Assisted living in Delaware provides residential community living combined with services designed to support the needs of adults 55+ who may require help with personal care tasks, mobility, and health monitoring. The median cost of assisted living is about $5,800 per month in Delaware, which comes out to about $69,600 per year, according to A Place for Mom’s internal data.
In Delaware, assisted living is a more affordable senior living option than memory care or nursing homes. And while it’s more expensive than independent living communities, assisted living offers personal care to residents.
Despite Delaware’s small size, it offers a large variety of outdoor and historical attractions. With its proximity to major Eastern cities such as Philadelphia and Washington D.C., assisted living residents in Delaware enjoy access to vibrant communities and opportunities for an active lifestyle.
The staff is great. They encourage the residents to get involved with others and to participate in activities. Unfortunately because my mother has vascular dementia, she is more argumentative and doesn't...
The food is good almost feel like I'm eating at home. They have so many different sizes of units. Many of them have full kitchens and washer/dryers. Good medical staffing and attentive aids. They will be...
Transportation is an issue. The only have one driver. And shot the bus transportation service ends at 4 o'clock. There is no transportation on the weekend. It is a nice facility overall. In a good...
The food is good almost feel like I'm eating at home. They have so many different sizes of units. Many of them have full kitchens and washer/dryers. Good medical staffing and attentive aids. They will be...
We chose this facility because it was a better value for the money. It also felt more informal. The administration staff made the process very smooth. They were very easy to work with.
There are lots of social activities if those wish to partake beautiful facility clean and staff is excellent. They take well care of the residence. Food is good.
Great staff and maintenance experience is very hands on and knowledgeable. Our request to maintenance was expedited quickly and seamless.
5+++++ They were amazing there with my grandfather! The activities director, the admissions lady, and another girl who wears one of the main people there that was in charge of and would talk at events were...
The staff is extremely friendly. The food is OK. The activities are great. I would recommend Paramount Senior Living to others who are looking for a place for their loved one. Our experience when settling my...
Beautiful facility. Staff is awesome. I have met most of the residents here, all friendly and nice. Daily planned activities, assorted. Exercise classes,etc.
The food is good almost feel like I'm eating at home. They have so many different sizes of units. Many of them have full kitchens and washer/dryers. Good medical staffing and attentive aids. They will be...
Great staff and maintenance experience is very hands on and knowledgeable. Our request to maintenance was expedited quickly and seamless.
They were amazing, kind and helpful. My mother left after 6 months and I know it was nothing the peregrine did. She didn't like the food because it was too spicy. For me everything was perfectly flavorful...
It's been hard doing the medical because everything has to be written down by a doctor who is hard to get a hold of. That includes helping my dad drink a protein drink. The nurse is also hard to get a hold...
I found Milford Place to be a fine place to care for my mother during her final months. Care and service were consistent. Staff and administration were very responsive, communicative and caring. I would not...
Delaware’s median assisted living prices range from about $4,500 to $8,700 per month, which is around $1,200 higher than the national median, according to A Place for Mom’s internal data. This monthly cost range is based on what referred families actually paid at our partnering Delaware assisted living facilities. However, these costs are comparable to the median prices of assisted living at our partner communities in the larger region. For example, in Philadelphia, the average price of a one-bedroom unit in an assisted living community is $6,000 and in Washington D.C., it’s close to $8,000 each month.[01]
The cost of assisted living fluctuates based on a number of factors including location, services and amenities, and the specific care needs of an individual. Communities located in areas with a high cost of living tend to be more expensive. Luxury amenities, specialized services, and programming such as physical therapy or on-site educational classes can elevate monthly costs.
Room and board at assisted living communities is typically paid for out of pocket. However, Medicare, Medicaid, or veteran’s benefits and private insurance policies may help seniors offset the care costs associated with assisted living.
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There are numerous ways to pay for assisted living in Delaware. It’s common for families to blend a variety of payment methods to pay for assisted living. Keep in mind that early planning often provides a wider range of payment options. The following section has information on several resources including private pay, public and private insurance, and veteran’s benefits. For an overview, visit our complete guide to paying for long-term care.
