Nursing Homes in Delaware

Delaware Nursing Home Regulations

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency that regulates and provides ratings for nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. CMS offers guidance to state Medicaid services regarding rules for facilities that are Medicaid-certified. Medicare provides a national nursing home website to view the audit and licensing history of Medicare-approved nursing homes.

Each state regulates senior living communities differently, but you can use APFM’s guide to assisted living regulations to learn more about access to facility records in Delaware.

In Delaware, nursing homes — also called convalescent homes or skilled nursing facilities — are intended for seniors who require 24-hour monitoring and medical assistance. These communities are designed to promote independence among seniors who require constant nursing care to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), but do not require hospital-level care.

Cost of Living

Overall, the cost of living in Delaware is considered to be slightly less affordable than the national average. All index scores are based on a scale with the national average set at 100.

Price Indexes

• Cost of Living: 106
• Groceries: 113
• Housing: 98
• Utilities: 97
• Transportation: 107

Demographics

About 19% of Delaware’s population are seniors. In the 2016 presidential election, Delaware leaned liberal.

2016 Presidential Election

• 53% voted Democratic
• 42% voted Republican
• 5% voted third party

Population

• Median age: 41
• Over the age of 55: 33%
• 2018 population: 967,171
• 2020 population: 987,677
• Estimated 2025 population: 1,040,866

Miscellaneous

• 34% regularly attend a religious service
• 339% consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or a non-believer
• 3The state has a total of 831 congregations
• 3There are 45 Masonic lodges in the state

Climate and Weather

Delaware has a humid subtropical climate. Overall the state has four distinct seasons, including warm, humid summers and mild to cold winters, and even though the state only covers an area of about 100 miles from north to south, temperatures and precipitation amounts vary depending on location. Delaware lies almost entirely on the Delmarva Peninsula, meaning it’s surrounded by bodies of water on three sides: the Chesapeake Bay to the west, the Delaware Bay to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Because Delaware’s northernmost section is the farthest from the moderating effects of the nearby bodies of water, its temperatures are lower and it receives more snowfall than the state’s southern counties, which tend to have milder temperatures and less snow during winter.

Humidity and Precipitation

• Average humidity level: 71%
• Average monthly precipitation: 4”
• Average maximum monthly precipitation: 6” (August)

Air Quality

• Average air quality index rating: 43 (Good)
• Average maximum air quality rating: 52 in June (Moderate)

Moderate air quality means that those who are sensitive to particulates in the air should limit the amount of time they spend on outdoor exertion.

Seasonal Temperatures

• Average temperature: 56°F
• Average summer temperature: 75°F
• Typical summer high: 88°F (July)
• Typical summer low: 60°F (June)
• Average winter temperature: 36°F
• Typical winter high: 49°F (December)
• Typical winter low: 24°F (January)