Christian Senior Living and Senior Care Organizations

What Is Christian Senior Care?

Christian senior living communities offer care and services that align with the principles of Christianity. In addition to personal care services and amenities, a Christian senior care facility focuses on honoring God by following the guiding principles of Christianity.

Faith is a major part of the care residents receive at a Christian senior living facility. For example, Christian retirement communities may offer a variety of wellness activities, access to prayer groups, Bible studies, and an on-site chaplain to help older adults feel closer to their faith. The Christian faith is intertwined with the care residents receive.

How Are Christian-Based Senior Care Centers Different From Non-Faith-Based Facilities?

Christian senior care centers have faith-based amenities and services, providing opportunities for residents to feel closer to their faith through recreational and community events. In addition to services like Bible studies, prayer groups, daily services, and visits from a pastor, a Christian-based senior community offers spiritual guidance and counseling to residents.

Remember that you don’t have to be of the Christian faith to receive care at a faith-based facility. Usually, a Christian senior living community is similar to a traditional facility in terms of costs, services, and amenities. Both types of communities offer compassionate care and 24/7 supervision. However, a Christian senior living community takes it one step further by focusing on upholding Christian values and ensuring religion is part of the care plan.

Who Operates Christian-Based Senior Care Facilities?

Many Christian senior living facilities are run by nonprofit organizations or have affiliations with local churches. They are often governed by a board of directors and have staff members, such as a pastoral care director focused on spiritual guidance and care support for residents. The staff may also include an administrator who oversees the day-to-day services of the facility.

Usually, Christian senior care or other faith-based facilities are on a mission to uphold the Christian faith through engaging in community programs and residential activities.

How Much Does Christian Senior Living Cost?

Faith will not typically impact the cost of care for seniors. You can expect to pay similar rates for a traditional senior living facility or a Christian senior community. To better understand pricing, you can ask local senior living communities about rates or look at national and statewide averages. For example, the median cost for assisted living is $4,917 per month in the U.S., while the median cost for a semiprivate room in a nursing home facility is $8,641 per month2.

Tips for Finding Christian Assisted Living and Other Communities

We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you begin your search for Christian senior care.

• Online research: Utilize Google search to find nearby Christian senior care in your neighborhood. You can search phrases such as “Christian assisted living” or “Christian senior care” to help you find the right facility for your needs.
• Reach out to your local church: You may want to reach out to a local Christian church and ask for faith-based senior living recommendations. Many Christian assisted living facilities will have board members or affiliations with local churches who can point you in the right direction.
• Contact nonprofits: Contact Christian nonprofit organizations that may offer recommendations for senior living locations. They may also have online resources and helpful information on how to find a Christian senior living community.
• Reach out to friends and family: If you’re having difficulty finding a Christian community, you can always ask your friends and family for recommendations. Or, if you have friends currently living in Christian retirement communities or other facilities, reach out to them to learn more about their experience.
• Tour the facility: After you’ve done some research and contacted a few representatives, it’s important to do a virtual or in-person tour of the facility. During the tour, keep a checklist of the amenities the community provides, and make note of room rates, worship services, and recreational and community events.

>> Related Reading: Best Retirement Communities in the U.S.

Where Can I Find Christian-Based Senior Care?

Using the above tips, our research team crafted a list of Christian senior living communities in different parts of the U.S. Although this list is not exhaustive, it can still give you a good idea of faith-based senior care options and what these communities offer:

Mercy Crest (Barling, AR): Mercy Crest Assisted Living has offered senior care services to older adults and individuals with disabilities since 1992. Focusing on providing quality care in a Christian environment, the facility provides opportunities for residents to participate in Catholic Mass and protestant church services. Some of the events the community offers include Bible study, Mass, and rosary.

Artesia Christian Home (Artesia, CA): Located in Southern California, Artesia Christian Home has been at the forefront of offering compassionate care in a Christian environment since 1951. The community nurtures the residents’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs by providing faith-based care. Living options include assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and independent living. It’s also certified by the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid. This makes it a more affordable faith-based facility.

Martin Boyd Christian Home (Chattanooga, TN): Founded in 1983, Martin-Boyd Christian Home focuses on providing faith-based assisted living for individuals with disabilities and older adults. The organization’s founders were members of the local Christian church that sought to create a faith-based alternative to a traditional assisted living facility. In addition to spacious living areas, seniors can access monthly wellness screenings, housekeeping and laundry service, weekly Bible studies, and Sunday worship.

Prairie Crossing Pine Haven Christian Communities (Sheboygan Falls, WI): This faith-based community offers independent living, supported independent living, and respite care services. Prairie Crossing aims to provide compassionate care in a Christ-centered environment with an on-site chaplain, pastor visits, and a chapel for prayers.

Inland Christian Home (Ontario, CA): Inland Christian Home is a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 by several local churches. Ultimately, the goal was to provide personalized, quality senior care in a Christian environment. The organization provides different levels of care, including assisted living, adult day care, and skilled nursing care for seniors. The organization is licensed as a continuing care retirement community (CCRC).

Lakeview Christian Home (Carlsbad, NM): Lakeview Christian Home offers independent living services to seniors in a Christian environment. Lakeview Christian Home offers independent living, long-term care services, and amenities such as weekly church services and guidance from a full-time chaplain.

Village Manor Christian Care Communities (Bowling Green, KY): Village Manor by Christian Care Communities has a wide spectrum of senior care, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing care for older adults in a Christian environment. Village Manor has more than 70 one- to two-bedroom apartment-style homes with basic amenities and activities like exercising and woodworking to stay active.

Kansas Christian Home (Newton, KS): Kansas Christian Home was founded in 1962 to uphold the principles and values of the Christian Church-Disciples of Christ. Currently, Kansas Christian Home provides various care options, such as independent living, assisted living, and services to seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Kansas Christian Home doesn’t require an entrance fee, unlike many other continuing care retirement communities.