Assisted Living in South Carolina

Assisted living communities in South Carolina offer active retirees a safe, communal, and social setting as they age. The average cost of assisted living in South Carolina is around $4,300 a month, according to A Place for Mom’s proprietary data.^[01]. The national average cost of assisted living is just over $5,100 a month, making South Carolina a relatively affordable choice for seniors seeking assisted living. From beachside residences to communities nestled in historic cities, there are plenty of assisted living options available to South Carolina seniors.

The average cost of assisted living in South Carolina is $4,300 a month, or $51,600 a year, according to A Place for Mom’s most recent internal data from our network of partner communities.^[01]

While assisted living costs are inexpensive across the board in South Carolina, they do vary significantly, ranging from about $2,900 to $5,700, depending on a community’s pricing structure, available amenities, and location. Luxury communities, and those in larger cities, often cost more than small, homelike communities or those in rural areas.

The prices listed above are comprehensive totals. They cover a senior’s care needs, nutritious meals and housekeeping services to assistance with activities of daily living, like dressing and bathing. Transportation, medication management services, and scheduled social events are also included in these costs.

Eligible South Carolina seniors may qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, or other public pay benefits to help cover the costs of assisted living.

Determining your family’s budget and understanding the financial resources available to your loved one is a good first step to take when seeking assisted living. Your family may be able to access a variety of benefits to help cover South Carolina assisted living costs — even more so if you plan ahead. Below, we’ll explore a variety of public and private payment options available to South Carolina seniors. For further details about how families pay for senior care, explore our complete guide to paying for long-term care.

The Board of Health and Environmental Control, Division of Health Licensing is responsible for licensing assisted living communities — also called community residential care facilities — in South Carolina. These communities are designed to provide personal care and room and board to two or more seniors who are unrelated to the facility owner. They support residents’ needs and preferences while maximizing independence and autonomy.^[02]

Resident and community requirements in South Carolina

There are several requirements the state monitors when licensing assisted living communities. They include:^[02]

Resident admission policies. Communities are designed to be able to manage resident care needs, so seniors requiring high-level continuous care can’t be admitted. This includes people with unstable medical conditions, those who require tube feeding, and those who require “sterile care,” such as Tracheostomy care, sterile wound redressing, or catheter care.

Medication management policies. Medications can be self-administered with written notice from a physician. Trained staff members can administer prescription medications, but can only assist with injections related to diabetes or anaphylactic shock.

Service planning. Residents must be assessed by a member of the direct care staff within 72 hours of move-in, at which point the facility will determine if they’re adequately able to address the resident’s care needs and will compose an individualized care plan.

Staffing requirements for South Carolina assisted living facilities

All assisted living facilities in South Carolina must employ the following staff members:^[03]

• A board-licensed administrator, who’s responsible for facility functions.
• A recreational program staff member, who’s in charge of coordinating recreational activities and securing activity supplies for residents.
• At least one trained staff member who’s actively on duty and awake at any time residents are present.

Communities licensed to provide care to Medicaid-eligible residents must also establish a contract with a licensed nurse who visits at least one day a week to develop and monitor care plans for residents enrolled in the Medicaid State Plan.

Understanding South Carolina’s system of regulation and records

We developed a system to rate each state on how easy — or difficult — it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and we compiled tips to help you in your search.

States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.

Access to South Carolina assisted living records: Basic

Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of South Carolina is exceptional. Here are some key findings that informed this rating:

• South Carolina was marked down somewhat in our rankings because it does not provide a searchable database of licensed assisted living communities.
• South Carolina only requires mandatory inspections of assisted living communities every two years.

How to look up South Carolina assisted living licenses and records

• Visit South Carolina’s Licensed Facilities by Type page to search for licensed communities.
• South Carolina also maintains a second website with sanctions information and a third website with inspections reports.
• You can compare the status of nursing homes in your area by using Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare tool.
• You can request the status of Assisted Living Facilities by contacting the health licensing office at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

How we arrived at our South Carolina rating

We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and we based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:

1. Are licensed assisted living communities listed online in any form? Yes
2. If Yes to #1, is the information updated frequently? Yes
3. If Yes to #1, is the list of licensed communities searchable? No
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? No
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently (within 90 days)? No
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? No
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations and inspections searchable at all? Yes
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes
9. Is capacity shown? Yes
10. Are payment types shown (e.g., Medicaid, private pay)? No
11. Is the administrator/contact name shown? Yes
12. Can the state fine a facility? Yes
13. What is the frequency of inspections? Every 24 months
14. Does the website include pricing of facilities? No