Best Assisted Living in Nebraska

Overview of Good Samaritan Society – Atkinson

Good Samaritan Society – Atkinson is a 61-bed nonprofit nursing home in Atkinson, Nebraska, operated by a church and administered by Dale Gould. The facility accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private pay. Medicaid accounts for 46% of new admissions, and a current average length of stay of 117 days — a profile oriented toward long-term care.

The inspection record carries significant weight in any evaluation. Over roughly nine years of state oversight, the facility has averaged 10.1 deficiencies per year — 140% above the Nebraska average of 4.2. In the most recent four-year CMS period, five health inspections produced 39 citations at a rate of 7.8 per inspection, placing it 119th out of 122 Nebraska skilled nursing facilities on that metric. A $23,000 federal civil money penalty was assessed in January 2024, and the most recent citation in April 2025 involved an abuse/neglect finding, rated moderate and subsequently corrected. No immediate jeopardy findings appear in the record.

CMS quality measures and staffing ratings are more positive. The facility holds a 5-star Quality Measures rating — 47% above the Nebraska average — driven in part by a short-stay rehospitalization rate of 4.8%, compared with the state average of 20.9%. Staffing earns 4 stars, 27% above average overall, though CNA staffing averages 2 hours and 1 minute per resident per day against a state benchmark of 2 hours and 46 minutes. The facility’s occupancy rate is 100%, ranked first among 194 Nebraska facilities, compared with the state average of 70.3%.

Amenities include on-site meals, salon services, religious programming, and transportation. The facility participates in caregiver support and home-based services programs and offers respite care. Starting price is approximately $3,761 per month.

Good Samaritan Society – Atkinson is best suited for long-term Medicaid residents in rural Holt County, with the capacity and payer mix to support extended stays

Overview of Good Samaritan Society – Osceola

Good Samaritan Society – Osceola is a 47-bed nonprofit nursing home in Osceola, Nebraska, serving a mix of short-term rehabilitation and long-term care residents in Polk County. It is operated by the Good Samaritan Society under the administration of Melissa Vandewalle. The facility holds dual SNF/NF certification and accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

CMS rates the facility 4 stars overall, anchored by a 5-star Health Inspection rating — 44.9% above the Nebraska average. Since 2022, four inspections have produced 16 total citations against a state average of 18.2, with zero critical or serious findings and no federal penalties in the past three years. The staffing picture is more qualified: total nurse staffing averages 3 hours and 15 minutes per resident per day, roughly 25% below the Nebraska average, though LPN hours are 30% above the state norm.

Rehabilitation services and respite care are available on-site. Amenities include a community room, library, dining room, and salon. An active Resident Council meets regularly, along with caregiver support and home-based service programs. The facility’s starting cost is approximately $3,526 per month.

The facility’s 2-star Quality Measures rating warrants attention for families considering long-term placement: the facility’s UTI rate and weight-loss figures run well above Nebraska averages, which accounts for the gap between its strong inspection record and the QM sub-score. The facility’s occupancy rate is 74%, modestly above the state average of 70%.

Good Samaritan Society – Osceola is best suited for residents in Osceola and rural Polk County seeking post-acute rehabilitation or long-term skilled nursing care within a nonprofit, church-affiliated setting. Families considering longer-term placement may want to ask about clinical outcomes tied to nutrition and infection management.

Arbor Care Centers – Ord, LLC is a 60-bed skilled nursing facility in Ord, Nebraska, serving residents requiring long-term nursing care, memory care, and post-acute rehabilitation. It is privately owned and operated by Kurt Luth and accepts both Medicare and Medicaid.

The facility carries a 2-star CMS overall rating. Nurse staffing averages 3 hours and 46 minutes per resident per day, below Nebraska’s average of 4 hours and 20 minutes — placing the facility 78th of 117 Nebraska SNFs and below the state benchmark across all six staffing metrics.

Inspection history under prior ownership was significant: a 2018 annual survey found 30 deficiencies and triggered a 180-day license probation with an admission prohibition, which was lifted after a May 2018 revisit confirmed corrections. A 2012 survey similarly resulted in a 90-day probation for pressure sore and accident-prevention failures. The most recent inspections — March 2021 and March 2025 — each resulted in zero deficiencies, with the 2025 renewal confirming the facility meets all licensure requirements.

Arbor Care Centers operates an Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit with a memory care endorsement. It also provides post-acute rehabilitation services including physical, occupational, and speech therapy, wound care, IV therapy, and hospice and palliative care. A certified dietician oversees nutrition services, and the facility offers private and semi-private rooms. The facility’s occupancy rate is 57%, well below the Nebraska average of 70.3%, signaling current availability across care levels.

