How to Choose a Long-Term Care Facility

4 November 2026

Deciding to move a family member into a long-term care facility is not easy. It involves significant emotional challenges, and often requires learning about an entirely unfamiliar subject to find the most suitable place for your loved one.

Not every long-term care facility is suitable for every level of functioning. First, it's important to understand your family member's health and functional status so you can begin looking for an appropriate facility. For example, people classified as independent may move into assisted living facilities, while those classified as frail may be admitted to a department for frail older adults in a residential care home. A committee for the classification of chronically ill patients determines a person's functional status.

Further down this page, you'll find a table that makes it easy to identify which facility and department may be suitable for your family member based on their level of functioning. You'll also find information about the funding options available to you.

Tips for Families Choosing a Long-Term Care Facility

Choose a facility with a valid license.
Check the Ministry of Health's licensing database to see the facility's most recent inspection scores.
Check whether the facility has an agreement with the Ministry of Health, meaning that Ministry of Health funding may be available to help cover the cost of care at the facility (known as receiving a long-term care code).
Consider choosing a facility close to your home so it's easier to visit your family member.
Visit the facility and assess the actual conditions in the department. How does the staff treat residents? Is the facility clean and well organized? Is residents' privacy respected? Are special requests, such as kosher food, accommodated? Does the facility offer recreational activities?
Give preference to facilities that offer flexible visiting hours throughout the day.

When your family member's health and functional condition no longer allows them to receive care at home, you may consider moving them to a long-term care facility (a retirement home, nursing home, or residential care facility for people with cognitive impairment). This is not an easy decision. Alongside the emotional challenges, practical questions arise about choosing the right facility, financing the stay, and exploring possible alternatives.

Choosing a long-term care facility based on the patient's condition

The appropriate type of long-term care facility is determined by the person's medical and functional condition (classification) and care needs: rehabilitation, assistance with daily activities, nursing care, care for cognitive impairment, complex nursing care, or long-term ventilation.

The person's classification is determined by a chronic patient classification committee headed by a physician specializing in geriatrics at the regional Health Bureau.

The table below shows which type of facility and department may be suitable for your family member based on their level of functioning.

Who Pays for Long-Term Institutional Care

Functional status	Definition	Appropriate facility and department
Independent	No significant decline in basic activities of daily living	Assisted living Group housing No need for nursing care and/or supervision
Functionally impaired	Mild to moderate decline in daily functioning Requires partial assistance with basic activities	Residential care facility for older adults, department for functionally impaired residents
Nursing care	Severe and permanent decline in mobility, daily functioning, and health status, with significant and permanent mobility limitations Requires long-term care and monitoring	Nursing care department
Cognitive impairment	Significant decline in cognitive functioning (serious difficulties with memory, orientation, and judgment) Requires close supervision	Department for residents with cognitive impairment
Complex nursing care	Combination of severe and permanent decline in daily functioning and an unstable medical condition For example: deep pressure ulcer, severe respiratory problems, ongoing intravenous treatment, or terminal illness Requires continuous medical care and monitoring	Complex supportive nursing care department
Inpatient medical rehabilitation	Temporary and reversible decline in functioning following an illness or physical injury: Stroke and neurological injuries Fractures, orthopedic conditions, amputations and joint replacements, and restrictions on weight-bearing Arthritis with functional impairments Decline in functioning following severe and prolonged illness (pneumonia, complex surgery) Requires hospitalization	Geriatric rehabilitation departments in geriatric hospitals Rehabilitation departments in rehabilitation hospitals
Long-term ventilator dependence	Requires long-term mechanical ventilation	Long-term ventilation unit

What to check when choosing a long-term care facility

Valid license

It is important to make sure that the facility has the appropriate license from a government ministry (the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Welfare), that the license is valid, and that the facility is authorized to care for people with your family member's health condition. Each type of department or treatment requires a specific license:

