10 Best Nursing Homes in Buffalo, NY

Paying for a nursing home, assisted living, or memory care facility often involves a combination of private and public resources. Below, you’ll find additional information on some common means of paying for care, including VA benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, and personal funds.

Nursing homes are regulated by both the federal and state governments. Once licensed, nursing homes are subject to regular inspections conducted by the New York State Department of Health’s Division of Nursing every nine to 15 months. These nursing home inspections often fall into one of two categories: standard health or life safety code. The former involves observing resident care, staff-resident interactions, and the facility itself, while the latter involves fire safety code requirements. If a facility has an infraction, a subsequent post-survey visit would also occur.

If you’d like to review inspection and complaint information, you can do so through NYS Nursing Home Profiles website. First, select a nursing home from the left of the map or search for a specific nursing home on the map graphic itself.

Assisted living facilities

Assisted living facilities are not federally regulated, but they are licensed and regulated by the state. In New York, that’s done through the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH)

In New York, assisted living facilities fall under the umbrella of Adult Care Facilities, and there are three types that are licensed in the state: Adult Homes, Enriched Housing Programs, and Residences for Adults. An Adult Care Facility is then licensed as an Assisted Living Residence (ALR).

Assisted living facilities provide room and board, housekeeping, case management, medication management, and coordination of any nursing care all in a homey setting. Facilities can also be certified as an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR), giving them the option to provide nursing care to meet greater medical needs.

Memory care facilities

Assisted living facilities offering memory care services would also require a Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification in addition to an ALR license. This ensures that memory care facilities have staff who are specially trained in how to care for residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s. There are also additional specifications around the building itself to ensure security for memory care facilities to keep those with memory loss safe from wandering.

Assisted living and memory care inspections

Licensed assisted living and memory care facilities are inspected every 12 to 18 months by New York’s Department of Health to ensure all laws and regulations are being met. If there is a complaint, the inspections can happen more often. Information about inspections and complaints can be found on the New York State Department of Health’s website, which is searchable by facility type, facility name, or by county.

New York Department of Health contact information

New York State Department of Health
Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237
Phone: 866-881-2809
Email: dohweb@health.ny.gov
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m

COVID-19 regulations for Buffalo nursing homes

New York recently updated its COVID-19 guidelines for nursing homes to align with the federal guidelines. The guidelines cover testing, screening, and visitation, but are not mandates. Each nursing home, assisted living, and memory care facility might have its own rules.

Senior living facilities come in many shapes and sizes. You’ll find that nursing homes, assisted living communities, and memory care facilities offer a range of services and activities that help residents maintain their quality of life while providing whatever level of assistance is necessary. You and your loved one will also have options ranging from more budget-friendly to luxury, which can affect room styles and additional amenities. Needless to say, a move is often a big decision – and one you want to get right. Fortunately, Buffalo is home to a dozen senior housing options within our partner community for you to choose from.

Facilities in the Buffalo area

Six of the Buffalo senior living communities in A Place for Mom’s network would fall under the category of stand-alone assisted living, where residents remain mostly independent in a home or apartment setting with some assistance in day-to-day activities. Your other options for communities include stand-alone memory care facilities, focusing more so on providing a safe and structured environment with dementia-related therapies; a combination of assisted living and memory care, independent living and assisted living; and independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Facilities that offer independent living, assisted living, and memory care are especially valuable options for seniors that are living independently now but would like to remain in one community to receive additional care as they need it.

Care-related services

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that care-related services will vary from one community to the next, often dependent on the type of senior care. While all Buffalo communities in A Place for Mom’s network offer medication management, staff members awake 24 hours, and visiting specialists in occupational, physical, and speech therapy, it does begin to diverge in offerings from there. About half the communities offer memory care. The same can be said for those that have an on-call physician. With memory care, facilities will often provide redirection, cuing, and disorientation care as well as restlessness, pacing, and wandering care.

Activities and amenities

As with care-related services, activities, and amenities will vary among senior living communities. That said, there will be no shortage of things to do, as all the communities in our partner network staff an activity director. Expect plenty of day trips and outings to enjoy all that Buffalo has to offer. But living in a senior community isn’t just about what you can do around town. Most offer an array of activities on-site, like live musical performances, holiday parties, stretching classes, art classes, devotional activities, and trivia games. You’ll also find those that schedule regular yoga classes, chair yoga classes, brain fitness, and happy hours.

Health care for seniors in Buffalo

Buffalo is home to a wide variety of health care options for the senior population, some of which are ranked nationally for their care services:

Transportation for seniors in Buffalo

In Buffalo, 67% of Buffalo senior living communities in A Place for Mom’s network provide residents with complimentary transportation, and the rest provide at-cost transportation. Facility-provided transportation also provides a safe option for seniors to travel as residents receiving memory care should travel with a caregiver.

However, other transit options are available. Going Places Transportation System, for one, provides curb-to-curb van service for the senior population and their caretakers. All that’s necessary is to schedule the ride ahead of time. The Paratransit Access Line (PAL), a curb-to-curb rideshare service offered through the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) is another option for eligible seniors. The service also provides a Personal Care Attendant (PAC) for people unable to travel independently. You will need to apply for PAL and request PAC assistance. Visit the NFTA website or call 716-855-7267 for further details on eligibility requirements and the application process.

The Buffalo area is also home to Accessible Dispatch, another curb-to-curb ride service with the option for door-to-door assistance. Rides can be scheduled either through the mobile app or by calling 646-599-9999.

Apart from that, the Erie County Department of Senior Services offers transportation assistance to individuals who are 60 and older through its “Going Places” program. Call 716-858-RIDE or 716-858-7433 to schedule the service.

Senior activities in Buffalo

Being the second largest city in New York State, it’s no wonder that Buffalo has more than a few attractions, historical sites, and activities that may be of interest to the senior community. You and your loved one are sure to find something to do for a fun day out and about.

The parks system alone is quite the draw, as it was conceived and designed by renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. Take your loved one to visit the likes of Delaware Park, Cazenovia Park, Front Park, Riverside Park, and South Park to stroll the walking paths and soak in the gardens, trees, and green space – among a variety of other features. In fact, South Park is home to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, which not only have a wide variety of native and exotic plants from every corner of the globe but the architecture is a sight to see.

Buffalo also has the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site, where people can take a tour of historically restored rooms and see interactive exhibits. Military history buffs will enjoy the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, where visitors can go through the museum and see four decommissioned Naval vessels.

Within the senior care facilities, residents can enjoy their indoor and outdoor common areas. Assisted living and memory care facilities have arts and crafts activities that you can participate in with your loved one. Assisted living and memory care facilities in particular have many options for activities within their communities, such as live music, barbecues and picnics, day trips scheduled through the facility, holiday parties, trivia games, and more.