The average cost of assisted living in the county is $3,775 a month. This guide is a starting point covering the cost of assisted living care in the county, as well as financing options to pay for it. You’ll find in-depth information on 7 Assisted Living Communities in Columbia County and several in surrounding areas. The Cost of Senior Care in Columbia County, FL
1580 S. Marion Avenue, Lake City, FL 32025
Call 1-855-287-5093 for details
4.5
(8)
"The WillowBrook community, set in a beautiful landscape, is for seniors who want to maintain their rich, rewarding life without the responsi..."
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4.7
(4)
"Home . . . is where the heart is, where we yearn to be at the end of the day. We all want and need the kindness and caring that we associate..."
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507 NW HALL OF FAME DRIVE, Lake City, FL 32055
Call 1-855-287-5093 for details
3.0
(7)
751 SE Sycamore Terrace, Lake City, FL 32025
Call 1-855-287-5093 for details
5.0
(1)
5.0
(1)
"The Canopy at Harper Lake community is developed to high standards of safety and hospitality. Our facility is specifically designed to meet ..."
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1.5
(2)
970 SW Pinemount Road, Lake City, FL 32024
Call 1-855-287-5093 for details
5.0
(3)
"Grande Cypress Assisted Living is a member of the Circle of Life Communities of assisted living facilities. Located on the stunning and sere..."
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5.0
(2)
"At Rising Oaks Assisted Living in Live Oak, our commitment is to provide individuals a place to age in with dignity while helping maintain p..."
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23301 NW 186th Ave, High Springs, FL 32643
Call 1-855-287-5093 for details
4.4
(25)
"__________________________________________ We welcome you to experience Plantation Oaks Senior Living in High Springs, Florida. We provid..."
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(6)
3.0
(2)
"Mayflower ALF's purpose is to provide more personalized care to seniors in an environment that feels as if they were in their own homes. Ou..."
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5
|
May 12, 2021
Thrive at Augusta was very nice, and that's the one we're gonna hopefully go to. They all seemed really nice and very helpful. They are limited with what they can do with Covid, but everything was very inviting. I only looked at a 1-bedroom, because that's all I was interested in seeing, and it was clean and spacious. They showed me the dining area, a bistro area, and an exercise area where they have physical therapists come, but due to Covid, I could not tour the entire facility. I didn't meet the staff. I only met one lady, and she was awesome.
Terry
4
|
May 12, 2021
Claiborne at West Lake is very nice. The staff is very nice. There's not a whole lot of activities. They may have a lot of them that I don't participate in, but I'm not sure. The food is usually OK, nothing wonderful. My room is fine for me because I'm just the only one here. I just live here and do as much as I can. They have a place upstairs where you can go play cards if you want to. The place is always pretty clean.
B. C.
2
|
January 20, 2021
My friend has settled in at Washington Commons. The food was lousy, and it's overpriced for what you get. She doesn't like it there, but she is staying anyway. There isn't any place better around in this local area that does what they do. It's not worth what she is paying for, but that's what it is. She moved in on the 1st of August. My friend's apartment was too small, so she moved now to a larger area. She had a 2-room then, which was just too crowded and she was stumbling over furniture. Now, she got a 2-bedroom apartment and it's a lot bigger. It has a living room, a kitchen, 2-bedrooms and 2-baths. They had activities when there's no Covid around, but right now, there's nothing. When my friend was in the main building, they delivered the food to their rooms, but by the time they got it, it's cold. It's not nutritionally sound, and the quantity was very small. I looked at it and I wouldn't eat it. Now, she has moved into this other apartment that is outside the main building, but they do not supply any food over there. She has to take care of her own food. The staff members are friendly, but they couldn't satisfy her needs.
Thomas
5
|
April 28, 2020
We needed medical assistance, but Washington Commons doesn't have it. They showed us a couple of rooms and the cafeteria. They were very friendly, very courteous, and very forthcoming. The facility was good and clean. They had entertainment, people playing music, and massages. The dining room was very spacious, very clean, handicap accessible, and well lit. Overall, I was impressed with the place.