Arbor Care Centers – Ord is best suited for residents seeking memory care or post-acute rehabilitation in a rural Valley County setting, with Medicaid and Medicare acceptance broadening access for residents with varying payer situations.

Overview of Good Samaritan Society – Millard

Good Samaritan Society – Millard is a 106-bed nonprofit skilled nursing facility in Omaha, Nebraska, providing skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapy, and memory care. It is operated by Good Samaritan Society, accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, and admits residents around the clock.

CMS rates the facility 4 stars overall. The staffing sub-rating is a clear driver, with nurse staffing at 4 hours and 18 minutes per resident per day — essentially matching the Nebraska average of 4 hours and 20 minutes and placing the facility 55th of 117 Nebraska skilled nursing homes. Quality Measures, however, is 26.5% below the state average, which pulls against the staffing picture.

Across 13 years of state inspections, the facility recorded roughly 10.2 deficiencies per year — 143% above Nebraska’s 4.2-per-year average. That record includes three separate probation periods between 2015 and 2017, tied to pressure ulcer prevention, pain management, and fall intervention failures.

Several complaints over the same period were substantiated, including failures to implement fall-prevention measures, medication errors, and delayed reporting of allegations of neglect. The trajectory has improved substantially: inspections in 2023, 2024, and March 2025 were all clean, with zero deficiencies.

The facility’s on-site Rehab Therapy Gym, inpatient rehab rooms, memory care programming, and 24-hour staffing support both post-acute and long-term placements. A chapel and lounge round out the residential setting.

While Good Samaritan Society – Millard could serve residents needing skilled nursing or post-acute rehabilitation in the Omaha metro, families should still review the facility’s longer inspection history and prior probation periods alongside its stronger recent inspection results.

Overview of The Ambassador Nebraska City, INC

The Ambassador Nebraska City, INC is a 71-bed skilled nursing facility in Nebraska City, Nebraska, providing skilled nursing, rehabilitation, extended care, and assisted living services. It is owned and operated by Loretta Paul Allen and accepts both Medicare and Medicaid.

Across its recent inspection record, the facility holds a 5-star overall CMS rating — with 5 stars in health inspection, staffing, and quality measures, each ranking 44 to 47% above the Nebraska average. Over the past three years, three health inspections resulted in 6 citations, well below the Nebraska average of 18.2, ranking the facility 8th out of 122 Nebraska skilled nursing homes. No civil money penalties have been issued during that period.

Nurse staffing averages 4 hours and 53 minutes per resident per day — 13% above the Nebraska average — and physical therapist staffing is double the state average, a meaningful signal for facilities with a strong post-acute caseload.

On-site services include wound care and hemodialysis, both important for residents with medically complex admissions. The resident council meets regularly, and the facility’s short-stay quality measures show that 71% of residents meet or exceed expected self-care ability at discharge, compared to the Nebraska average of 54%. The facility’s occupancy rate is 61%, roughly 9 points below the Nebraska average, indicating current availability.

The facility is best suited for residents in Otoe County recovering from illness, injury, or surgery who need short-term post-acute rehabilitation. Its rehabilitation services, stronger therapy staffing, and admission mix — with 49% of new admissions covered by Medicare and typical stays lasting one to two months — point toward a stronger focus on short-term recovery care.

Arbor Care Centers-countryside LLC is a 70-bed skilled nursing facility in Madison, Nebraska, offering long-term care, post-acute rehabilitation, and memory care through a 17-bed Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit, privately owned and operated by Arbor Care Centers-countryside LLC under Joseph Kezzar. It accepts both Medicare and Medicaid.

The facility’s 2-star CMS rating is mainly due to staffing levels. Nurse staffing averages 68.2% below the Nebraska average, the defining figure in the overall rating. Health inspection and quality measure performance are above the state average, which narrows but does not close the gap.

Over 11 years of inspection history, the facility averaged 4.1 deficiencies per year — close to Nebraska’s average of 4.2. There have been no deficiencies cited during renewal inspections since 2019, a consistent record of compliance.

Earlier years carried citations for life safety code issues, infection control, and fall prevention. A 2018 complaint investigation substantiated findings in fall evaluation, infection control, and motorized equipment competency; more recent complaint investigations have been unsubstantiated. No fines or enforcement actions appear in the record.

With an occupancy rate of 94% compared with the state’s average of 70.3%, the facility operates near capacity. Services include post-acute rehabilitation, IV therapy, fall prevention programming, outpatient therapy, and on-site registered dietitian support. Private and semi-private rooms are also available.