Private pay is the use of personal funds to pay for assisted living costs. Examples of personal funds include money from a savings account, pension payments, investments, or retirement accounts. Most families use a combination of personal funds to pay for assisted living. The options below are the most common among the seniors and families we refer to assisted living.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides pensions and other benefits to eligible senior veterans and their surviving spouses. These benefits can help pay for assisted living costs and long-term care by providing monthly income.
Determining eligibility and the application process for benefits is complicated and time consuming. Veterans are encouraged to utilize benefits counseling services through veterans service organizations (VSOs), such as local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion. At these VSOs, experienced veteran service officers act as advisors and advocates to veterans or spouses who need support accessing federal VA benefits.
Medicaid is health insurance designed for low-income individuals and families, co-funded by the federal and state governments. Individual states create their own programs within federal guidelines, and determine the scope of services offered and who is eligible. Medicaid in Delaware is simply called Delaware Medicaid. Coverage for eligible seniors includes:
The Diamond State Health Plan Plus (DSHP-Plus) in Delaware is a managed care program intended to help seniors with low-incomes or disabilities pay for long- term care in their community.[03] This may include alternatives to institutional care facilities such as assisted living communities. The program covers services which may include:
Delaware residents must meet income and medical qualifications set by the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance to be eligible for Medicaid in Delaware.
Medicare is federal health insurance for people 65 or older. Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of room and board for assisted living communities in Delaware. However, it can be used to cover medically necessary medical services in an assisted living community, as directed by a doctor.
In Delaware, Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Programs can help eligible seniors pay for their Medicare Part A and B premiums and deductibles. The Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau provides free counseling services to help people with Medicare to better understand their healthcare options. Eligible seniors can receive assistance paying for prescription medications through the Delaware Prescription Assistance Program.
Delaware’s long-term care ombudsman program investigates and works to resolve complaints on behalf of seniors who live in or receive long-term care services in their community. If you or your loved one encounter any issues or have questions, you can reach out to the ombudsman.
Social Security Administration offices in Delaware are another resource for finding answers to long-term care questions. They can help you apply for benefits or Medicare help with prescription drug plan costs at the local office. You may be able to receive some support online, as well.
Assisted living facilities in Delaware are required to be licensed by the state’s Division of Health Care Quality (DHCQ). The division conducts annual inspections of facilities and also responds to complaints by conducting investigations as necessary. The division’s mission is to protect Delaware citizens in long term-care health settings by enforcing compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.
Inspections create a system of accountability for assisted living facilities and aim to ensure they adhere to regulations that address the following categories.[02]
The division’s detailed assisted living facility regulations along with a list of currently licensed assisted living facilities in Delaware are available on its website.
The Division of Health Care Quality’s website also has completed annual inspection and complaint investigation reports, which they call surveys, for families to review before choosing an assisted living facility. Be aware that many of the facility surveys on the site are not current. It is unclear however if the data has not been updated or if the inspections have not been performed.
State regulations — and a community’s track record with inspections and licensing — offer important insights into safety and quality of care in senior living communities.
Download the Guide to Senior Living Licensure and Inspection Reports to learn what to look for in inspection reports and what questions to ask when touring communities. This resource explains how to use state licensure and inspection information to evaluate a community’s compliance, care standards, and responsiveness to issues.
Let our care assessment guide you
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
We developed a system to rate each state on how easy – or difficult – it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and compiled tips to help you in your search.
States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.
Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of Delaware is moderate. Key findings that informed this rating include:[04]
We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:
A Place for Mom. (2022). A Place for Mom proprietary data.
State of Delaware. (2022, July 12). 3225 Assisted Living Facilities. Division of Health Care Quality.
Delaware Health and Social Services. Delaware Quality Management Strategy Delaware.gov.
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Licensing and certification section. Delaware.gov.
Overview of assisted living in DE
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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