Best Senior Communities in South Dakota

Overview of Five Counties Nursing Home

Five Counties Nursing Home is a 37-bed skilled nursing facility in Lemmon, South Dakota, operated as a voluntary nonprofit. The facility offers short- and long-term care, rehabilitation services, memory care, and assisted living and independent living options for residents in Perkins County.

Five Counties holds a 1-star CMS overall rating, driven primarily by its Health Inspection record, which ranks the facility 53rd out of 59 South Dakota skilled nursing facilities and is 60.8% below the state average. It has accumulated $32,000 in federal fines, which is 20% below the South Dakota average among facilities that received penalties.

Staffing is the clear counterweight: total nurse staffing averages 4 hours and 9 minutes per resident per day, 4.5% above the state average, placing the facility 19th in South Dakota on that measure.

The facility accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay. Occupancy rate is 87%, above the state average of 79.9%, reflecting sustained local demand in a rural market with limited alternatives.

Five Counties serves long-term and post-acute residents in the Lemmon area who require accessible skilled nursing care and accept a smaller, rural facility with a nonprofit governance model.

Estelline Nursing and Care Center serves Hamlin County residents through long-term skilled nursing and memory care services in Estelline, South Dakota. The City of Estelline operates the nonprofit 60-bed facility under administrator Jason Hanssen.

CMS rates the community 3 stars overall, with standout performance on Health Inspection and Quality Measures, both above the South Dakota average, offset by Staffing hours that run below state benchmarks across all nursing categories. Total nurse staffing averages roughly 3 hours per resident per day, about 23% below the state average on weekends, which is the figure that most directly affects residents requiring regular assistance.

The single inspection on record since 2023 resulted in one citation: a corrected nutrition finding from December 2023, placing the facility first among 59 South Dakota nursing homes with the lowest citation count. The state average over the same period is 14.8. Sanford Clinic provides on-site medical services, extending clinical access without requiring residents to travel off campus.

The facility’s occupancy rate is 87.1%, above the South Dakota average of 79.9%, indicating consistent local demand. The average length of stay is approximately 1,004 days, which reflects a population oriented toward long-term residence rather than post-acute turnover.

Estelline Nursing and Care Center suits older adults in Hamlin County seeking long-term skilled nursing care within a small, municipally operated community, particularly those for whom a strong inspection record and stable quality measures carry more weight than staffing volume.

Overview of Bethesda of Beresford

Bethesda of Beresford is a nonprofit nursing home in Beresford, South Dakota, founded in 1914 and administered by Britney Senger. The 39-bed facility offers skilled nursing, rehabilitation, therapy services, and independent living options and accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

The facility holds a 2-star overall CMS rating, driven by a 1-star Health Inspection score, which is 21.6% below the South Dakota average. Across 5 inspections since 2023, the facility recorded 25 citations, averaging 5 per inspection, compared with a state mean of 3.34. A $16,000 civil money penalty was issued in October 2023. No critical citations appear in that window, and the single serious citation is 44% better than the state average.

The Quality Measures rating, however, is a genuine counterweight: 5 stars, 46.5% above the South Dakota average. Antipsychotic use is 15.1%, compared with a state average of 24.4%, and the UTI rate of 0.8% is 77% better than peers, both meaningful signals for long-stay residents.

The facility provides on-site rehabilitation and therapy services, with contracted physical, occupational, and speech therapy staff present most days of the week. A Resident Council meets regularly, and a state-approved Nurse Aide Training program operates on-site.

The facility’s occupancy rate is 85%, above the South Dakota average of 79.9%, with 33 of 39 beds filled. Its payer mix and average length of stay of 329 days reflect a predominantly long-term population: Medicaid covers 47% of current residents, and private-pay residents account for 50% of the census.

Bethesda of Beresford suits long-stay residents in Lincoln County seeking nonprofit, community-rooted skilled nursing care, particularly those for whom quality-of-care outcomes and low antipsychotic use carry weight alongside the inspection record.

Sioux Falls Primary Home Care Services provides compassionate assistance, certified to provide unparalleled home care services to both seniors and adults facing complex disabilities. With a profound dedication to their mission, this agency has been a pillar of support in the community since 2015. Their commitment shines through in the array of services they offer, including household cleaning, meal preparation, ambulation assistance, transportation services, and more, ensuring that individuals receive the care they truly deserve.

Their team boasts multilingual staff members proficient in Arabic, French, German, Russian, Spanish, and English, allowing them to cater to a wider range of patients. With their blend of expertise and compassion, Sioux Falls Primary Home Care Services exists as a testament to exceptional care, making them a trusted choice for individuals and families seeking reliable and culturally sensitive home care solutions.