The facility is for residents seeking long-term skilled nursing care or short-term post-acute rehabilitation in a small-city Nebraska setting, with a dedicated memory care unit suited for individuals in earlier to mid-stage Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Overview of Good Samaritan Society – St John’s

Good Samaritan Society – St John’s is a 56-bed nonprofit skilled nursing facility in Kearney, Nebraska, offering long-term care, short-term rehabilitation, memory care, and respite care. The facility operates under the Good Samaritan Society. It accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

CMS rates the facility at 1 star overall, with Health Inspection and Quality Measures scores each running well below Nebraska averages. Staffing is the comparatively stronger sub-category, though nurse staffing averages 3 hours and 34 minutes per resident per day, about 18% below the Nebraska average of 4 hours and 20 minutes.

The inspection record spans 9 surveys from 2011 through 2022, with 89 total deficiencies — 136% above the Nebraska average. The facility received a 90-day probation in 2012 for failing to prevent accidents that caused injuries.

Substantiated complaint findings through 2018 involved fall prevention, medication errors, and delayed incident reporting. The trajectory has since improved: the most recent standard survey with deficiencies was April 2018, and the March 2022 renewal inspection reported none. No fines or license suspensions appear in the available reports.

The facility also offers a caregiver support program. At 82% occupancy — above the Nebraska average of 70% — current availability is limited.

Good Samaritan Society – St John’s suits residents and families seeking skilled nursing and post-acute rehabilitation in Kearney who are aware of the facility’s historical compliance record and are oriented toward its recent period of improved inspection performance.

Westfield Quality Care of Aurora is a 64-bed skilled nursing facility in Aurora, Nebraska, providing long-term care, memory care, skilled nursing, respite care, hospice care, and short-term rehabilitation to residents in Hamilton County. The facility is privately owned by Kauffman Investments LLC.

CMS assigns the facility a 1-star overall rating, with all four sub-ratings below Nebraska averages. The Health Inspection score is 63.8% below the state average — the primary driver of the overall rating. Total nursing staffing averages 4 hours and 22 minutes per resident per day, nearly matching Nebraska’s average of 4 hours and 20 minutes, though staffing and quality measure scores each rank in the bottom third statewide.

The inspection record spans over a decade of recurring deficiencies. Over the 12-year reporting window, the facility averaged 10.3 deficiencies per year — 145% above Nebraska’s average of 4.2. Major annual surveys in 2016, 2018, and 2019 each produced 16 to 24 citations involving pressure ulcer prevention, infection control, care planning, medication administration, and fire safety. Enforcement actions include a 90-day probation in 2019 for failure to prevent pressure sores and a 180-day probation issued in April 2024 — accompanied by a prohibition on new admissions — after inspectors found glucometers were not being calibrated before use.

On-site services include a secured memory care unit, physical and speech therapy, and in-house physician visits. The facility accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, and its current occupancy rate is 89% — roughly 19 points above the Nebraska average.

Westfield Quality Care of Aurora is best suited for long-term and memory care residents in Aurora and Hamilton County, with secured dementia programming and a residential care model that has remained continuously licensed. Families should carefully review the facility’s long-term inspection history and prior enforcement actions before making a placement decision.

Monument Rehabilitation and Care Center is a 160-bed skilled nursing facility in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, offering subacute and post-acute rehabilitation, long-term care, dementia care, and hospice services to residents in Scotts Bluff County. The facility is privately owned by Scottsbluff Operations LLC.

CMS rates the facility 1 star overall — 63.9% below the Nebraska average — primarily due to its health inspection record. Over the past 15 years, the facility has averaged 15.5 deficiencies per year, compared to Nebraska’s average of 4.2, a rate 269% worse than its peers.

Enforcement actions have been substantial: a 180-day license probation beginning in August 2024 followed findings that the facility failed to follow advance directives for three residents, accompanied by a temporary admission prohibition, followed by a 90-day probation starting in May 2025 for over-medication of a resident. A civil money penalty of $120,360 was imposed and reduced to $78,234 following a waiver.

Nurse staffing averages 3 hours and 44 minutes per resident per day, ranking 85th out of 117 Nebraska facilities. The facility has a licensed Alzheimer’s special care unit with a capacity of up to 32 residents, along with rehabilitation services, including physical therapy.

The facility’s occupancy rate is 54%, well below the Nebraska average of 70.3%, indicating current availability across care settings.

Monument Rehabilitation and Care Center is best suited for residents requiring short-term post-acute rehabilitation or long-term dementia and skilled nursing care in Scottsbluff — though the sustained compliance record and recent enforcement actions are part of the picture families evaluating placement will want to review the full inspection history.