Long-term financial preparation
- Where you are
- What you need
- 3Your guidance
You've made it — here's the guidance for your situation.
Senior care is expensive, and most families underestimate the costs until they're in the middle of it. Planning ahead — even imperfectly — puts you in a much stronger position than figuring it out under pressure.
What care actually costs in Washington
Washington medians (CareScout 2025 survey): in-home care about $45 an hour; assisted living about $7,550 a month; nursing home about $13,155 a month for a semi-private room. Memory care typically costs more than assisted living (an estimate: roughly $9,000–$10,000+ a month). Adult family home private-pay rates are set by each home. Actual prices vary widely by area and care level; Seattle-area prices run higher.
What Medicare covers — and doesn't
Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation only after a formal inpatient hospital stay of at least three days in a row (observation days and ER time do not count): days 1–20 in full, days 21–100 with a $217-a-day coinsurance in 2026, and nothing after day 100. It does not cover long-term custodial care. Understanding this distinction prevents costly surprises.
Washington Medicaid and other resources
Washington's Medicaid program (Apple Health) covers long-term care for those who qualify financially and medically. Eligibility rules are strict and worth understanding early. Veterans and surviving spouses may also qualify for Aid & Attendance, an add-on to the VA pension (wartime service and the pension's income and net-worth limits apply).
What to do now
Locate financial and legal documents. Understand the rough monthly cost of the care your parent may eventually need. Talk with an elder law attorney if there are questions about Medicaid planning or asset protection.
Next step: Real Property Planning's guides explain the financial picture, and Real Property Planning's Find a Professional page lists independent professionals you can contact directly.
Find a ProfessionalYour next questions
What does WA Cares cover?
Washington's long-term care benefit: who qualifies, what it pays and when.
What will care cost?
Washington cost-of-care calculators for in-home care, assisted living, memory care, adult family homes and nursing homes.
Will Medicaid pay, and what happens to the house?
Apple Health long-term care in Washington: eligibility, the home exemption, spend-down and the five-year look-back.