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My spouse needs more care than I can give

Options that keep a couple together, and the spousal protections Medicaid provides.

Quick answer

Options that keep a couple together, and the spousal protections Medicaid provides.

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Home›By Situation›My spouse needs more care than I can give

Caring for a spouse is different from caring for a parent, financially and otherwise. New York's Community Spouse Resource Allowance and Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance exist specifically to protect a spouse who stays in the community.

Short answer

Options that keep a couple together, and the spousal protections Medicaid provides.

What to do, in order

  1. Understand the spousal protections. New York's 2026 Community Spouse Resource Allowance runs $74,820 to $162,660, with a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance of $4,066.50/month.
  2. Look at communities that keep couples together. Several campuses offer more than one level of care on one site.
  3. Be honest about your own health. Spousal caregivers routinely under-report their own decline.
  4. Get an objective assessment. The Area Agency on Aging serving your county can assess both of you at no cost.

Questions families ask

What does a nursing home cost in New York State?

The 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey puts New York's semi-private nursing home room at $15,528/month ($511/day) and a private room at $16,729/month ($550/day) -- state medians, not Staten Island or New York City-specific figures.

Is there a published memory care cost figure for New York?

No. The CareScout Cost of Care Survey does not survey memory care as a separate pricing category, in any state, in any year. Any memory care price quoted online is an estimate, a self-reported average, or an extrapolation from assisted living data -- not a genuine survey figure.

What does in-home care cost per hour in New York?

The 2025 CareScout survey's New York State median for a non-medical caregiver/home health aide is $35/hour, or roughly $6,673/month at a full-time equivalent. There is no Staten Island-specific hourly figure published by any primary source.

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