When a parent starts needing more help, the first hurdle is often the vocabulary. Assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, care homes, life plan communities: the names overlap, and they're used differently from one state to the next.
This guide sorts the options into plain categories. For each one, we explain what it is, what kind of help it offers, and who it tends to suit. Long-term care covers a wide range of services meant to help people with health or personal needs over a period of time, and it can be given at home, in the community or in a residential setting1.
The options side by side
| Type | Where | Daily help | Medical care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home care | At home | A few hours to 24/7 | Home health only |
| Adult day | Day center | During the day | Some centers |
| Independent living | Community | Little or none | No |
| Senior apartments | Apartment | None | No |
| Assisted living | Community | Yes | Limited |
| Care homes | Small home | Yes | Limited |
| Memory care | Secured unit or community | Yes, dementia-focused | Limited |
| Nursing homes | Facility | Yes, 24/7 | Yes, skilled |
| Life plan communities | Campus | Grows with needs | On campus |
Details depend on the provider and on state rules. Use this as a starting point, then ask each provider directly.
Home care and home health
Most older adults would rather stay at home, and many can with the right support2. In-home help comes in two broad kinds.
- Non-medical home care. Aides help with bathing, dressing, meals, light housework, errands and companionship. Visits can be a few hours a week or round the clock.
- Home health care. Licensed nurses and therapists provide skilled care ordered by a doctor, such as wound care or physical therapy after a hospital stay. Medicare covers part-time or intermittent home health care for people who are homebound and meet other conditions3.
Best for: people who are safe at home most of the time but need help with certain tasks, or who are recovering from an illness. It can also give family caregivers a break. Learn more in our home care guide.
Read moreMemory Care vs. In-Home Dementia Care: How to Decide
Adult day centers and respite care
Adult day centers offer a safe, social place to spend the day, often with meals, exercise, activities, personal care and sometimes transportation4. Some focus on people living with dementia. The person goes home in the evening.
Respite care is short-term care that gives a family caregiver a break, from a few hours to a few weeks. It can happen at home, at an adult day center or in a residential community that offers short stays5.
Best for: families caring for someone at home who need daytime support or regular time off. Many families also use a respite stay to try out a community before a permanent move.
Independent living
Independent living communities are designed for older adults who can manage on their own but want less upkeep and more company. They usually offer private apartments or cottages, shared meals, activities, housekeeping and transportation. They generally don't provide hands-on personal or medical care, though residents can often bring in a home care agency.
Best for: active older adults who are tired of maintaining a house, feel isolated, or want to plan ahead. See our independent living guide for more, or read how it compares in assisted living vs. independent living.
Senior apartments
Senior apartments are age-restricted rental buildings, usually for people 55 or 62 and older. Many are affordable housing for older adults with limited incomes, such as HUD's Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, which can also link residents with services like cleaning, cooking and transportation6. Care itself isn't included.
Best for: older adults who live independently and want an age-friendly, often lower-cost place to rent. Our senior apartments guide explains what to look for.
Assisted living
Assisted living combines housing, meals and help with daily activities in a residential setting. Residents usually have a private or shared apartment, and staff are available around the clock to help with things like bathing, dressing and medicines4. Most communities also offer activities, housekeeping and transportation.
Assisted living is licensed by states, and each state sets its own rules and names. Depending on where you live, you may see it called assisted living, residential care, personal care homes or something else7. Many communities offer several levels of care, with costs rising as needs grow.
Best for: people who need regular help with daily tasks or supervision but don't need constant nursing. Our assisted living guide covers services, choosing and paying in detail.
Read moreAssisted Living vs. Nursing Home: How to Tell Which Is Right
Care homes (board and care)
Care homes, often called board and care homes, residential care homes or adult family homes, are private houses that care for a small number of residents, often six or fewer. Staff provide meals, supervision and help with daily activities4. Many states license them as a type of assisted living.
Best for: people who would do better in a quiet, family-style setting with more one-on-one attention. The trade-off is fewer activities and amenities than a larger community. See our care homes guide, or compare them in assisted living vs. care homes.
Memory care
Memory care serves people living with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. It may be a separate, secured wing of an assisted living community or nursing home, or a stand-alone community. Expect secure entrances and exits, staff trained in dementia care, structured daily routines and activities designed for people with memory loss8.
Some states license dementia care units specifically, while others regulate them under general assisted living rules, so it's worth asking what a community's license actually covers.
Best for: people with dementia who are no longer safe at home, who wander, or whose care has become more than the family can manage. Read our memory care guide and signs it's time for memory care.
Nursing homes
Nursing homes, also called skilled nursing facilities, provide 24-hour supervision, meals, help with daily activities and medical care from licensed nurses. Many also offer short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay4.
Nursing homes that take Medicare or Medicaid must meet federal standards, including resident rights and care planning9. You can look up inspection results, staffing and other information on Medicare's Care Compare10.
Best for: people with serious medical needs or limited mobility who need nursing care around the clock, and people recovering from surgery or illness. Our nursing homes guide has more.
Read moreMemory Care vs. Nursing Home: Which Is Right for Dementia?
Life plan communities (CCRCs)
Life plan communities, also known as continuing care retirement communities or CCRCs, offer independent living, assisted living and nursing care on one campus. Residents can move between levels as their needs change without leaving the community8. They usually require an entry agreement, so read the contract carefully and ask what happens if needs or finances change.
Best for: people who are independent now, want to plan for future care, and like the idea of staying in one place.
Hospice and palliative care
Hospice and palliative care aren't places so much as kinds of care. Palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life during a serious illness, alongside treatment. Hospice is comfort care for people who are terminally ill and have decided to stop treatment aimed at a cure. Both can be given at home, in a community or in a nursing home. Medicare covers hospice for people who qualify11.
How to choose the right type of care
- Take stock of daily needs. List what your parent can do alone, what they need help with, and how often. Bathing, dressing, meals, medicines, getting around and memory are the big areas.
- Talk with their doctor. A doctor can say whether medical needs call for skilled nursing or whether help with daily tasks is enough.
- Think about safety and company. Falls, wandering, missed medicines and loneliness can all tip the balance toward more support12.
- Include your parent. Ask what matters most to them: privacy, staying near friends, a pet, faith, food. People adjust better to choices they help make.
- Look at the money early. Find out what savings, income, insurance and benefits can cover before you fall in love with a place.
- Visit more than one option. Seeing places in person tells you more than any brochure. Our guide to touring senior living has questions to ask.
Not sure where to start? Our care quiz asks a few questions and suggests care types to look at.
How families pay for care
Costs vary widely by type of care, location and level of need. In general, care at home is cheapest when only a few hours are needed, and nursing homes cost the most. The main ways families pay are:
- Personal savings and income. Most assisted living and independent living is paid for privately13.
- Medicare. Covers short-term skilled nursing and home health after certain conditions are met, but not long-term custodial care14.
- Medicaid. Covers nursing home care for people who qualify, and in many states pays for some care at home or in assisted living through waiver programs15.
- Long-term care insurance. Policies vary in what settings and services they cover16.
- Veterans benefits. Some veterans and surviving spouses can get extra monthly payments to help with care17.
Our guides to paying for senior living and Medicare vs. Medicaid go deeper.
