Korean Speaking Assisted Living and Senior Communities
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For older adults whose first language isn’t English, finding senior living options without language barriers can be challenging. Whether you’re looking for a 55+ community, assisted living facility, or nursing home, you want to live somewhere you feel comfortable and understood. That’s why more and more senior living facilities are accommodating different linguistic needs and cultural traditions.
Many Korean families take care of their loved ones at home, but it’s not always feasible. Families may hope to find a Korean-speaking senior living option when this happens. Although not common, there are some facilities in the United States that have Korean-speaking staff, cultural activities, and familiar foods.
Below, we’ll take a look at the benefits of Korean-speaking senior living communities, their cost, and how you can find options for yourself or your loved one.
Benefits of Korean-Speaking Senior Living
Living in any senior living facility comes with plenty of benefits, but when you’re living in one without cultural or language barriers, you have even more to gain.
Korean-speaking senior living facilities will generally have someone on staff 24/7 who is fluent in Korean as well as English. You can take comfort in knowing that your health care needs will not be ignored because of a language barrier, a problem many Korean-speaking adults face.1 Whether you have medical questions or want to know the activity schedule, there will be someone available who can speak to you in your native tongue.
Did You Know? Loneliness and social isolation in older adults are linked to a number of serious health conditions, such as dementia, heart disease, and stroke.2 Moving into a language-specific senior living facility can make finding happiness and making friends a little easier.
Korean-speaking senior living facilities also work to incorporate the culture into daily life as much as possible. Special Korean dishes, such as kimchi (a spicy fermented cabbage) and bulgogi (a marinated beef or pork dish) are often prepared. Korean pastors are often brought in to hold worship services and Bible studies for residents. Traditional board games, like Yoot, are sometimes played
Staff members at these facilities also work to host programs in the Korean language, such as martial arts presentations or painting classes. The idea is to make residents feel at home and keep them immersed in their language and culture. Plus, you’re able to build social relationships with peers who grew up with many shared cultural traditions and celebrations.
Our free housing and care finder uses your unique needs to curate a list of the best options in your area.
How Much Does Korean-Speaking Senior Living Cost?
The type of facility chosen — not the language spoken at the facility — will ultimately determine the cost. For example, nursing home care on average costs more than assisted living. Let’s take a look at the national median costs for senior living to give you an idea of what to Just remember that costs vary by facility and location.
| Senior living facility type | 2024 national monthly median cost | 2024 national yearly median cost |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living | $4,500 | $54,000 |
| Memory care | $5,000 | $65,000 |
| Nursing home | Semiprivate room: $8,641 Private room: $9,872 |
Semiprivate room: $103,700 Private room: $118,457 |
Paying for Korean Senior Living
How much you’ll owe out of pocket for senior living varies. Even though assisted living is cheaper than other types of senior living, it’s not covered by Medicare. However, Medicare may cover some nursing home costs, which could make a short-term stay in a nursing home more affordable than assisted living.
Along with Medicare, seniors and their families use several different methods to pay for senior living costs, including the following:
- Medicaid coverage varies depending on where you live since determinations are made by the individual states. Check your state’s policy to see what’s covered.
- Veterans’ benefits can cover certain types of senior living. You will need to see what your specific benefits plan covers.
- Long-term care insurance policies vary, but most cover senior living facilities and services that Medicare or other government benefits don’t cover.
- Paying out of pocket is another option. Some seniors cash in life insurance policies, sell their homes, take out second mortgages, use retirement income or savings, or rely on family members’ support to afford a senior living facility.
Helpful Hint: Check out our guides to Medicaid and Medicare memory care coverage and nursing home coverage to learn about how your government benefits may make senior living more affordable.
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Tips for Finding a Korean Retirement Community or Other Facility
Finding a Korean-speaking senior living facility can be tricky, but it’s possible! We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you find the right place for you or your loved one.
Do an internet search.
Doing a simple internet search is the easiest way to locate some Korean-speaking assisted living communities and other facilities for seniors. Here are some sample searches that you can try:
- Korean nursing homes
- Korean nursing home near me
- Korean senior living United States
- Asian nursing homes in [state name]
- Korean assisted living near me
- Korean senior resources
- Korean-speaking assisted living
- Korean retirement community near [city, state]
Call local senior living facilities.
Sometimes assisted living communities, nursing homes, and other senior care facilities don’t advertise language services online. Call nearby facilities to see what programming or services they offer for Korean-speaking seniors. This tip will work best for those who live in an area with a large Korean-speaking population.
FYI: The type of care you need might be different from what your friends need. Learning about the differences between assisted living and skilled nursing care is a good way to start understanding your senior living needs.
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging.
Area Agencies on Aging provide information and referral services, so they might be able to refer you to a Korean-speaking senior living facility. Visit USAging’s website to search for your local agency by city, state, or ZIP code.