Type of inpatient department or treatment	Type of license
Rehabilitation	Ministry of Health license for rehabilitation or geriatric rehabilitation
Nursing care department	Ministry of Health license for geriatric nursing care
Department for people with cognitive impairment	Ministry of Health license for a department for people with cognitive impairment
Frail older adults	Ministry of Welfare license for a department for frail older adults
Complex nursing care department or ventilator-dependent patient department	Ministry of Health license for a complex nursing care department

Attention

Placing your loved ones in a facility without the appropriate license exposes them to several risks:

Inadequate care: The quality of care in an unlicensed facility may be compromised because there is no oversight to ensure compliance with standards and procedures.
Multidisciplinary team: An unlicensed facility is not required to employ physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, or dietitians to care for residents.
Possible facility closure: Staying in an unlicensed facility exposes patients to enforcement actions, including closure of the facility or transfer to another licensed facility.

The license must be displayed in a prominent location within the facility so that anyone entering can see it, read it, and check its validity.

Some facilities display the license in the director's office, while others publish it on their website. In any case, if you have not seen the license, you have the right to ask to see it.

Agreement with the Ministry of Health (Code)

Using a Ministry of Health Code

When you contact a long-term care facility or visit it in person, you should check whether the facility has an agreement with the Ministry of Health. This means checking whether the Ministry of Health can help cover the cost of care at the facility through a Ministry of Health hospitalization code. Full details about hospitalization with a Ministry of Health code

Bed Availability

If there is a facility you are interested in, it is important to check in advance whether it has an available bed in a department that meets your family member's care needs, such as a dementia care unit or a nursing care unit.

Facility Ratings from Ministry of Health Inspections

Before visiting a facility, check the Database of Licensing Inspections and Quality of Care in Geriatric Facilities to see the facility's most recent inspection scores.

Location

It is advisable to choose a facility in the area where you, as the primary caregivers, live or in an area that is convenient for you to reach. Family visits are very important, and the more accessible the facility is to you, the easier it will be to visit regularly.

Actual conditions in the ward

In addition to checking the facility's license, Ministry of Health funding arrangements (code), and inspection scores, it is important to visit the facility and assess the actual conditions in the ward. Check the following:

Cleanliness
Safety
Respectful communication
Recreational activities
Condition of patients
Food availability
Supervision
Privacy
Special services
Personalized care

Is the facility clean?
Is the facility safe? Check the restrooms and showers to see whether they are equipped with appropriate safety features.
Listen to how staff members communicate with patients. How do caregivers speak to patients, and how do staff members speak to one another?
Are recreational activities available at the facility?
Do patients appear engaged in activities, or are they sitting idle?
Do they have food and drinks within reach, such as water, cookies, or fruit?
Is someone supervising the residents, paying attention to them, and responding to their needs, or are they left alone most of the time?
Are there privacy screens or curtains between beds to protect patients' privacy?
Does the facility provide services beyond those required by law, such as a physician on duty at night or specialized equipment in the physical therapy department?
Is the facility willing to accommodate special requests and personal preferences, such as specific kosher dietary requirements?

These details can help families assess the quality of care provided in the ward and how patients are treated.

Visiting hours and family visitation policy

Check the facility's visiting hours and policies regarding family visits and how long visitors may stay.

It is advisable to prioritize a facility that allows family members to spend time with their loved one throughout the day and into the evening.

Additional costs for services not covered by the Ministry of Health funding code

It is important to ask whether the facility charges any additional fees beyond the amount covered by the Ministry of Health funding code. All medical and therapeutic services should be included in the funding arrangement, and the facility should not charge residents or require them to purchase anything related to their care.

However, some facilities charge additional fees for optional services that are not included in the funding arrangement, such as a personal television in the room or special services like nonmedical pedicures. Be sure to read the agreement carefully before signing and verify these details.

