16th
OVERALL STATE RANK
Connecticut defines assisted living as managed residential communities that provide assistance with activities of daily living and nursing services for seniors 55 and older. Residents are often independent and active but may require increased supervision and support. The median cost of assisted living in Connecticut is $6165 each month, which equals approximately $73,980 per year according to A Place for Mom’s internal data.Assisted living is a more affordable senior living option than memory care or nursing homes. And while assisted living is a more expensive than independent living or group home communities in Connecticut, it does offer a higher level of care services than those options.
State scorecard
How we determine rankings
Our 2023 state ranking for assisted living uses A Place for Mom’s proprietary data collected from our community partners. First, we sorted through our metrics and grouped them into three pillars that are key in a quality assisted living experience. We weighted these pillars differently based on insights from our senior living experts. Then, we used these categories and their weighting to determine how each state ranks.
Top ranked Connecticut cities for assisted living overall
Key findings
State highlights
Assisted living facilities in Connecticut offer unique activities and entertainment programming to residents. For example, residents at 88% of our partner communities enjoy singing along to live musical performances. And 86% of our Connecticut partner communities also provide residents educational presentations along with lifelong learning opportunities.
Top ranked Connecticut cities - Services & Amenities
Key findings
Connecticut vs. the national monthly median cost of assisted living
Top ranked Connecticut cities - Affordability
Key findings
Top ranked Connecticut cities - Ratings
Moving your parents Into an assisted/independent living facility is never an easy decision. That said, When dealing with a place as lovingly and impeccably managed as the Atria Darien, You immediately gain...
I’m glad I placed my mother here. She is well cared for and close by. As a former librarian she seems comfortable with their interactive classes and activities. The people interaction is most important and...
My loved one is a resident at The Watermark at 3030 Park and overall the experience has been great. Even though we love the facility, the cost does seem high each month with the buy in. We do love the PT...
I have live here for two years and I love it here. I get all my meals taken care of. The staff is great, excercise classes are wonderful. The PT staff is here daily and they are all very helpful. I have no...
Staff is super friendly and always treat the residents with kindness and respect even when they are difficult at times or agitated. I'm always amazed at how calm and kind the staff remains I would and...
What I like the most about The Residence at Summer Street are the staff members and other residents living here. They are exceptional!! {name removed] explanation's and introductions were very impressive and...
My mom is a resident at Avery Heights and the experience has been great. Mom says most of the food is very good. They were giving her two big meals a day. At our family meeting we asked if she could have a...
She's happy at Colebrook Village . She's made a lot of friends and loves the activity . It's very clean and pleasant atmosphere. The food isn't as good as it should be . Some meals are very good though....
I have has lived at Southwick Village for several years. The community is set in a beautifully maintained campus with all the amenities I need as I age. Activities, food and most importantly, the staff are...
Everyone is very nice and, in general, responsive. The aides are lovely, and that is a big plus. The nurses are also kind. Communication with the family is adequate and I would recommend the facility. For...
Wonderful people, very helpful and knowledgeable at Brookdale. All questions were answered and the staff was friendly and always willing to help.
Although founded by the Sisters of Mercy, residents have diversity of faiths (Christian & Jewish) as well as non-practicing. Most residents live independently and there is one floor dedicated to assisted...
Very friendly staff, very approachable. Only one meal per day covered in monthly "rent", but that keeps the cost down somewhat. I've only seen my dad's apartment, which is a studio. But it's bigger than...
My mom is a resident at Avery Heights and the experience has been great. Mom says most of the food is very good. They were giving her two big meals a day. At our family meeting we asked if she could have a...
She's happy at Colebrook Village . She's made a lot of friends and loves the activity . It's very clean and pleasant atmosphere. The food isn't as good as it should be . Some meals are very good though....
Assisted living in Connecticut has a median cost of $6,165 per month, which is $2,165 higher than the national median, according to A Place for Mom’s internal data.
Pricing varies from facility to facility and is often dependent on several factors, including location, services and amenities offered, and an individual’s specific care needs. For example, a community located in an area with a higher cost of living will typically be more expensive. Additionally, luxury amenities such as private rooms, gourmet dining, and communities with opulent décor and finishes are often reflected in higher prices.
Most families pay out of pocket for assisted living room and board fees. However, it’s possible to offset some care service and medical costs with Medicare, Medicaid, or private health insurance policies.
