Senior Care in Saratoga County: Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Malta and Beyond

A county growing older quickly

Saratoga County's 65-and-older population grew about 21% in five years, the fastest rise of any county we cover. Many of those older residents are parents who moved to be near adult children in Clifton Park, Halfmoon and Malta, or long-time residents of Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa who are now in their eighties.

The county's licensed care has not grown at the same pace, and it is unevenly spread: almost everything sits along the Northway corridor between Clifton Park and Wilton.

Licensed residences

Saratoga County residences hold a large share of the region's enhanced (EALR) beds and 122 SNALR dementia beds, but no Assisted Living Program beds, so Medicaid cannot pay for care in any Saratoga County assisted living building. Families who expect to need Medicaid sometimes look at ALP residences in Rensselaer, Warren or Washington counties.

Nursing homes

Only 3 nursing homes are licensed in the county, Seton Health at Schuyler Ridge Residential Healthcare, Seton Health at Schuyler Ridge Residential Healthcare, Wesley Health Care Center Inc, a small number for its population. Southern Saratoga families often use homes in Albany and Schenectady counties, while northern families look toward Glens Falls and Washington County.

Saratoga Hospital, part of the Albany Med Health System, is the county's general hospital; southern towns are closer to Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's and Ellis.

Local help

The Saratoga County Office for the Aging, (518) 884-4100, runs HIICAP Medicare counseling, home-delivered meals, caregiver support and EISEP home care. Adult Protective Services answers at (518) 884-4159. The long-term care ombudsman for the county is Catholic Charities in Schenectady, (518) 372-5667.

Eddy SeniorCare's PACE program does not cover Saratoga County, so Medicaid home care runs through Managed Long Term Care plans and CDPAP.

Southern towns versus the city

Families in Clifton Park and Halfmoon tend to think of Albany and Schenectady as their medical center, and their senior care searches often cross into Colonie and Niskayuna. Families in Saratoga Springs, Wilton and Malta look first to the residences in their own towns and to Saratoga Hospital. Families in Moreau and the northern towns look toward Glens Falls.

That geography means a Saratoga County search is really three searches. Decide which direction your family travels most, then compare residences on that side, rather than limiting yourself to the county line.

Home care in a fast-growing county

Home care agencies serve Saratoga County from offices in Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs, and demand has grown with the older population. Ask agencies about their current wait for new clients, whether they have aides who live in the northern towns, and how they handle snow days.

For Medicaid recipients, CDPAP can be the fastest way to start care, because a trusted relative or friend can be hired as the aide. Private-pay families sometimes combine a few agency hours with adult day programs to cover the week.

Paying for care without ALP beds

Because Saratoga County has no Assisted Living Program beds, families who expect to need Medicaid should plan the path early. Some will move a parent to a residence with ALP beds in a neighboring county before savings run out, so the parent is already settled when a conversion becomes possible. Others plan for home care through a Managed Long Term Care plan or CDPAP, which Medicaid does cover in the county, and a nursing home on Medicaid if needs become continual.

VA Aid and Attendance can help veterans and surviving spouses stretch private funds, and long-term care insurance policies usually cover licensed assisted living. Ask each residence whether it accepts residents on SSI, since a few base-license residences in the region do.

Finally, keep the county Office for the Aging in the loop. Its staff hear every week which residences and agencies have openings, and that knowledge is free to Saratoga County families who ask for it.

Planning tips for Saratoga families

Tour early, because popular residences keep interest lists. If memory care may be needed, favor a building with both ALR and SNALR beds so a later move happens on the same campus. If money may run short, ask in writing whether the residence accepts SSI, and keep the ALP alternatives in neighboring counties in mind.

Winter driving on Route 9 and the Northway is manageable, but rural roads in the northern towns are not. Choose a residence where the family members who will visit most can get there in February.