Questions families ask about senior care in the Pittsburgh region

Last verified: October 2026

What questions does Pittsburgh Senior Advisor answer?

Every guide on this site is written as answers to specific questions families in southwestern Pennsylvania ask, from how DHS licenses a personal care home to what Community HealthChoices pays for. This page lists all 167 of them, grouped by topic, each linking to the page where it is answered in full.

Pennsylvania rules

• What is the difference between a personal care home and an assisted living residence in Pennsylvania?
• Why are there so few assisted living residences around Pittsburgh?
• Can a personal care home call itself assisted living in Pennsylvania?
• How big must an assisted living unit be in Pennsylvania?
• Can one building hold both a personal care home and an assisted living residence?
• Does Pennsylvania license memory care separately?
• What must happen before someone moves into a Secure Dementia Care Unit?
• How is an ALR Special Care Unit different?
• How much dementia training do staff in a secured unit get?
• Where can you look up a Pennsylvania personal care home's license?
• What is in a DHS Licensing Inspection Summary?
• How often are personal care homes inspected in Pennsylvania?
• What does a provisional license mean on the DHS directory?
• How do you check a nursing home instead?
• What is a provisional license for a Pennsylvania personal care home?
• How many provisional licenses can a home receive in a row?
• Which Pittsburgh-area homes hold a provisional license now?
• Should you rule out a home with a provisional license?
• What must an assisted living contract include in Pennsylvania?
• How much notice is required to leave or to discharge a resident?
• Can a personal care home take all of a resident's income?
• What should families check before signing?
• How many staff hours does a Pennsylvania personal care home need?
• Does an assisted living residence need a nurse in Pennsylvania?
• What training does a personal care home administrator need?
• How much training do direct care workers get?
• How do you file a complaint about a personal care home in Pennsylvania?
• How do you file a complaint about a Pennsylvania nursing home?
• Where do you report abuse of an older adult in the Pittsburgh area?
• What does the long-term care ombudsman do?
• What information should a complaint include?
• Can you complain anonymously?
• Who licenses nursing homes in Pennsylvania?
• What is the CMS Five-Star rating?
• How do Pittsburgh-area nursing homes score?
• How should you use a nursing home's star rating?
• What do staffing hours on CMS's data mean?
• How often are Pennsylvania nursing homes surveyed?
• What is a CMS special focus facility?

Costs & paying

• How much does senior care cost in Pennsylvania in 2025?
• Is there a Pittsburgh-specific cost figure?
• What does memory care cost in Pennsylvania?
• How do Pennsylvania costs compare with the national medians?
• How fast are Pennsylvania care costs rising?
• Does Medicaid pay for a personal care home in Pennsylvania?
• What is the Pennsylvania personal care home supplement?
• Can VA benefits help pay for a personal care home?
• What other sources do Pittsburgh families use?
• What does it cost to live in a personal care home on SSI?
• What is Community HealthChoices?
• Which CHC plans can Pittsburgh-area members choose?
• What does CHC pay for at home?
• How do you apply for Community HealthChoices?
• Can CHC help someone living in a personal care home?
• What are Pennsylvania's 2026 Medicaid limits for nursing home care?
• What is the Medicaid look-back period in Pennsylvania?
• What can the spouse at home keep?
• Is the home counted for nursing home Medicaid?
• How much income does a nursing home resident on Medical Assistance keep?
• What is the LIFE program in Pennsylvania?
• Who is eligible for LIFE?
• Which LIFE providers serve the Pittsburgh area?
• What do LIFE participants give up?
• Can a LIFE participant live in a personal care home?
• What is VA Aid and Attendance?
• How much is VA Aid and Attendance in 2026?
• What is the VA pension net worth limit?
• Where can Pittsburgh veterans get help applying?
• Does Aid and Attendance pay a personal care home directly?
• Can a surviving spouse receive Aid and Attendance?
• Which senior programs does the Pennsylvania Lottery fund?
• Who qualifies for PACE and PACENET prescription help?
• Who qualifies for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate?
• What is the OPTIONS program?
• How do Lottery dollars reach Pittsburgh-area seniors?

