Senior care inside the City of Richmond

How many assisted living facilities are licensed in Richmond, Virginia?

VDSS lists 14 licensed assisted living facilities in Richmond, licensed for 600 residents in total (from 8 to 200 each, median 14.5); 1 include a special care unit and 9 are licensed for residential living care only.

Mailing addresses on the roster: Richmond (13), Mechanicsville (1). Several of the city's licensed homes sit close together along Chamberlayne Avenue on the Northside, and most are small residential-scale operations rather than large campuses.

Why do so few large assisted living communities have City of Richmond addresses?

Most of the region's large assisted living campuses were built in the suburban counties, so a family living in the Fan or Church Hill often finds that the closest big community is just across the line in western Henrico or northern Chesterfield, even though its mailing address says Richmond.

That mailing-address quirk trips people up. The U.S. Postal Service uses "Richmond" for large parts of Henrico and Chesterfield, but licensing, inspections, Adult Protective Services and the local Department of Social Services all follow the jurisdiction line, not the ZIP code. A facility on Patterson Avenue past the city limit is a Henrico facility for every practical purpose.

Inside the city, what you mostly find are smaller licensed homes on the Northside and in older neighborhoods, which can suit a parent who wants a household-sized setting and wants to stay near a church or neighbors in Ginter Park, Barton Heights or Highland Park.

What should Richmond city residents know about getting to hospitals and appointments?

City residents are close to the region's academic medical center at VCU, to Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital in the East End and to the McGuire VA medical center on Broad Rock Boulevard, so proximity to specialists is rarely the deciding factor; transportation to them often is.

GRTC's Pulse bus line runs along Broad Street and local routes cover much of the city, and GRTC operates CARE paratransit for riders who qualify. Ask any facility you tour whether it provides its own transport to medical appointments and how far it will go, because a monthly fee that looks low can climb quickly once outside trips are billed.

Which nursing homes serve Richmond and how does CMS rate them?

CMS Care Compare assigns 5 certified nursing homes with 819 certified beds to Richmond; CMS's overall ratings there run from 1 to 5 stars.

Ratings are CMS's own; see the full list on our nursing home directory.

Which hospitals do Richmond seniors use?

The Virginia Department of Health directory places these hospitals closest to Richmond: VCU Medical Center at 401 North 12th Street, Richmond 23298; Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital at 1500 North 28th Street, Richmond 23223; HCA CJW Medical Center - Chippenham at 7101 Jahnke Road, Richmond 23225; HCA Henrico Doctors' Hospital - Retreat at 2621 Grove Avenue, Richmond 23220.

Veterans enrolled in VA health care should compare facilities by drive time to the Central Virginia VA Health Care System on the Southside, which many local families visit weekly.

Where can Richmond families get free help with aging and long-term care?

Richmond is served by Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging (804-343-3000, 1300 Semmes Avenue, Richmond, VA 23224), which also houses the long-term care ombudsman for the area; Adult Protective Services reports go to the Richmond Department of Social Services or the statewide line at (888) 832-3858.

Senior Connections - The Span Center, on Semmes Avenue in Manchester, is the city's Area Agency on Aging and runs care coordination, meals and caregiver programs; its ombudsman staff handle complaints about assisted living and nursing homes in the city.