We All Grow Older. Who Will Care for Us, and Who Will Pay?

Planning for retirement often means thinking about savings, housing and time with family. The possibility of needing someone to help us bathe, dress or eat can be harder to discuss.

Yet those everyday needs raise a question with serious financial consequences: Who will pay for our care if we can no longer manage alone?

Medicare generally does not cover ongoing assistance with daily activities when that is the only care a person needs. That leaves a gap between the health coverage people have and the long-term support they may eventually require.

Nearly $192,000 a Year for a Shared Room

The average private payment rate for a shared room in a Connecticut nursing facility was approximately $526 a day, or $191,900 annually, according to the state Office of Policy and Management. The figures reflect rates effective September 30, 2025. Charges vary by facility.

That annual average is equivalent to about $16,000 a month, an expense that can put substantial pressure on retirement savings.

Remaining at home also requires financial planning. Connecticut figures effective January 1, 2026, show average private payment charges of $35 an hour for a personal care attendant and $43 an hour for a home health aide. The services differ, and the total cost depends on the type and amount of assistance needed.

Where Medicare Coverage Ends

A nursing home may provide temporary rehabilitation and long-term residential care in the same building. That does not mean Medicare pays for both.

Medicare Part A may cover a temporary stay for someone who needs skilled nursing or therapy and meets its eligibility requirements. Coverage is limited to a maximum of 100 days per benefit period. Patients must continue meeting the requirements, so the full 100 days are not guaranteed.

Under Original Medicare in 2026, patients generally owe $217 a day for covered care from days 21 through 100, unless another source covers that amount. Costs under Medicare Advantage may differ.

Ongoing help with bathing, dressing, eating and other daily activities generally falls outside Medicare coverage. Most health insurance, including Medicare supplemental insurance known as Medigap, also does not pay for long-term custodial care.

When Savings Are No Longer Enough

Without private long-term care insurance that covers the services needed, a person may have to pay through income and savings. Medicaid can cover nursing facility care for people who meet financial and medical eligibility requirements, in facilities certified to participate in the program.

Connecticut’s Department of Social Services generally sets a $1,600 limit on an individual applicant’s countable assets for this Medicaid coverage. Not every asset is counted the same way, and separate protections apply to a spouse who continues living in the community.

DSS may also examine financial activity during the previous five years. Giving away money or transferring assets for less than fair market value can affect eligibility. The rules make it important for families to understand their circumstances before moving money or property.

Medicaid is already the largest payment source in Connecticut nursing facilities. It covered 72 percent of residents counted in the state’s nursing facility census on September 30, 2025.

Beyond the Bill, What Is Daily Life Like?

The financial arrangements answer only part of what families need to know. They also need to understand how a nursing home responds when a resident needs help.

Connecticut’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program advises families to examine inspection findings, complaints, staffing information and satisfaction surveys. Visits and conversations with residents and relatives provide additional insight into daily life.

How quickly are calls for assistance answered? Who helps someone finish a meal or get out of bed? How many staff members work overnight and on weekends? How are concerns brought to management, and what happens afterward?

These are questions to ask of each facility. The absence of private long-term care insurance alone does not establish the quality of care a person will receive.

Residents Have Rights

People entering nursing homes retain rights to dignity, privacy and participation in decisions about their care. Federal protections also address abuse, neglect and the right to complain without retaliation.

The end of Medicare coverage does not automatically authorize a facility to remove a resident. Involuntary transfers and discharges must meet specific legal requirements.

Connecticut’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program helps residents and families address concerns about care and residents’ rights. Its assistance is free and confidential.

Planning Before Decisions Become Urgent

The cost of care belongs in the conversation about aging, alongside housing, retirement income and family support. That conversation should include where a person wants to live, what assistance may be available and how it would be paid for.

For Connecticut families, a shared nursing home room averaging nearly $192,000 a year makes those questions difficult to postpone. Understanding the limits of Medicare and the requirements of Medicaid can help families prepare before an illness, injury or loss of independence forces a decision.

Sources

• Connecticut Office of Policy and Management — Nursing home and home care costs, including the average annual nursing facility cost of $191,900. Rates effective September 30, 2025.
• Medicare — Eligibility, coverage limits and 2026 costs for temporary skilled nursing facility stays.
• Medicare — Explanation of why Medicare generally does not cover ongoing custodial care.
• Connecticut Department of Social Services — Medicaid financial eligibility, countable assets, spousal protections and financial reviews.
• Connecticut Annual Nursing Facility Census — Resident and payment information, including Medicaid’s coverage of 72 percent of residents on September 30, 2025.
• Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program — Guidance on evaluating nursing homes, residents’ rights, discharge protections and assistance with complaints.
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Federal nursing home resident rights and protections.