Types of care

• What does assisted living mean in Pennsylvania?
• Who is a good fit for a personal care home?
• Who pays for a personal care home around Pittsburgh?
• How do you compare personal care homes near Pittsburgh?
• How large are personal care homes around Pittsburgh?
• What is memory care in Pennsylvania?
• When does someone with dementia need a secured unit?
• What does memory care cost around Pittsburgh?
• What should you ask a memory care unit on a tour?
• Which Pittsburgh-area homes have the largest secured dementia units?
• What is a nursing home in Pennsylvania?
• Does Medicare pay for a nursing home?
• What does a nursing home cost in Pennsylvania?
• How do you choose a nursing home near Pittsburgh?
• Which are the largest nursing homes in the Pittsburgh region?
• How many Pittsburgh-area nursing homes have high CMS ratings?
• What is the difference between home care and home health?
• What does in-home care cost in Pennsylvania?
• Which Pennsylvania programs help pay for care at home?
• How do you choose a home care agency around Pittsburgh?
• How many home health agencies serve each county?
• How do you know when home care is no longer enough?
• What is independent living?
• Can someone in independent living get help with care?
• What is a continuing care retirement community?
• Who pays for independent living?
• Is independent living the same as a 55+ community?
• What should you ask an independent living community?
• What is hospice care?
• What does Medicare's hospice benefit cover?
• Can you change hospice providers or stop hospice?
• How do you choose a hospice near Pittsburgh?
• Where are hospice agencies based around Pittsburgh?
• Can hospice come to a personal care home or nursing home?

Comparisons

• What is the main difference between a personal care home and a nursing home?
• Which costs more in Pennsylvania?
• When does someone need a nursing home rather than a personal care home?
• How do ratings and inspections differ?
• How do you move from a personal care home to a nursing home if needs change?
• Should someone with dementia go to a memory care unit or a nursing home?
• How many secured dementia units and nursing homes are there around Pittsburgh?
• Who pays for each?
• What should you ask either setting about dementia care?
• How does Medicare treat dementia care in each setting?
• Is in-home care cheaper than a personal care home in Pennsylvania?
• What programs help someone stay home?
• When does a personal care home make more sense?
• How do you compare the two fairly?
• What hidden costs should you include when comparing home care with a personal care home?
• What is the difference between LIFE and Community HealthChoices?
• Who tends to do better in LIFE?
• Who tends to do better in Community HealthChoices?
• Can you switch between LIFE and CHC?
• What happens to Medicare when someone joins LIFE or CHC?
• Is LIFE or CHC available in every county around Pittsburgh?
• What is the difference between an assisted living residence and independent living?
• Who belongs in independent living?
• What does an assisted living residence add?
• Is independent living ever on the same campus as assisted living?
• How do costs compare between an assisted living residence and independent living?
• Where are assisted living residences around Pittsburgh?
• Can someone move from independent living into an assisted living residence on the same campus?

By situation

• What happens when a hospital discharges someone who cannot go home alone?
• Will Medicare pay for rehab after the hospital?
• How do you choose a rehab nursing home quickly?
• What if your parent cannot go home after rehab?
• Which hospital systems discharge most Pittsburgh-area patients?
• What should you do first when a parent with dementia wanders?
• When is a secured dementia unit needed?
• How do you find a licensed secured dementia unit near you?
• What help is available while you decide?
• Which counties have the most secured dementia beds?
• What should you ask a secured dementia unit about wandering?
• What happens when private funds run out in a Pennsylvania personal care home?
• Can VA benefits close the gap?
• When should you start a Medical Assistance application?
• Can the personal care home discharge someone for nonpayment?
• Who can help the family plan?
• What should you ask a personal care home before money gets tight?
• Where can a Pittsburgh-area family caregiver get respite?
• Does any program pay for respite?
• What does adult day care cost in Pennsylvania?
• When is burnout a sign it is time for a move?
• Is there caregiver support beyond respite?
• How do you find respite beds near Pittsburgh?
• What are the warning signs of caregiver burnout?
• What is different about senior care in Pennsylvania?
• Can a parent keep Medicaid from another state?
• What paperwork should come with your parent?
• How do you choose a home from out of town?
• How long does a Pennsylvania Medicaid application take?
• What about Medicare when a parent moves to Pennsylvania?

What these answers are and are not