What a senior living website needs

The facts here come from primary sources, checked on November 14, 2026: LongTermCare.gov from the Administration for Community Living on what long-term care is and living in a facility, ACL's page on the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, Medicare.gov on long-term care coverage, the California Department of Social Services licensed facility search, HUD's Fair Housing Act rules on advertising (24 CFR 100.75), the 80 percent occupancy rule (24 CFR 100.305) and intent to operate as 55+ housing (24 CFR 100.306), and the Department of Justice's guidance on web accessibility and the ADA. Points marked as our view are our own advice, not rules, and nothing here is legal advice.

The short answer

A senior living website needs a page for each level of care you offer, written in plain words; an honest explanation of how pricing works and what Medicare does and does not pay; your state license type and how families can look it up; an easy way to book an in-person or video tour; a section for adult children and other family members; and a site that is easy to read for people with poor eyesight, hearing or fine motor control. Behind it sit two legal questions worth checking with a lawyer: how your advertising fits the Fair Housing Act, and whether you qualify as 55+ housing if you advertise as one.

Levels of care, in plain words

Families often do not know the difference between independent living, assisted living, memory care and a nursing home, and the names vary from state to state. LongTermCare.gov, run by the Administration for Community Living, describes assisted living or "board and care" homes as "group living settings that offer housing in addition to assistance with personal care and other services, such as meals. Generally, they do not provide medical care." Continuing care retirement communities "provide a range of housing options, including independent living units, assisted living and nursing homes, all on the same campus," and nursing homes are "the most service-intensive housing option, providing skilled nursing services and therapies as needed."

In our view each level of care you offer deserves its own page that answers: who it is for, what help is included, what is not, and what happens when needs change. Use the everyday tasks families already think in. ACL lists the "Activities of Daily Living" as bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring (to or from bed or chair), caring for incontinence and eating, and everyday tasks such as housework, managing money, taking medication and preparing meals. Saying which of these your staff help with is clearer than a list of amenities. If you offer memory care, describe the secured setting, staff training and daily routine in concrete terms, and avoid promises about outcomes.

Pricing: how it works and who pays

Cost is usually the first question and the one most senior living sites avoid. You do not have to publish exact rates, but in our view you should explain how your pricing is built: a monthly base rate by apartment type, care charged by level or by points after an assessment, any one-time community or entry fee, and what is included (meals, housekeeping, transportation, activities) versus what costs extra. Write it as text on the page, not in a downloadable brochure, so it reads on a phone and to a screen reader. Our guide to website pricing pages explains "from" prices and totals.

Many families also assume Medicare will pay. Medicare.gov is direct: "Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care", and "Medicare and most health insurance, including Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), don't pay for long-term care services, including care in a nursing home or in the community." It adds that people may be eligible through Medicaid "if you meet eligibility requirements in your state", or can buy private long-term care insurance. A short "How people pay" section that says this, links to Medicare.gov, and states which payment sources you accept (private pay, long-term care insurance, Medicaid waiver programs, veterans benefits, if any) saves many phone calls.

Licensing: what to show

The names and licensing rules for assisted living and residential care differ from state to state, so we do not summarize them here. What we can say is how families check. California's Department of Social Services, for example, runs a public search of licensed facilities; it says the site "contains five years' worth of information on facilities", that complaint investigation reports are available, and it advises: "Always ask to see the most current licensing information at a facility."

In our view your website should make that check easy: show the license type and license number for each building exactly as the state issues it, name the licensing agency, and link to its facility search. Ask your licensing agency or counsel whether your state also has rules on how you advertise your license or the care you may describe. ACL also notes that every state has a Long-Term Care Ombudsman, an advocate "for residents of nursing homes, board and care and assisted living facilities, and similar residential care facilities"; a link to your state's program on a residents' rights page shows families you are open about it.

Tours: booking a visit

The tour is where most moves are decided, so the "Schedule a tour" button belongs on every page. In our view the booking form should ask for little: name, phone or email, preferred days, whether it is for themselves or a family member, and which level of care they are looking at. Offer a video call tour for family members who live far away, and say on the confirmation page who will meet them and how long a visit takes. If you use a scheduling tool, our guide to online booking for service businesses covers options and reminders.

A short walk-through video and real photos of apartments, the dining room and outdoor areas help before the visit. Add captions to videos and alt text to photos, and use photos of your actual community; our guides to video on websites and people in photos cover hosting and resident permissions.

