Long-Term Care Costs Mostly Rise in Virginia, but Assisted Living Costs Drop Slightly

An annual cost-of-care survey conducted by Genworth Financial found that costs for senior care continue to rise across the country, climbing an average 3 percent from 2017 to 2018, with some care categories exceeding two to three times the 2.1 percent inflation rate, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch . This is consistent for long-term care such as nursing communities and at-home care in Virginia, though assisted living costs have fallen slightly this year. In the state, costs rose from 2017 to 2018 for adult day care and nursing community care, while the biggest increase was for a private room in a nursing community, climbing nearly 7.7 percent to an average annual cost of $102,200. However, costs for assisted living communities dropped 1.25 percent to a median of $53,415. This still tops the average national cost of $48,000, although costs rose nationally by nearly 6.7 percent from 2017 to 2018. The cost of adult day care services in Virginia rose about 3.1 percent to $18,200, compared with a 2.8 percent increase nationally to $18,720. Genworth's Gordon Saunders cites factors underlying the cost hike, including a shortfall of skilled long-term care workers, the growing incidence of Alzheimer's and dementia, and higher demand for communities with better amenities.