With its low cost of living and relatively low-priced assisted living options, Shreveport is an attractive city for retirees. And you'll find dozens of Shreveport assisted living facilities on assistedseniorliving.net. Before you start your search, find what you can expect from cost of care to local amenities.
Regulation of assisted living facilities and other senior care options in Shreveport falls to Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals. There are four levels of care in the state.
Level 1- Personal Care Homes provide room and board and personal services for compensation for between two and eight residents.
Level 2- Shelter Care Homes provide these same services for nine residents.
Level 3- Assisted Living Facilities provide these services for "two or more residents that reside in individual living units which contain a minimum of one room with a kitchenette and private bathroom."
Level 4- Adult Residential Care Providers provide "lodging, meals ,medication administration, intermittent nursing service, and assistance with personal hygiene, transfers, ambulation, dressing, housekeeping and laundry."
Shreveport's overall cost of living is 7% below the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state makes retirement attractive with its citizen-friendly tax policies. Social Security, civil-service, military and state- and local-government pensions are exempt from state income taxes, and there is no inheritance or estate tax. Additionally, the state and local tax burden averages just 8.2%--one of the lowest in the country.
Long-term care prices are equally affordable. A private, one-bedroom in a Shreveport assisted living facility averages $3,250 a month, according to a recent Genworth Financial survey on long-term care. The national average is $3,261. Nursing rooms in Shreveport are very affordable: a private room averages $146 a day while a semi-private averages $142. These averages are about 30% below the national nursing home averages.
Some of the Shreveport area's numerous attractions include The Gardens of the American Rose Center, Barnwell Garden & Art Center arboretum and gardens, Touchstone Wildlife & Art Museum, Highland Jazz & Blues Festival, the Louisiana Film Festival, Highland Jazz & Blues Festival, Mardi Gras. You'll also find three horse racetracks as wells Sam's Town Casino, Eldorado Casino, Horseshoe Casino, Boomtown Casino, and Diamond Jacks Casino.