Process for handling inquiries and complaints

The Ministry of Health operates a public inquiries and complaints process designed to ensure quality of care, safety, and the protection of the entitlements of patients and residents in nursing care facilities, facilities for people with cognitive impairment, and geriatric hospitals. If you have a question, request, or complaint, you can submit an inquiry. Find all the details here >>> Public Inquiries – Older Adults – Ministry of Health

Residents' entitlements

Every resident of a geriatric facility has basic entitlements protected under the Patient's Rights Law and Ministry of Health regulations. You can read more about them here >>> Residents' Entitlements in Geriatric Facilities – Older Adults – Ministry of Health

Alternatives to long-term nursing care hospitalization

The decision about whether a family member receiving care can remain at home or needs to move to a care facility is made jointly by the patient, their family, and the medical team. This decision is based on several complex factors, including the patient's medical condition and whether their life is at risk, whether monitoring is required, whether acute or invasive treatment is needed, and whether their hemodynamic and respiratory conditions are stable.

It is also important to explore the services available through the patient's HMO, including continuing care services and homebound patient care units. Consider whether the patient can receive the services they need at home and whether the HMO can provide comprehensive, high-quality care outside a medical facility.

Social factors should also be considered: Does the patient have family support? Equally important is having a primary caregiver, such as a family member, a caregiver provided under the Long-Term Care Insurance Law, or a foreign caregiver, who can stay with the patient, ensure appropriate living conditions, and maintain a safe home environment.

Impotant to emphasize

Caregivers are not medical professionals. Their role is to assist patients with daily activities and personal care needs, such as transferring from one position to another, bathing, dressing, walking, and preparing and serving meals. Caregivers are not responsible for providing medical treatment and therefore are not a substitute for care in a nursing facility.

If you prefer to have your family members remain at home, it's important to know that HMOs offer various community-based services. These services can help people continue living at home rather than moving to a long-term care facility. Contact your HMO to find out which services are available to patients. Each HMO uses a different name for these services, such as home hospitalization units, home care units, or homebound patient care units. Information about these services is available on the HMOs' websites.

HMO Inquiries

Questions and answers about long-term nursing care

You can submit the application to your nearest Health Bureau (based on the address listed on the patient's ID card appendix). You can bring the documents directly to the Health Bureau during office hours or send them by fax, email, or mail, using the contact information provided on the Health Bureau's website.

Commitment to payment

Near the end of the process, once each family member's required contribution has been determined, you will be asked to sign a payment commitment. For more information, see Funding for long-term nursing care.

Estimated processing times are detailed in the Service Charter.
The time required to process an application depends on how quickly the documents for the person applying for admission are submitted.
These documents are used both to determine the patient's care classification and to calculate the family members' required contributions toward the cost of care.

An application may be rejected for several reasons:

After reviewing the documents or directly examining the patient, the classification committee at the Health Bureau, chaired by the district geriatrician, may determine that the patient does not meet the criteria for long-term nursing care or care for people with cognitive impairment. In this case, a notice of rejection will be issued.

It is very important to complete and submit all required documents and sign the payment commitment forms. Otherwise, the application cannot be processed to completion, particularly in the following cases:

The patient has been found eligible for admission, but the documents required to calculate the patient's and family members' contributions have not been submitted.
The required payment commitment forms have not been signed.

Yes. The patient's classification may be reviewed in the following cases:

Appeal by the family: A written request for reconsideration of the patient's classification must be submitted, along with updated or additional medical documents.
Change in the condition of a person applying for admission who has already been classified as requiring nursing care or care for cognitive impairment: If the person's condition improves or worsens, their classification must be reassessed and, if necessary, they must be transferred to an appropriate care facility.
When new information about the patient's condition becomes available, Health Bureau staff may initiate a review of the patient's classification.
• If at least three months have passed since the classification decision and the patient has not yet been admitted, the classification decision must be updated based on current documents and an examination, as appropriate.
• If the family's appeal to the district classification committee is rejected, the classification may be appealed by submitting a written request to the Head of the Geriatrics Division at the Ministry of Health, along with all relevant documents, to the following address:

Head of the Geriatrics Division, Ministry of Health, 39 Yirmiyahu Street, P.O. Box 1176, Jerusalem 9101002
Or through the Ministry of Health hotline at *5400

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How to Choose a Long-Term Care Facility

Quick Read

Tips for Families Choosing a Long-Term Care Facility

Choosing a long-term care facility based on the patient's condition

Who Pays for Long-Term Institutional Care