Allentown Senior AdvisorWhat do Allentown Senior Advisor's guides cover?
Our 12 guides cover Pennsylvania's two assisted living licenses, secured dementia units, DHS inspection reports, costs and Medical Assistance, hospital discharge and local help in the Lehigh Valley, each sourced to Pennsylvania regulations, state agencies or federal data.
New guides publish on a regular schedule; the newest appears in the footer of every page. Each guide opens with a short answer, includes at least one data table, and ends with the questions families ask about it.
How are the guides different from the rest of the site?
The rules, costs and directory pages are reference material; the guides take one situation or decision at a time and walk through it the way a family would face it, linking back to the reference pages for the full rules.
If a guide and a reference page ever disagree, the reference page is updated first and the guide is corrected.
Small Personal Care Homes vs Large Communities in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley personal care homes range from eight residents to more than two hundred. What changes with size, what the inspection data shows, and how to choose.
Read the guide →October 21, 2026Home Care or a Personal Care Home? The Lehigh Valley Math
At Pennsylvania's 2025 median of about $34 an hour, home care costs less than a personal care home until about 43 hours a week. Here is the math and what it leaves out.
Read the guide →October 16, 2026Carbon County Senior Care: Fewer Options, Different Plans
Carbon County is the oldest and most rural part of the Lehigh Valley metro, with a handful of licensed homes and no LIFE program. Here is what families there can do.
Read the guide →October 11, 2026Leaving Lehigh Valley Hospital or St. Luke's: A Discharge Checklist for Families
Discharge decisions happen fast. A checklist for Lehigh Valley families: inpatient status, Medicare rehab days, choosing a nursing home, and getting home safely.
Read the guide →October 6, 2026SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley and the LIFE Program: Who It Fits
Pennsylvania's LIFE program is PACE by another name. In the Lehigh Valley it runs from a day center in Bethlehem. Here is how it works and who it suits.
Read the guide →October 1, 2026Why Medicaid Won't Pay for a Pennsylvania Personal Care Home (and What Will)
Families moving from other states are often surprised: Pennsylvania's Medicaid does not pay personal care home room and board. Here is what can help instead.
Read the guide →September 26, 2026Medical Assistance for Long-Term Care in Pennsylvania: The 2026 Numbers
Income caps, resource limits, spousal allowances and the five-year look-back for Pennsylvania's long-term care Medicaid in 2026, with what each means for a Lehigh Valley family.
Read the guide →September 21, 2026Lehigh Valley Nursing Homes by the Numbers: CMS Stars, Staffing and Turnover
Thirty certified nursing homes serve Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties. Here is how CMS rates them, how they are staffed, and what the numbers can and cannot tell you.
Read the guide →September 16, 2026The Most Common Violations in Lehigh Valley Personal Care Homes
We read the latest DHS inspection summary for every licensed home in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties. The most frequent citations are about food storage, fire drills and medications.
Read the guide →September 11, 2026Memory Care in the Lehigh Valley: Every Secured Dementia Unit, Counted
Pennsylvania licenses memory care by the locked door. We counted every secured dementia and special care unit on DHS certificates in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties.
Read the guide →September 6, 2026How to Read a DHS Inspection Summary for a Lehigh Valley Personal Care Home
Pennsylvania posts every personal care home inspection online. Here is how to read one in ten minutes, and what the Lehigh Valley's latest reports show.
Read the guide →September 1, 2026Personal Care Home or Assisted Living? What Lehigh Valley Licenses Actually Say
Almost every 'assisted living' building in the Lehigh Valley holds a personal care home license. Here is why that matters for care, price and how long your parent can stay.
Read the guide →