Allentown Senior AdvisorWhat questions do Lehigh Valley families ask most about senior care?
The questions that come up most concern the difference between personal care homes and assisted living, dementia units, what care costs, Medical Assistance and Medicare, choosing a home, residents' rights and where to get free local help.
Each set below answers its questions in the first sentence, with the regulation, program or agency behind the answer.
Free senior help in the Lehigh Valley: who to call
- Who should a Lehigh County family call first for senior help?
- Who should a Northampton County family call first?
- Who serves older adults in Carbon County?
- Where do I report suspected elder abuse in the Lehigh Valley?
Choosing a personal care home in the Lehigh Valley
- How do I start choosing a personal care home?
- How many homes should we tour?
- What should I ask about staffing?
- What should I look for in an inspection report?
What senior care costs and how Lehigh Valley families pay
- How much does a personal care home cost in the Lehigh Valley?
- How much does a nursing home cost in Pennsylvania?
- How much does home care cost?
- Does Medicaid pay for a personal care home in Pennsylvania?
Licensing and safety in Pennsylvania personal care homes
- Who licenses personal care homes in Pennsylvania?
- How often are personal care homes inspected?
- What does a provisional license mean?
- Are personal care homes required to have a nurse?
Dementia and memory care in the Lehigh Valley
- Where can a parent with dementia live in the Lehigh Valley?
- What does it take to be admitted to a secured dementia unit?
- How is a dementia unit staffed?
- How much does memory care cost in the Lehigh Valley?
Medicare and Medical Assistance questions
- Does Medicare pay for long-term care?
- What are the 2026 Medical Assistance limits for nursing home care?
- What is Community HealthChoices?
- What is LIFE?
Where do these answers come from?
Each answer is drawn from Pennsylvania regulations (55 Pa. Code Chapters 20, 2600 and 2800), DHS, Department of Health and Department of Aging pages, CMS, the VA or CareScout's 2025 Pennsylvania survey.
Where no published figure exists, such as a Lehigh Valley cost median or any memory care median, the answer says so rather than estimating.
What if my question is not answered here?
Ask an advisor through the care-match questions on any page, or call your county's Area Agency on Aging (Lehigh 610-782-3200, Northampton 610-829-4540, Carbon 610-824-7830), which answers benefit and service questions free of charge.
For legal questions about Medical Assistance planning, powers of attorney or contracts, an elder law attorney is the right source; for Medicare plan choices, a PA MEDI counselor.
