West Virginia Assisted Living and Senior Care Resource

Sixteen percent of West Virginians are 65 or older—the second highest percentage in the nation. Yet only 8 percent of the state’s nursing homes have a five-star overall rating from Medicare, as of this writing. That’s the second lowest percentage in the nation. West Virginia also has some of the lowest home care and home-health care prices. (Here are some guidelines to help you evaluate nursing homes.)

 

Approximate number of facilities:

• Nursing homes:  80
• Assisted living residences: 120*

 

Types of care available:

• Adult day care
• Home care
• Home health-care
• Continuing-care retirement communities
• Assisted living facilities (assisted living residences and residential care communities)
• Nursing homes

 

Estimated average prices:**

• Adult day care: $53 per day
• Home care: $16 per hour
• Home health-care: $17 per hour
• Assisted living: $ 3,251 per month
• Nursing home, semi-private room: $231 per day
• Nursing home, private room: $239 per day

 

State websites for seniors:

• West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services
• Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification
• Rules for assisted living residences (PDF download)

 

Where to report elder abuse:

• In domestic/community care: 1-800-352-6513
• In nursing homes: 1-800-352-6513

 

Financial assistance (partial list):

• Medicaid
• West Virginia State Health Insurance Assistance Program

 

Top-10 largest cities:

• Charleston
• Huntington
• Parkersburg
• Wheeling
• Morgantown
• Weirton
• Fairmont
• Beckley
• Clarksburg
• Martinsburg

 

Top nursing homes, based on Medicare ratings:***

 

Baker
E.A. Hawse Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

 

Buckhannon
St. Joseph’s Hospital, D/P

 

Fort Ashby
Dawn View Center

 

Glen Dale
Reynolds Memorial Hospital, D/P

 

Sistersville
Sistersville Center

 

Wheeling
Good Shepherd Nursing Home

 

*Assisted-living residence numbers are from the Department of Health and Human Services’ 2007 Residential Care and Assisted Living Compendium. According to the National Center for Assisted Living, this is the industry’s only resource for such data. Depending on the state, the number may or may not include small residential-care homes, such as adult foster care.

**Senior-care price estimates are based on the 2011 MetLife Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs, which reports average rates,and the Genworth 2011 Cost of Care Survey, which reports median rates.

***Medicare rates nursing homes in four categories using a five-star system. These are the nursing homes with five stars in the “Overall” category. The ratings were accessed on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare site in November or December 2011 and are subject to change. The Medicare ratings system isn’t perfect, so use additional criteria to evaluate nursing homes as well.