
3-Star 14
2-Star 3
1-Star 0
Some seniors and their families will prefer to stay at home and hire an in-home professional senior caregiver. Hourly rate for senior home care in Vermont can range from $11 to $28 per hour, depending on the location and level of care required. A quality home care agency will fully vet an in-home caregiver with a thorough background check. As opposed to hiring a caregiver directly, an agency provides all necessary liability and worker’s compensation insurance protections and payroll taxes as required by law.
Vermont offers Choices for Care (1115 Long-Term Care Medicaid Waiver), a Medicaid-funded, long-term care program to pay for care and support for older Vermonters. If a senior meets the clinical and financial criteria, they can receive help with costs for professional care at home, in an enhanced residential care setting, or in a nursing facility. There is also a separate Moderate Need program in place and seniors and their families can learn about program eligibility directly from a Home Health Agency in their area.
Seniors and their family caregivers can research nursing home costs and ratings in any state nationwide through the Caregiverlist Nursing Home Directory, the only resource with this trademarked information.
A good way to start anticipating for those future long-term care costs is consulting with a professional who can come up with a financial action plan that includes an assessment of your family’s assets and future spending needs. Caregiverlist can also provide a care plan to find senior home care agency options in Vermont and help you learn about the costs for senior care.
*according to the 2014 U.S. Census