Mark
4
|
June 24, 2019
I toured Brookdale Bloomsburg. The marketing director was awesome. She was very informative. She talked a little bit about Alzheimer's and how they help their residents adjust to living in an assisted living place. She took me around and showed me everything. She was very helpful. Their studio has its own bathroom and a room for a bed, a dresser, TV, and a recliner. I didn't see any activities going on at the time, but she showed me their common area and their patio area where the residents can go anytime. The place is laid out well and very clean. It is one floor so everybody could walk out, which is convenient.
Gene
5
|
March 29, 2019
I liked Elmcroft of Martinez. It's nice and well run. The rooms had good layouts. For someone who's going by themselves and doesn't need to walk much, they're a good setup. The staff seemed very professional. They had a nice ice cream parlor room or get-together room.
Laurel
4
|
March 18, 2019
We found Washington Commons to be very nice. It's probably where we are going to go with. It seemed to be a very comfortable place. The residents seemed very comfortable and happy there. The staff members were very nice and very accommodating. The dining area looked very clean. The residents were eating while we were there, and they served them restaurant style. They came to the table and took their order. Everybody was happy, which was a good sign. We saw one of the apartments, the theater area, the activities room, and the area where they play cards and read books. The area where they watch movies has recently been re-done, and it looked very nice.
WT
5
|
February 27, 2019
My visit with Washington Commons was very good. The food was great and you had a selection of what to eat. The staff was very friendly, outgoing, seemed like they wanted to please you and answered all of my questions. The rooms were roomy and the amenities were great. They had various functions. They invited me to come and take part in their activities for this month. If anyone is thinking about their parent or a loved one going into assisted living, they should really consider them because they have amenities plus if you wanted to visit other sites in another city, you can stay at their facility free for up to a week.
P.R.
3
|
January 25, 2019
Washington Commons' rooms were nice, but I wanted a two-bedroom and a kitchen. They don't have kitchens there. They looked like they had a lot for people to interact with, movies, games, knitting, and stuff like that. They told me they had entertainment come in on occasions and that was a good part. The guy took me around and showed me the apartments and stuff. He was very informative and good.
According to the Genworth 2018 Cost of Care study, the cost of assisted living in Columbia County is $275 a month higher than the state average. The only area in close proximity that has a lower average cost is Ocala at $3,275 per month.
The least expensive area in Florida overall is Lakeland, with assisted living costing an average of $2,808 per month, and the most expensive area is Naples at $5,448 a month.
Note: Senior care cost data wasn’t available for Columbia County, so data for the closest city, Gainesville, was used.
Columbia County/Gainesville
$3,775
National Average
$4,000
State Average
$3,500
Ocala
$3,275
Jacksonville
$4,425
The Villages
$5,031
Deltona
$3,850
Lakeland
$2,808
Naples
$5,448
The difference between the cost of assisted living and nursing home care is quite large, with the latter costing more than double. However, it’s often easier to receive help paying for nursing home care because the individual is eligible for more state and federal assistance compared to residents in assisted living. Homemaker services and home health aides fees are only around $40 more expensive than assisted living in the area. The cost of in-home services is based on a requirement of 44 hours of care each week, which means the cost could be more or less depending on individual needs. Also, those who continue to live at home must consider home expenses, such as taxes, yard maintenance, utilities and groceries, which are normally included when living in an assisted living facility.
Assisted Living
$3,775
Homemaker Services
$3,813
Home Health Aide
$3,813
Adult Day Health Services
$1,387
Nursing Home Care
$8,060
Seniors in Florida who need help paying for various medical goods and services, as well as long-term care, can apply for one or more of the plans that make up the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program. The SMMC is relatively new, starting in 2014 as a more structured approach to the Medicaid waivers that had been offered in the past.