Average monthly costs
Connecticut
US National average
Average monthly costs
Average monthly costs
Average monthly costs
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
There are many ways to pay for assisted living when families plan ahead, and it’s common for families to combine several payment methods, such as public assistance, long-term care insurance, and private pay. The following tabs outline the most common types of payment methods and benefit resources used by seniors to pay for assisted living in Connecticut. For additional tips and ideas, 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, 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.
In Connecticut, selling a house is one method families use to fund assisted living.
A reverse mortgage allows a home owner in Connecticut to take out a loan based on their home’s equity to pay for long-term care.
Health savings accounts (HSAs) are accounts used to pay for medical related expenses and can often be used to offset the costs of long-term care in Connecticut. HSAs vary, so it’s important to check with your loved one’s provider to understand exactly what costs can be covered.
Some life insurance policies allow seniors in Connecticut to use their benefits to pay for long-term care while they are alive. While policies differ, a “long-term care rider” may be an option your loved one’s insurance provider offers to help pay for long-term care costs.
Long-term care insurance can cover a wide range of medical, personal, and social services. In Connecticut, it may cover help with daily activities, home health care, nursing home care, or care in a group living facility. Long-term care insurance policies vary so it’s important to understand what your loved one’s provider covers.
In Connecticut, Social Security benefits for assisted living are available for qualified seniors. Titled “state supplement” in Connecticut, this program requires that residents must have financial or functional needs to qualify.
Senior veterans and their surviving spouses may be eligible for pension or disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These benefits can provide monthly income to help pay for assisted living costs and long-term care.
Determining eligibility and the application process for benefits is complicated and time consuming. Veterans are encouraged to utilize local, state, or national benefits counseling services through recognizable organizations, such as your local chapters of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFWs) and American Legions. Local veterans service organizations (VSOs) such as these staff veteran service officers that can act as advisors and advocates to veterans or spouses trying to access federal VA benefits.
The Connecticut Medicaid program is called HUSKY Health. Medicaid is health insurance co-funded by the federal and state governments and is designed for low-income individuals and families. Individual states create their own programs, within federal guidelines, and determine the scope of services offered and who is eligible.
Connecticut’s Medicaid program also operates several waiver programs designed to support specific groups of individuals. Depending on their needs, seniors in Connecticut may qualify for waiver programs such as the Connecticut home care program for elders and the personal care attendant waiver.
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 Connecticut. However, it can be used to cover medically necessary medical services in assisted living, as directed by a doctor.
Medicare savings programs (MSPs) in Connecticut can help qualified seniors pay for their Medicare Part B premiums. There are three programs — Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Special Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Additional Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (ALMB) — designed to provide financial assistance to various income groups of Medicare beneficiaries.
Connecticut’s long-term care ombudsman program works to improve the quality of life and care for senior living communities, and it also provides support and answers questions about long-term care in Connecticut for seniors and their families.
Social Security Administration offices in Connecticut are another resource for finding answers to long-term care questions.
Connecticut’s Department of Public Health (DPH) regulates assisted living but does so in a way that’s different from many states. DPH doesn’t license “assisted living facilities” but rather Assisted Living Service Agencies (ALSA). Once licensed, these agencies can provide assisted living services only in a Managed Residential Community (MRC), which are also subject to DPH regulatory requirements.
ASLA’s requirements regarding services and care include the following:[01]
MRCs are allowed to contract with outside ALSAs or create their own ASLA to provide services inside their facility. However, most MRCs and ASLAs in Connecticut are under the same ownership structure according to a 2021 audit.[02] Before an MRC can contract with an ASLA to provide services, it must meet DPH regulatory requirements by providing certain core services, which include:[01]
The Facility Licensing and Inspection Section (FLIS) is responsible for inspecting, certifying, licensing assisted living in Connecticut. Current license status and inspection reports can be found using the Connecticut state license lookup tool. Here are a few tips for navigating the site when looking up licensing and inspection information:
All other boxes can be left blank.
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 we 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 Connecticut is moderate. Key findings that informed this rating include:
We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and we based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:
Connecticut General Assembly. (2020, June 19). Assisted living facility regulation. Office of Legislative Research.
State of Connecticut. (2021, September 23). Oversight of Connecticut’s assisted living facilities.
Overview of assisted living in CT
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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