10 Best Nursing Homes in Houston, TX

Seniors and families can pay for Houston nursing homes and senior care facilities using a combination of private pay methods and public pay options. Below, you’ll find several options and resources to help you understand how to pay for nursing home and senior care facilities.

In the state of Texas, all assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing homes must be licensed and regulated by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (also known as the HHSC or HHS) before providing housing and care services to residents. Additionally, if a nursing home or senior care facility wishes to accept Medicaid or Medicare, it must be certified to do so by the HHSC. Below, you’ll find a summarized list of HHSC certification requirements for nursing homes and senior care facilities in Texas:

Resident admission processes

• Using a doctor’s order, skilled nursing facilities must develop a person-centered care plan for each resident, and it must encompass the patient’s dietary, therapeutic, social, psychological, and daily care needs.
• In assisted living and memory care facilities, a similar procedure must be followed, except the facility is not required to use a doctor’s order for care plans. For memory care facilities, there must also be a specialized admissions process in place to identify a resident’s need for memory care services.

Management and staffing requirements

• Texas nursing homes and skilled nursing units are required to have licensed and registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, and nurse aids on staff. All nursing facilities must also meet specific staff-to-resident ratios (one on-site nurse for every 20 residents at all times).
• Assisted living facilities require a full-time manager on-site to oversee the facility’s daily operation. These managers are required to complete at least one 24-hour assisted living management course along with their staff.
• Memory care facility managers and staff members must continually participate in specialized memory care training in order to remain a licensed memory care facility.

Safety and healthy environmental standards

• A certified skilled nursing facility in Texas must meet design, construction, and equipment standards that support the health and safety of residents, staff, and visitors. Each nursing facility must have safety equipment and emergency protocols for accidents, fires, or power outages.
• Both assisted living and memory care facilities are required to have similar provisions and protocols in place. Memory care facilities must have additional measures in place to prevent residents from harming themselves or wandering. All facilities must allow for safe access to fresh air and common areas for activities.
• Memory care facilities must designate an activities director to encourage socialization among residents. It’s required for the director to tailor activities based on each individual resident’s abilities. Directors must also arrange for special equipment in order to ensure that all residents can participate in activities.

Nursing home and senior living facility inspections

Texas Health and Human Services performs inspections on all skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care facilities. These inspections are done approximately every two years and check for a facility’s compliance with the life safety code, physical plant requirements, and health code requirements. The health code and life safety code include a survey of the following in nursing homes and senior care facilities:

• Adequate staff-to-resident ratios
• Employee background checks
• Management of the facility
• General construction of the facility
• Safety and emergency features
• Protection from hazardous areas
• Documentation of fire drills, system checks, etc.

Families can access a licensed community’s most recent inspection report and general facility information through the Texas Health and Human Services Long-term Care Provider Search. You can also email RSLTCR.RecordsMgmt@hhsc.state.tx.us to request any information not found on the site.

Nursing home reviews

In an effort to continually enhance the quality of care provided in Texas nursing homes, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission implemented a new Quality Monitoring Program (QMP) to monitor nursing facilities with a history of resident-care deficiencies. These QMPs are conducted by nurses, pharmacists, and dieticians. During their inspections, they may recommend the following:

• Changes to a facility’s policies or procedures
• The facility’s need for technical assistance
• Staff trainings and education on evidence-based best practices

Another inspection effort, called the Nursing Facility Quality Review, was spearheaded by the former Department of Aging and Disability Services and the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. These reviews were conducted every few years to identify problem areas and provide solutions in Medicaid-certified nursing facilities across the state. The primary goal was to assess clinical topics related to resident care, review medication management, and evaluate residents’ satisfaction with quality of care and quality of life within the facility. The most recent available report was published by the HHSC in 2017.

Families can also visit the federal Medicare website to compare and contrast ratings, staffing practices, and overall quality of Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.

Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHS or HHSC) contact information

4601 W. Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78751
Phone: 512-424-6500
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

COVID-19 regulations for Houston nursing homes

Houston senior care facilities are required to develop their own policies and procedures for COVID-19 infection control practices — including masking, social distancing, and protocols for the use of additional personal protective equipment (PPE). Texas Health and Human Services provides a nursing facility COVID-19 response plan to keep nursing facilities safe. Here are some of those COVID-19 guidelines in place for Texas senior care facilities:

As a home to over 270,000 seniors, Houston is home to the largest senior population in Texas. The senior population has grown by over 40% within the last 10 years and is projected to continue increasing. To accommodate the aging population, the senior living scene has evolved to include a variety of options dedicated to addressing the modern senior’s unique needs. Read on for an overview of some unique senior living features in Houston.

Flexible, round-the-clock care

All of our partnered Houston assisted living and memory care facilities provide 24-hour supervision to ensure residents’ needs, premeditated and unprecedented, are met. A majority of communities have an on-call doctor and visiting health care professionals — including dentists, nurses, podiatrists, and rehabilitation therapists. Note, that these visits are covered by Medicare only when deemed medically necessary. All of our partner assisted living communities offer some on-site nursing services, like medication management, hospice care, and medical rehabilitation. Meaning, a resident can receive skilled nursing care from the comfort of their own room or apartment in the community, if ever required.

Engaging activities and amenities

Over a third of our partners have an activity director on-site to help keep residents active. These directors create a calendar of activities filled with fitness classes, social events, brain games, and other events catered to residents’ interests. All of our partner senior care facilities enable residents to enjoy community amenities at their leisure. On-site amenities of our partner Houston senior care communities often include the following:

• Fitness centers and pools
• Courtyards with raised gardens, BBQ areas, and walking paths
• Bistros, lounges, and bars
• Game rooms and common areas
• Movie rooms
• Business centers
• Libraries

Additionally, seniors looking for off-site activities and other services can benefit from the concierge services available at many of our partnering communities.

Safety and security measures

To help ensure resident safety, many of our partnering senior care facilities in Houston take extensive security measures. Several communities offer enclosed courtyards, secure walking paths, clearly marked exits, directional signs, and other supportive safety features. Senior care facilities also monitor entrances and exits, have 24-hour surveillance, and take a variety of other security measures. Some of these facilities are even designed to accommodate residents with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and include specialized security features, like wander prevention systems and resident call systems.

Health care for seniors in Houston

When it comes to health care, Houston seniors are in luck. The city offers a wealth of health care options throughout the city. Houston houses the nation’s top cancer center, top state hospital, and two nationally ranked hospitals.

Transportation for seniors in Houston

Public transportation is often the least favored option among senior residents in senior care facilities, as it isn’t the most practical option in Houston. As a safe alternative, 87% of our partner senior care facilities — namely, assisted living and memory care facilities — provide complimentary or at-cost transportation options to and from medical appointments, errands, and some off-site activities.

If a facility doesn’t offer transportation options, seniors on the more independent side may consider using the local RIDES program. This program is for qualifying Harris County residents, meaning 65+ adults or individuals with disabilities who cannot access public transportation options through METRO — Harris County’s public transit system.