The SMMC is split into three plans: Long-term Care (LTC), Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) and Dental. Residents can apply for each of these plans as needed.
The Long-term Care plan is designed for seniors (65+), as well as adults of any age who are disabled, requiring a nursing facility level of care. Although the eligibility requirements are based on nursing facilities, it’s possible to be placed in and reimbursed for assisted living if it’s deemed the most appropriate in any individual case.
The Managed Medical Assistance plan covers Medicaid-approved goods and services, such as doctor visits, hospitals, mental health treatment and prescription drugs, as well as transportation to and from the point of service.
The Dental plan is mandatory for all Medicaid recipients in Florida and covers all approved dental services.
Eligibility requirements for Medicaid and the SMMC:
Optional State Supplement (OSS)
Low-income seniors as well as the blind or disabled who are receiving SSI benefits from the federal government can apply for an additional payment at the state level through the Optional State Supplement program.
In Florida, OSS payments are intended to pay for room and board and are only made to residents of licensed facilities, including assisted living and nursing homes. Seniors living in their own home or with a caregiver are not eligible. The highest monthly payment from OSS is $78.40 per individual.
The maximum countable assets allowed for OSS are the same as Medicaid: $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. However, the income limit is $752 ($1504.80 per couple) per month.
Applications for OSS in Florida are generally made by a case manager or facility staff. Contact ACCESS Florida on (866) 762-2237 to find out more about the application process.
Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance (A&A) Program
Veterans or their surviving family may be eligible for additional payments from Veterans Affairs if eligible for the Aid and Attendance program. As the name suggests, this program is designed for those who need help from another person on a daily basis.
If approved for the A&A program, the payment amount is added to the monthly pension the individual is currently receiving from Veterans Affairs. This additional funding can be used to help pay for assisted living room and board, among other services.
Applicants for this program can qualify in a number of ways. The simplest qualifier is that the applicant is already living in a nursing home or bedridden. If not, they can be assessed as requiring aid with various personal tasks and activities, such as assistance with prosthetic devices, hygiene and eating. Alternatively, applicants will qualify if their eyesight is severely limited (view the full A&A eligibility for details).
In addition to qualifying via one of the above, applicants must satisfy both of these requirements:
Columbia County Senior Services is the local Area Agency on Aging, with locations in Lake City and Fort White that serve the whole county. AAAs such as this are advocates, educators and service providers for the senior (60+) population and their caregivers. In Columbia County specifically, this AAA also carries out many of the same functions as a senior center. Services are offered at low or no cost to seniors, including hot lunch on weekdays, meal delivery, transportation, activities and educational events.
Lifestyle Enrichment Center of Lake City
628 SE Allison Ct., Lake City, FL 32025
(386) 755-0235
Lifestyle Enrichment Center of Fort White
18829 Hwy. 47 S, Fort White, FL 32038
(386) 497-1504
Columbia County Senior Services is the local Area Agency on Aging, with locations in Lake City and Fort White that serve the whole county. AAAs such as this are advocates, educators and service providers for the senior (60+) population and their caregivers. In Columbia County specifically, this AAA also carries out many of the same functions as a senior center. Services are offered at low or no cost to seniors, including hot lunch on weekdays, meal delivery, transportation, activities and educational events. Lifestyle Enrichment Center of Lake City
628 SE Allison Ct., Lake City, FL 32025
(386) 755-0235 Lifestyle Enrichment Center of Fort White
18829 Hwy. 47 S, Fort White, FL 32038
(386) 497-1504
The Veterans Service Office (VSO) for Columbia County is located in Lake City. Seeking help from a VSO is highly recommended for anyone attempting to apply for VA benefits as the staff have a wealth of experience and knowledge concerning Veterans Affairs and the various benefits available to veterans and survivors. The Lake City office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Columbia County Veterans Service Office
971 W. Duval St., Ste. 180, Lake City, FL 32055
(386) 758-2184
Go a bit further out to explore pricing and amenities.
$3,000
$3,418
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