Jefferson Parish, home to Metairie, Kenner, and Gretna, holds one of Greater New Orleans's largest concentrations of senior care. As of 2026, assisted living here runs roughly $4,400 to $5,100 a month and in-home care about $20 to $30 an hour. Your free local starting point is the Jefferson Council on Aging.
Jefferson Parish, home to Metairie, Kenner, and Gretna, holds one of Greater New Orleans's largest concentrations of senior care. As of 2026, assisted living here runs roughly $4,400 to $5,100 a month and in-home care about $20 to $30 an hour. Your free local starting point is the Jefferson Council on Aging, and the rest of this guide walks you through costs, local help, and how to begin.
What does senior care cost in Jefferson Parish?
As of 2026, assisted living in Jefferson Parish and Greater New Orleans typically runs about $4,400 to $5,100 a month, memory care roughly $5,200 to $6,500, and in-home care around $20 to $30 an hour. Skilled nursing runs near $7,500 a month. Figures are medians and vary by community and care level.
Louisiana is one of the more affordable states in the country for senior care, and Jefferson Parish sits close to the state and metro averages. Here is a rough monthly picture for the area, drawn from national surveys and applied to the Greater New Orleans market.
| Type of care | Typical monthly cost, Greater New Orleans (2024 to 2026) | How it compares to the U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| In-home care (about 40 hours a week) | about $3,500 to $5,200 | Among the most affordable in the country |
| Adult day program | about $1,500 to $2,100 | Below the national median |
| Assisted living | about $4,400 to $5,100 | Roughly $800 to $1,100 below national |
| Memory care (estimate) | about $5,200 to $6,500 | Below the national median |
| Skilled nursing (semi-private room) | about $7,500 | Well below national |
Assisted living in Louisiana averaged about $5,100 a month in the Genworth/CareScout 2024 Louisiana survey, while A Place for Mom's 2026 data put the New Orleans area near $4,912 a month, which is why we show a range rather than one number. In-home aide rates in Louisiana ran about $20 to $22 an hour in the 2024 survey, though metro New Orleans agencies often quote $25 to $30. Memory care is not tracked by the main national survey, so those figures are estimates, near $5,208 a month for a New Orleans dementia-care unit (A Place for Mom) up to about $6,492 statewide (SeniorLiving.org, 2026). Skilled nursing in Louisiana ran about $7,483 a month for a semi-private room in the 2024 survey. Treat every figure here as a starting point, not a quote.
Where do families in Jefferson Parish start?
Start with the Jefferson Council on Aging, the parish's council on aging, at 504-888-5880. Its Aging and Disability Resource Center, at 504-207-4690, helps you sort options at no cost. For Louisiana Medicaid long-term care screening statewide, call Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146.
The Jefferson Council on Aging (6620 Riverside Drive, Suite 216, Metairie) serves adults 60 and older across the parish and runs senior centers in Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Marrero and Harvey, Estelle, Bridge City, Lafitte, and Grand Isle. It offers care management, meals, and transportation. Its Aging and Disability Resource Center gives person-centered counseling on care options and connects families to community resources. When Medicaid may be part of the plan, the statewide Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care line is the single door for a needs screening and, where required, the waiver waitlist.
What kinds of senior care are in Metairie, Kenner, and Gretna?
Jefferson Parish offers the full range: in-home care, adult day programs, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing. Senior-living directories list well over a dozen assisted living communities across Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, and the West Bank, plus more nursing facilities, so families usually have real choices close to home.
Because Jefferson Parish is one of the most populated parts of Greater New Orleans, it carries a large share of the region's assisted living and skilled nursing. That density is good news: a parent can often stay in the community they know, near family, with more than one option to compare. The right level of care depends on your parent's needs, not on what is nearest. In-home care and adult day programs keep someone at home longer, assisted living adds daily help with a private apartment, memory care is a secured setting built for dementia, and skilled nursing is the highest medical level. We do not list specific communities or prices here, because those change and deserve a real, current quote.
Does Louisiana Medicaid help pay for care in Jefferson Parish?
Sometimes, and it depends on the setting. Louisiana Medicaid fully covers nursing-home room, board, and care for those who qualify. It pays for in-home help through Long-Term Personal Care Services and the Community Choices Waiver. It does not pay assisted-living room and board, though a waiver can cover care services there.
A few Louisiana specifics worth knowing:
- In-home help. Long-Term Personal Care Services is a Medicaid entitlement (no waitlist) capped at 32 hours a week for people who meet a nursing-facility level of care. The Community Choices Waiver covers broader in-home support but is waitlisted through a request-for-services registry.
- Assisted living. Louisiana Medicaid does not pay the room-and-board portion of assisted living. A waiver may fund care services case by case, but your family pays the rent-and-meals part.
- Nursing home. Nursing-facility Medicaid covers room, board, and care. The resident contributes nearly all monthly income toward the cost, keeping only a small personal-needs allowance.
- Financial limits. For 2026, Louisiana long-term care Medicaid uses an income limit near $2,982 a month for a single applicant and a countable-asset limit of $2,000, with a five-year look-back on transfers (Medicaid Planning Assistance, 2026).
Medicaid rules are detailed and change year to year. This is general education, not eligibility advice. An elder-law attorney or a Medicaid-planning specialist can tell you where your family actually stands.
Is there a PACE program serving Jefferson Parish?
Yes. PACE Greater New Orleans serves much of the metro, including Metairie ZIP codes and the West Bank, with a center in Marrero. PACE bundles all Medicare and Medicaid care for residents 55 and older who need a nursing-home level of care but want to stay at home.
PACE (the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) coordinates doctors, therapy, day-center activities, and in-home support under one program, aimed at keeping frail seniors in their own homes. Enrollment and cost depend on Medicare and Medicaid status, so it is worth asking whether your parent qualifies before assuming a facility is the only path.
How does a Jefferson Parish advisor help?
A local senior advisor helps you weigh in-home care, assisted living, memory care, and community referral against your parent's needs and budget, then narrows the choices. You work with one advisor, never a call center, your family is never sold to multiple parties, and families pay nothing for the guidance.
An advisor is more than a placement service. Sometimes the honest answer is more hours at home, an adult day program, or a Medicaid path rather than a move, and a good advisor will say so even when a community referral is not the outcome. If you would like a calm, no-pressure conversation about what fits in Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, or anywhere in the parish, an advisor can start with a short call and go at your pace.
Figures on this page are medians and averages that vary by community, care level, and market. This is general education, not medical, legal, or financial advice.
