New Orleans Senior AdvisorWhat does senior care cost in the New Orleans area?
CareScout's 2025 Louisiana medians are about $5,163 a month for assisted living, $7,604 for a semi-private nursing home room, $4,957 for 44 hours a week of home care and $1,913 for five days a week of adult day health care; no New Orleans-specific or memory care median is published.
Last verified: October 2026| Care type (Louisiana, 2025) | Annual median | About per month | Change | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assisted living (private one-bedroom) | $61,950 | $5,163 | +1% | $74,400 |
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $91,250 | $7,604 | +2% | $114,975 |
| Nursing home, private room | $96,908 | $8,076 | +6% | $129,575 |
| Home care, non-medical (44 hrs/week) | $59,488 | $4,957 | +18% | $80,080 |
| Adult day health care (5 days/week) | $22,958 | $1,913 | n/a | $24,700 |
CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, Louisiana results (released March 2, 2026). Monthly, hourly and daily figures are our arithmetic from CareScout's published annual medians (annual / 12; home care annual / 2,288 hours; adult day annual / 260 days; nursing home annual / 365).
Who pays for senior care in Louisiana?
Most New Orleans families pay privately for assisted living; Medicare covers only short skilled nursing stays, home health and hospice; Louisiana Medicaid pays for nursing home care and, through the Community Choices Waiver, LT-PCS and PACE, for care at home, but not for an ARCP; and VA Aid and Attendance helps eligible veterans and survivors.
The fact that surprises families most is that Louisiana Medicaid has no assisted living benefit. A parent who runs out of money in an ARCP usually has to choose between family help, a move home with waiver services, or a Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Where can New Orleans families get free help with benefits?
Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146 takes requests for the Community Choices Waiver, LT-PCS, adult day health care and nursing home admission; the parish council on aging (for example the New Orleans Council on Aging at (504) 821-4121) gives local information and assistance; and SHIIP gives free Medicare counseling at 1-800-259-5300.
Medicaid applications go through the Medicaid Self-Service Portal or Medicaid Customer Service at 1-888-342-6207.
Costs & Paying guides
What senior care costs in the New Orleans area
CareScout's 2025 Louisiana medians: assisted living $61,950 a year, nursing home semi-private $91,250, home care $59,488 (44 hrs/week), adult day $22,958. What they mean for New Orleans families.
Read →Does Louisiana Medicaid pay for assisted living?
Louisiana Medicaid has no program that pays an ARCP's room, board or assisted living fee. What New Orleans families use instead: private pay, VA, LTC insurance, home-based waivers, PACE and nursing home Medicaid.
Read →The Community Choices Waiver for New Orleans families
Louisiana's Community Choices Waiver (CCW) pays for in-home personal assistance, adult day health care, home-delivered meals, home modifications and more for adults 21+ who meet nursing home level of care. Eligibility, priority groups and how to apply.
Read →LT-PCS: Medicaid personal care at home in Louisiana
Louisiana's Long Term-Personal Care Services (LT-PCS) program pays for help with bathing, dressing, eating and other daily activities at home for Medicaid enrollees 21+ who qualify for nursing home care. Eligibility and limits.
Read →How Louisiana Medicaid pays for nursing home care
Louisiana long-term care Medicaid in 2026: income up to $2,982/month or spend-down, $2,000 resource limit, 60-month look-back, spousal protections and the $45 Personal Care Needs Allowance.
Read →PACE Greater New Orleans
PACE Greater New Orleans serves people 55+ who meet nursing home level of care in listed Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines ZIP codes. Eligibility, cost and how it works.
Read →VA Aid and Attendance for New Orleans-area veterans
VA pension with Aid and Attendance for veterans and surviving spouses: 2025-26 maximum rates ($29,093 for a veteran alone), the $163,699 net worth limit and how assisted living costs reduce countable income.
Read →What Medicare pays for in New Orleans senior care
What Medicare covers for New Orleans seniors: short skilled nursing facility stays after a qualifying hospital admission, intermittent home health and hospice, but not assisted living or long-term custodial care.
Read →At a glance
| This section gives you | This section does not give you | |
|---|---|---|
| Prices | Louisiana's published 2025 medians | A New Orleans or memory care figure that does not exist |
| Programs | How CCW, LT-PCS, PACE, Medicare and VA pension work | An eligibility decision |
| Limits | 2026 income, resource and spousal figures | Legal or tax advice |
| Planning | Questions to ask and when to start | A substitute for an elder law attorney |
