Assisted Living in Cary, NC: Costs and Communities

PHC Home Health-Wake is the one home health agency with a Cary, NC, address in Medicare's data, and Medicare can cover its skilled visits for patients who qualify.

Who a home can't take. A North Carolina adult care home can't admit someone who needs nursing care under constant medical supervision. The same goes for someone who needs treatment for mental illness or substance use, or who poses a direct threat to other people's health or safety.

Charges and moving out. The contract has to list what each level of service costs, and residents get 30 days' written notice before a charge goes up. A home may ask a resident to move out only for reasons the state lists. One is needs the home can't meet, which a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner has to put in writing. That notice also comes at least 30 days ahead, unless health or safety calls for a faster move. It names the long-term care ombudsman, an advocate for residents, and a resident who appeals can stay while the appeal is heard.

Inspections. The state's Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) inspects each adult care home every year, or at least every two years when the yearly visit is waived. County social services staff visit at least every three months. If residents, families or people thinking of moving in ask, a home has to show them the past 12 months of inspection reports.

Questions to ask on a tour:

• What does each level of service cost, as the contract lists it?
• Which health needs does the contract say the home can't meet?
• Is care billed with the rent, or does an outside agency bill for it?
• When did county social services staff last visit?
• At a campus with a health center, can someone move straight into assisted living?

Private money, from income, savings or a home sale, is the first way to pay. Medicare and Medigap supplement plans don't pay for long-term care such as the daily help in assisted living, so public help comes through other programs.

• Long-term care insurance. Under North Carolina law, a new individual policy can go back within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. After that, the policy's terms decide what it pays.
• VA Aid and Attendance. Aid and Attendance adds to a VA pension when a veteran can't bathe, eat or dress without help. Without dependents, the yearly total can reach $29,093, as long as net worth stays at or under $163,699 through Nov. 30, 2026.
• State/County Special Assistance. This state program helps pay for room and board in a licensed adult care home. It's for people with low income who are 65 or older, or 18 to 64 with a disability. In 2026, the most a home can charge someone on Special Assistance is $1,397 a month. The resident also keeps a $70 personal needs allowance, and the payment is figured from both, less the person's countable income. People apply at their county social services office, and qualifying brings Medicaid with it.
• Special Assistance In-Home. It's for someone who wants to stay home even though a doctor says they need adult care home help. Wake County Senior and Adult Services lists it among its programs.
• NC Medicaid Personal Care Services. Medicaid can pay for help with eating, dressing, bathing and moving around, at home or in an adult care home. NC Medicaid's September 2026 fact sheet says that right now, people with income over the Special Assistance limit can't get this help in an adult care home. The state plans to ask federal officials to change that, and the proposal was open for public comment in October 2026. It isn't approved.
• PACE. The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) helps people 55 and older keep living at home when they'd otherwise need nursing home care. NC Medicaid lists Senior CommUnity Care of North Carolina for Cary, NC, ZIP codes 27511, 27513, 27518 and 27519.

• WakeMed Cary Hospital. WakeMed says the hospital's emergency department is accredited for geriatric emergency care, which is emergency care for older adults. It's the one hospital in Cary, NC, on Medicare's hospital list, and it has emergency services.
• Total Life Center at Bond Park. At 110 Maury O'Dell Place, it holds state certification for both adult day care and adult day health, with room for 29 people. The day health side adds nursing services.
• A Wake County ombudsman. Central Pines has a long-term care ombudsman just for Wake County adult care homes, an advocate who gives residents and their families a voice.
• Wake County Senior and Adult Services. It works to help older adults stay safely in their community as long as they can. Its Adult Protective Services looks into reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of Wake County adults 18 or older who have a disability and meet the state's conditions.

Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

• CareScout, Cost of Care Survey 2025 data tables, Cost of Care calculator and survey method
• North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 131D, G.S. 131E-138 and G.S. 58, Article 55
• North Carolina Administrative Code, 10A NCAC 13F, adult care homes
• NC Division of Health Service Regulation, Adult Care Licensure Section, Facility Inspections, Ratings and Penalties and licensed facility lists
• NC Medicaid, Personal Care Services, Personal Care Services in Adult Care Homes fact sheet, PACE and PACE service areas
• NCDHHS, 2026 Special Assistance brochure, 2026 Special Assistance In-Home brochure, Long-Term Care Ombudsman and Adult Day Care and Day Health directory
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Aid and Attendance and pension rates
• Medicare.gov, Long-term care and Home health services; CMS, Hospital General Information and Home Health Care Agencies
• Central Pines Regional Council, Aging & Human Services and Long Term Care; Wake County, Senior and Adult Services; WakeMed, Cary Hospital ER
• Sunrise of Cary, community page and pricing; The Templeton of Cary, Assisted Living
• Community and home care details from each organization's own pages; North Carolina home care licenses from DHSR's licensed home care list