Columbia Senior Advisor
What does Columbia Senior Advisor do?
Columbia Senior Advisor is a free referral and advisory service that helps families find assisted living, memory care, nursing homes and home care in Columbia and the surrounding Midlands counties of Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Fairfield, Saluda and Calhoun.
We publish what South Carolina's rules require, what the published cost data really shows, and every licensed facility from the state's own records. Then a local advisor helps you narrow the list. Communities pay us a referral fee when a family we introduced moves in; that is why you pay nothing, and we would rather you hear it from us first.
How many older adults and licensed care options does the Midlands have?
The six counties counted about 163,353 residents aged 65 and older on July 1, 2025 in Census Bureau estimates, and DPH licenses 64 senior-serving community residential care facilities and 28 nursing homes there.
| County | Age 65+ | Share 65+ | Senior CRCFs | Alzheimer's unit flag | Nursing homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County | 72,777 | 16.7% | 37 | 10 | 13 |
| Lexington County | 61,136 | 19.3% | 19 | 8 | 9 |
| Kershaw County | 14,892 | 20.4% | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Fairfield County | 5,947 | 29.2% | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Saluda County | 4,729 | 24.0% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Calhoun County | 3,872 | 27.3% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025). Licenses: S.C. DPH data as of November 6, 2026.
How is assisted living and memory care licensed in South Carolina?
Assisted living is a community residential care facility (CRCF) licensed by DPH under Regulation 60-84, and memory care is a secured Alzheimer's special care unit or program inside a licensed CRCF or nursing home rather than a license of its own.
Every CRCF must staff at least one worker per eight residents at peak hours and employ a state-licensed administrator. Read how the license works and how memory care units are regulated.
What does senior care cost in South Carolina?
CareScout's 2025 South Carolina medians run about $5,350 a month for assisted living and $9,034 for a shared nursing home room, with home care near $31 an hour; there is no published Columbia figure and no memory care figure.
For residents with very low income, Optional State Supplementation pays a participating CRCF up to $1,719 a month as payment in full, so how you pay matters as much as the price. See costs and payment help.
Where should a Columbia family begin?
Begin with what just happened, not with a care type: a hospital discharge, a fall, a dementia diagnosis, a worn-out caregiver or shrinking savings each lead to different first steps, and our situation guides take them one at a time.
What we are, and what we are not
| Columbia Senior Advisor is | Columbia Senior Advisor is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to families; communities pay a referral fee | Billed to you now or later |
| Data | DPH license records and CMS Care Compare | Paid placements or scraped listings |
| Ratings | CMS stars, labelled as CMS's own | Scores we made up |
| Affiliation | An independent referral service | A government office or an Area Agency on Aging |
