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Guides and updates

Written for Long Island families, sourced against New York State and federal data.

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This section publishes guides on senior care on Long Island, covering New York licensing, costs, Medicaid programs, hospital discharge, and local resources.

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Short answer

This section publishes 3 guides on senior care on Long Island, covering New York licensing, what care costs, Medicaid programs (MLTC, ALP, NHTD), hospital discharge navigation, and local resources. New guides publish Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

July 29, 2026

Aging in Place in Levittown: What Long Island's Original Postwar Suburb Means for In-Home Care Today

Levittown's original owner-occupant generation is now aging in the same single-story ranch homes built in 1947 to 1951. Here's what that means for in-home care demand, home modifications, and the math on when assisted living costs less.

Read the guide →July 29, 2026

What to Do When a Long Island Hospital Says Discharge in 72 Hours

A Long Island family's practical guide to hospital discharge planning at Northwell, Catholic Health, Stony Brook Medicine, and NYU Langone, including the inpatient-versus-observation Medicare trap and how to use a short discharge window well.

Read the guide →July 29, 2026

The Assisted Living Program: How Medicaid Can Pay for Care in New York Without a Nursing Home Move

New York's Assisted Living Program lets Medicaid pay for personal care, nursing, and housing inside a licensed adult home instead of a nursing facility. Here's how ALP differs from MLTC and the NHTD waiver, and how Long Island families pursue it.

Read the guide →

Questions families ask

Who regulates assisted living facilities on Long Island?

New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) licenses and regulates assisted living as part of its Adult Care Facility (ACF) program, which covers Adult Homes, Enriched Housing Programs, and Assisted Living Residences (ALR). Long Island facilities are overseen locally through NYSDOH's Metropolitan Area Regional Office - Long Island (MARO-LI) in Central Islip. Nursing homes are licensed separately by NYSDOH under a different set of regulations (10 NYCRR Part 415).

What's the difference between an Adult Home, Enriched Housing Program, and Assisted Living Residence in NY?

Adult Homes and Enriched Housing Programs (EHP) are New York's two base licensed categories providing room, board, housekeeping, and personal care to five or more unrelated adults, with EHP generally serving residents 65+ in more independent, apartment-style settings. An Assisted Living Residence (ALR) is an additional certification layered on top of an existing Adult Home or EHP license - it cannot exist as a standalone building type. Adult Homes and EHPs are regulated under 18 NYCRR Parts 487 and 488; ALRs are regulated under 10 NYCRR Part 1001.

How do I check if a Long Island assisted living facility has a clean inspection record?

New York State publishes licensing status and inspection history for every Adult Care Facility, including Assisted Living Residences, on the NYS Health Profiles website (profiles.health.ny.gov/acf), searchable by county, name, or facility type. Each facility's profile page includes an Inspections tab showing survey results. NYSDOH also publishes a statewide Consumer Information Guide: Assisted Living Residence that explains how to read these records.

Is memory care a licensed category in New York, or just a marketing term?

New York does not have a separate memory care license. Dementia and cognitive-impairment care is addressed through the Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification, an additional certification layered onto an existing Assisted Living Residence license under 10 NYCRR Part 1001. Families should verify a facility's actual SNALR certification on NYS Health Profiles rather than relying on a memory care sign or brochure.

What state regulations govern nursing homes on Long Island?

Nursing homes in New York are licensed and regulated by NYSDOH under 10 NYCRR Part 415, Nursing Homes - Minimum Standards, a completely separate rule set from the Adult Care Facility regulations that govern assisted living. Families can search and compare Nassau and Suffolk nursing homes through the NYS Health Profiles Nursing Home Profiles tool. Note that as of mid-2025, CMS's migration to a new federal inspection database (iQIES) temporarily affected how current some posted inspection data is, so it's worth confirming a record's date.

What is an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) and when would my parent need one?

An Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) is an additional certification an Assisted Living Residence can obtain to let residents age in place despite higher physical needs, specifically those who chronically need physical help walking or using stairs, depend on medical equipment requiring frequent professional assistance, or have chronic, unmanaged bowel or bladder incontinence. EALR care is delivered per an Individualized Service Plan and is regulated under the same 10 NYCRR Part 1001 rules as standard ALR and SNALR certifications.

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