Assisted Living in New Hampshire

Assisted living provides a social environment for seniors while providing assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, grooming, and toileting. In New Hampshire, the average cost of assisted living is approximately $7,600 per month, according to A Place for Mom’s proprietary data. Annually, this adds up to $91,200.^[01] This figure is significantly higher than the cost of an independent living community, and it’s slightly lower than the cost of a memory care community.

A Place for Mom has collected proprietary data across our network of partner communities in New Hampshire. Seniors we’ve helped have paid between $4,400 and $11,070 per month in their new assisted living communities. Nationally, the average monthly cost of assisted living is $6,200. New Hampshire’s average cost is higher, which may be due in part to the higher cost of living in the state.

It’s important to remember that many factors can affect the total cost of assisted living. While New Hampshire has a wide range in assisted living costs, this may be due in part to the community’s location, with communities near large cities being more expensive. Additional factors that affect the cost of assisted living may include the following:

•  Your loved one’s room size and layout
•  Pet rent
•  Your loved one’s level of care
•  Optional expenses, such as an errands service

Since assisted living can be expensive, many seniors do use multiple payment methods to cover the cost of assisted living.

It’s common for seniors to use both private and public payment methods to cover their monthly bill. Seniors and families who start planning early have the most flexibility in payment options. This is because many payment options, such as veterans benefits or public assistance through Medicaid, often have a waiting period. For an in-depth look at different payment options, visit our complete guide to paying for long-term care.

Assisted living communities in New Hampshire are licensed through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Facilities Administration under two categories. While licensing requirements for both categories are similar, they offer two levels of care.

Residential care facilities offer a lower level of care with a focus on the social aspect of community. They can offer a maximum of 21 medical or nursing visits for each instance or illness that requires it. ^[02]

Supported residential health care facilities offer a higher level of care. In fact, seniors who are eligible for a nursing home level of care can remain in these communities as long as their needs are being met.^[02]

To help ensure that a resident’s care needs are met, assisted living facilities must conduct a care assessment before a new resident moves in (or within 24 hours of admission). Ongoing assessments should occur every six months or after any major changes in a resident’s health.^[02]

Evaluating New Hampshire’s licensing and inspections process

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.

Access to New Hampshire assisted living records: Basic

Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of New Hampshire is basic. New Hampshire’s website allows you to verify licensing and contains some information about inspections and complaints. While the state website lists dates of inspections, the full reports aren’t currently accessible online.

How to look up New Hampshire assisted living licenses and records

You can use New Hampshire’s facility search form to find licensed providers and the dates of inspections:

• From the form, choose “assisted living / residential care facility” as the license type.
• Click the name of the community to access more information.
• Although the dates of recent inspections are listed, the text of these reports is not accessible online.
• For information about specific communities, contact the office of the long-term care ombudsman to see if they can provide information about a community you are exploring.
• Visit the US Administration on Aging’s Eldercare Locator to locate the appropriate long-term care ombudsman.
• If you need to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get records, consider browsing the state-by-state resources from the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which includes sample state-specific FOIA letters.

How we arrived at our New Hampshire rating

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:

1. Are licensed assisted living communities listed online in any form? Yes
2. If Yes to #1, is the information updated frequently? Yes
3. If Yes to #1, is the list of licensed communities searchable? Yes
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? No
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently (within 90 days)? No
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? Yes
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations and inspections searchable at all? No
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes
9. Is capacity shown? No
10. Are payment types shown (e.g., Medicaid, private pay)? No
11. Is the administrator/contact name shown? No
12. Can the state fine a facility? Yes
13. What is the frequency of inspections? Every 12 months
14. Does the website include pricing of facilities? No