FYI: Have questions about senior care or housing? We’re hosting livestreams on our YouTube @SeniorLiving.Org with experts who are ready to answer your questions and provide advice based on years of experience. Send your questions to help@seniorliving.org and we’ll answer them during our next livestream!
Connect with other local Korean senior organizations.
You might have an easier time locating organizations that cater to Korean-speaking older adults, such as senior centers or nonprofits. These organizations might offer resources online, in person, or over the phone to help you locate Korean-speaking senior living facilities. They could also be a great way to learn more about opportunities to stay connected and celebrate your culture with peers.
Here are some resources we located online to give you an idea of what you might be able to find in your community:
- Korean Senior Citizens Association of Houston: This nonprofit hosts educational classes for Korean-speaking seniors. Past events have included art shows, presentations by local doctors, traditional music performances, a Korean senior banquet, and martial arts demonstrations.
- Korean Women's Association Senior Support (KWA): The KWA manages two senior activity centers in the Tacoma, Washington, area that provide seniors with cultural celebrations, educational and personal growth programming, health and wellness programming, and socialization opportunities. The KWA also offers authentic Korean, Vietnamese, and Cambodian meals at three different meal sites.
- The Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York Senior Services (KCS): The KCS runs an adult day care center and older adult centers in New York. It offers culturally appropriate meals (including delivery for homebound seniors), case assistance for those who face language and cultural barriers, and activities such as Korean painting, Korean dance, and calligraphy.
- Korean American Senior Citizen's Association of New Jersey: This organization serves Korean American seniors in New Jersey. It offers programming and opportunities at its community center that are focused on health, wealth, and happiness.
- Korean Home Health Care Inc.: Located in Dallas, Texas, this home health care company provides nursing services, home health aides, social services, and therapy services to Korean-speaking Texans. All staff members are multilingual and multicultural.
- Hanul Family Alliance: The Hanul Family Alliance provides home care services, nutrition services, public benefit assistance, and an elderly crime victim assistance program to seniors in the Chicago area. Adult learners can participate in ESL classes and tutoring programs too. And, since 2018, the Hanul Family Alliance’s behavioral health program has provided bilingual mental health and substance abuse counseling.
Get recommendations from friends or acquaintances.
If your loved one is already plugged into a local Korean-speaking community, like a church or senior center, ask that community for recommendations. This could help you find not only a Korean-speaking senior living facility but one that others have had a positive experience with.
Helpful Hint: Moving into a senior living facility isn’t your only option for getting extra care as you age. Many seniors choose to stay at home with extra help provided by a home care agency. Look for bilingual or Korean-speaking home care aides who can meet your language and cultural needs.
Where Can I Find Korean Assisted Living?
Korean-speaking assisted living communities and other senior care facilities are becoming more common as providers realize the importance of language-specific senior living. However, they can still be a bit tough to locate. We used our tips above to identify several Korean senior living options in the U.S.
Howard County and Baltimore County, Maryland
Lorien Health Services Korean Senior Care Centers
Lorien Health Services offers three Korean Senior Care Centers in the state of Maryland: Columbia, Mays Chapel, and Golden Living. All three locations provide residents with traditional meals cooked by Korean chefs, Korean games like Yoot, and Korean newspapers and TV shows. Staff speak multiple languages and visiting pastors host religious ceremonies in Korean. Across the three centers, seniors can access skilled nursing care, assisted living services, ventilator care, and independent living.
Ellicott City, Maryland
Morning Glory Assisted Living is an assisted living home with room to care for eight elderly Korean-speaking residents. Best of all, individuals who qualify for the Medicaid waiver may be able to receive full financial aid to live at Morning Glory. Give its website a look to learn more — it’s primarily written in Korean!
Mt. Laurel, New Jersey
Laurel Brook Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
This dedicated 45-bed skilled nursing care wing is staffed by medical professionals and caregivers who speak Korean and understand Korean values and traditions. Residents enjoy traditional decor, ethnic cuisine prepared by Korean chefs, and cultural programming and activities, such as traditional Korean crafts.
Niles, Illinois
Niles Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Located in an area with Korean residents and businesses, the Niles Nursing & Rehabilitation Center offers a program that caters to Korean-speaking older adults. Along with typical services you’d find in a nursing rehab center, the program also offers Korean doctor visits, Korean licensed nursing staff, Korean foods, and a Korean director, counselor, guide, and translator.
Lakewood, California
Residents of Korean Senior Care live in a secured assisted living home with 24-hour supervision. The Korean-speaking care home provides nutritious meals, daily housekeeping, singing and dancing opportunities, Bible studies, and more. Their bilingual website offers more details, including photos of the home’s five bedrooms.
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National Library of Medicine. (2016). First-generation Korean immigrants' barriers to healthcare and their coping strategies in the US.
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Gemworth. (2022). Cost of Care Survey.
