The 11 worst-rated Idaho nursing homes, according to the government. Take a look

Shaun Goodwin, Patrick McCreless

As the baby boomer generation continues to age, the need for more nursing home care grows — but currently, for Idaho, quality varies among such facilities.

Born from 1946 to 1964, there are more than 70 million estimated baby boomers, and by 2030, they will all be at least 65 years old, U.S. Census data shows. But that’s not all.

With better health care increasing lifespans and birth rates dropping among young women, older adults could outnumber children under 18 years old for the first time in U.S. history by 2034, the Census Bureau projects.

As such, the need for more and better quality nursing home care will be paramount in the coming years. However, not all nursing homes offer the same high level of care, including those in Idaho.

Based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ five-star rating system for nursing homes, of the 80 facilities examined in the state, 10, or about 12.5%, currently have the worst one-star rating, while one has had so many violations that it isn’t rated at all. And of those, seven have been cited for abuse.

Another 27 nursing homes have the highest five-star rating, while one doesn’t have a rating because it is newly certified with less than 12-15 months of data available.

The CMS star rating system is based on staffing, health inspections and quality measures. Most nursing homes in the U.S. are in the star rating system, given that CMS examines all facilities that accept payments from Medicaid and Medicare.

However, CMS notes that “no rating system can address all of the important considerations that go into a decision about which nursing home may be best for a particular person.”

President Joe Biden announced new steps to improve nursing home quality late last year, including offering more resources to support good-paying, union jobs in nursing home care, along with more vigorous enforcement for the worst-performing nursing homes — specifically ones in the Special Focus Facilities Program. The SFF Program already provides more frequent inspections.

Currently, only one Idaho nursing home is in the SFF Program, the Life Care Center of Post Falls facility at 460 N. Garden Plaza Court, Post Falls. The CMS rating website doesn’t give the facility a rating and states that it “is not rated due to a series of serious quality issues. This nursing home is subject to more frequent inspections, escalating penalties and potential termination from Medicare and Medicaid.”

Below is a complete list of the 11 worst-rated Idaho nursing homes, followed by a list of the 27 best-rated nursing homes. For more details on each nursing home’s rating, click here.

Worst-rated nursing homes

  1. Caldwell Care of Cascadia — 210 Cleveland Blvd., Caldwell

  2. Good Samaritan Society - Silver Wood Village — 405 W. 7th St., Silverton

  3. Ivy Court (cited for abuse) — 2200 Ironwood Place, Coeur d’Alene

  4. Life Care Center of Post Falls (cited for abuse and under Special Focus Facility Program) — 460 N. Garden Plaza Court, Post Falls

  5. Prestige Care & Rehabilitation - the Orchards (cited for abuse) — 1014 Burrell Ave., Lewiston

  6. Royal Plaza Health and Rehabilitation of Cascadia — 2870 Juniper Drive, Lewiston

  7. Silver Ridge Care — 210 West Lacrosse Ave., Coeur d’Alene

  8. Skyline Transitional Care Center (cited for abuse) — 1011 S. Hilton St., Boise

  9. Twin Falls Transitional Care of Cascadia (cited for abuse) — 647 Eastland Drive, Twin Falls

  10. Valley View Nursing & Rehabilitation — 1140 N. Allumbaugh St., Boise

  11. Valley Vista Care Center of St. Maries — 820 Elm St., St. Maries

The following map shows the locations of Idaho’s 11 worst-rated nursing homes.

Meridian Meadows Transitional Care and Life Care Center of Boise both also have been cited for abuse. Neither are included on the list above because the former is newly certified and hasn’t been open long enough to gather data, and the latter is rated two-stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Best-rated nursing homes

  1. Ashton Memorial Living Center — 700 N. 2nd St., Ashton

  2. Aspen Park of Cascadia — 420 Rowe St., Moscow

  3. Bingham Memorial Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation — 98 Poplar St., Blackfoot

  4. Boundary County Nursing Home — 6640 Kaniksu St., Bonners Ferry

  5. Bridgeview Estates — 1828 Bridgeview Blvd., Twin Falls

  6. Cascadia of Lewiston — 2852 Juniper Drive, Lewiston

  7. Clearwater Health & Rehabilitation of Cascadia — 1204 Shriver Road, Orofino

  8. Discovery Rehabilitation and Living — 600 Shanafelt St., Salmon

  9. Franklin County Transitional Care — 44 N. 1st East, Preston

  10. Good Samaritan Society - Moscow Village — 640 North Eisenhower St., Moscow

  11. Idaho State Veterans Home - Pocatello — 1957 Alvin Ricken Drive, Pocatello

  12. Lewiston Transitional Care of Cascadia — 3315 8th St., Lewiston

  13. Life Care Center of Idaho Falls — 2725 E. 17th St., Idaho Falls

  14. Life Care Center of Lewiston — 325 Warner Drive, Lewiston

  15. McCall Rehabilitation and Care Center — 418 Floyde St., McCall

  16. Monte Vista Hills Healthcare Center — 1071 Renee Ave., Pocatello

  17. Mountain Valley of Cascadia — 601 W. Cameron Ave., Kellogg

  18. Oak Creek Rehabilitation Center of Kimberly — 500 Polk St. E., Kimberly

  19. Owyhee Health and Rehabilitation Center — 108 W. Owyhee, Homedale

  20. Payette Healthcare of Cascadia — 1019 3rd. Ave. S., Payette

  21. Serenity Healthcare — 1134 Cheney Drive W., Twin Falls

  22. St. Luke’s Elmore Long Term Care — 895 N. 6th East, Mountain Home

  23. St. Luke’s Rehab - Elks Sub Acute Rehab Unit — 600 N. Robbins Road, Boise

  24. Sunny Ridge — 2609 Sunnybrook Drive, Nampa

  25. Sunterra Springs Riverview — 3550 W. Americana Terrace, Boise

  26. Teton Healthcare of Cascadia — 3111 Channing Way, Idaho Falls

  27. Valley Vista Care Center of Sandpoint — 220 S. Division, Sandpoint

What is abuse, and how can you report it?

According to Medicare, abuse is “the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish. It includes verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse.”

Abuse and neglect can happen to anyone, especially elderly citizens who often need help throughout their day to live their best possible lives. If you feel that you or someone you know has been abused, you should reach out to your state survey agency.

Idahoans can call (208) 334-6626 or file a complaint online.

For assistance in choosing the best living options for you or a loved one, the Area Agencies on Aging assists adults over age 50 and their caregivers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides information on insurance coverage, and the National Center for Assisted Living provides details on making the right decision for nursing and assisted living communities.

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