Pages for families

Adult children often do the research late at night, from another city. In our view a "For families" page should answer: how the move-in process works step by step, what the care assessment covers, how families get updates, visiting hours and policies, what to bring, and who to call with questions. A simple downloadable checklist is fine as an extra, as long as the same information is on the page.

Keep health questions out of website forms. Ask for contact details and a preferred time to talk, and collect medical history later through your admissions process. Our guide to website privacy basics explains what your privacy policy needs to say about the data your forms do collect, and the website forms guide covers labels, required fields and error messages.

55+ wording and fair housing

HUD's Fair Housing Act rule on advertising makes it unlawful to publish any statement "with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling which indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin." It covers "words, phrases, photographs, illustrations, symbols or forms", and written notices include "flyers, brochures" and similar documents. Whether and how this applies to your community is a question for a fair housing lawyer, but in our view it is a reason to describe the care and services you provide rather than who you would prefer as residents, and to show a varied range of real residents in your photos. Our property management website guide covers fair housing wording for rental listings.

If you advertise as a 55+ community, the rules for "housing for older persons" matter. Under 24 CFR 100.305, "at least 80 percent of its occupied units must be occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older." Under 100.306, a community must "publish and adhere to policies and procedures that demonstrate its intent to operate as housing for persons 55 years of age or older", and the factors HUD considers include "Any advertising designed to attract prospective residents." The rule also says phrases such as "adult living", "adult community" or similar statements in written advertising "are not consistent with the intent" to operate as 55+ housing. So if you claim 55+ status, say "55 and older" plainly and consistently across the website.

Accessibility for older readers

Many of your readers have some loss of vision, hearing or hand control. The Department of Justice's ADA web guidance is written for "state and local governments and businesses open to the public" and lists common barriers: poor color contrast, "Use of color alone to give information", missing alt text, "No captions on videos", inaccessible forms, and pages that break when people with vision disabilities use "a browser's zoom capabilities to increase the size of the font". In practice that means large body text with strong contrast, buttons that are easy to tap, a phone number that is a real link, no auto-playing carousels, and pages that still work at 200 percent zoom. Our guides to website accessibility basics and website accessibility laws go further.

Staff, reviews, profile and markup

Families want to know who will be caring for their parent. A team page with real names, roles and photos of key staff (executive director, director of nursing or wellness, activities lead) builds trust, and a careers page helps with hiring; see our careers page guide. Reviews from residents and families help too, within the rules covered in reviews and testimonials on websites; never publish a review that names a resident's health condition without written permission.

Set up your Google Business Profile with the real community name, address and phone number, and post current photos; our Google Business Profile guide covers the steps. On the website, LocalBusiness structured data with your name, address, phone and opening hours for tours is enough for most communities; our local business schema guide shows how.

A short checklist (our view)

• One page per level of care, saying which daily tasks staff help with and what is not included.
• How pricing is built, written as text, plus a "How people pay" section that is accurate about Medicare.
• License type and number for each building, the licensing agency and a link to its facility search.
• A "Schedule a tour" button on every page, with in-person and video options.
• A "For families" page on move-in, assessment, visits and updates.
• No health questions in website forms.
• Fair housing wording reviewed by a lawyer; "55 and older" used consistently if you claim it.
• Large text, strong contrast, captions, alt text and pages that work at 200 percent zoom.
• Real photos of your community and staff, a team page and a careers page.

Healthcare practices have a matching guide in what a medical practice website needs. If you want help building or rebuilding a senior living website, see our website development service or the full list of services.

Frequently asked questions

What should a senior living website include?

A page for each level of care, how pricing works and how people pay, license information, an easy tour booking, a page for families, a team page, reviews, and an accessible design with large text and strong contrast.

Should an assisted living website show prices?

It is your choice, but in our view you should at least explain how pricing is built (base rate, care levels, one-time fees, what is included) as text on the page, and say which payment sources you accept.

Does Medicare pay for assisted living?

Medicare.gov says Medicare and most health insurance, including Medigap, don't pay for long-term care services. Some people qualify through Medicaid under their state's rules, or use private long-term care insurance.

Can a senior living community advertise as 55+?

To use the Fair Housing Act exemption for housing for older persons, a community has to meet HUD's rules, including at least 80 percent of occupied units with one person 55 or older and published policies showing that intent. HUD says phrases like "adult living" are not consistent with that intent; check with a fair housing lawyer.