How is a nursing home different from a hospital?

A nursing home is a permanent residence with medical support. A hospital treats acute illness and discharges you. Residents in nursing homes still go to hospital for acute events — the residence coordinates the transfer and the return.

Can the SNS cover a nursing home?

Indirectly — through a concertada place (the SNS contracts beds in private homes for dependent residents) or through the Ley de Dependencia subsidy. Direct SNS nursing homes are rare; most public coverage is via these intermediary routes.

What's the waiting list?

12-24 months for a concertada or fully public bed in Alicante province. Private beds are usually available within 2-4 weeks; premium homes have waiting lists of 1-3 months.

Can my relative come home for weekends?

Yes, most homes allow weekend or short home visits. Some even offer 'centro de día + noche' hybrid contracts where the resident sleeps at home and spends the day at the residence.

Are nursing-home fees tax-deductible?

The medical portion (typically 50-70% of total fees for a Grade II/III resident) is deductible from IRPF as a medical expense. The disability allowance (€3,000-€9,000) also applies.

Assisted living

Nursing Homes in Spain — Residencias de Mayores Guide

Spanish nursing homes (residencias de mayores or residencias geriátricas) provide round-the-clock medical care for residents with significant health needs — post-stroke recovery, advanced Parkinson's, dementia or palliative care.

Last updated 1 March 2026

Nursing home vs assisted living — the difference

Assisted living = help with daily activities + medication supervision. Nursing home = continuous medical care with qualified nurses (DUE) on every shift and a doctor on site daily, not just weekly.

Most Costa Blanca residences are now classified as mixta (mixed) and cover both. But if you or your relative has a Grade III dependency, advanced dementia, requires PEG feeding, oxygen therapy, complex wound care or end-of-life nursing, you specifically need a residence with a unidad sociosanitaria or convenio with the SNS — not every home qualifies.

What 24/7 nursing care includes

✦DUE (qualified nurse) on every shift, including nights and weekends.
✦Resident doctor on site Monday-Friday, on-call evenings/weekends.
✦Daily medication round, IV/SC injections, blood-sugar monitoring.
✦Wound and pressure-sore care, catheter and stoma management.
✦PEG and NG feeding tubes, oxygen concentrators.
✦Falls prevention protocols, bedrail and movement-sensor monitoring.
✦End-of-life and palliative care in coordination with hospital palliative teams.
✦Direct hospital transfer agreements with the local SNS hospital.

2026 monthly fees by care intensity

Care level	Shared room	Private room	Notes
Grade I (mild dependency)	€1,900–€2,400	€2,400–€3,000	Help with washing, dressing, medication
Grade II (severe dependency)	€2,400–€2,900	€2,900–€3,600	Help with all transfers, eating assistance
Grade III (great dependency)	€2,800–€3,600	€3,500–€4,500	Full bedside care, often hoist transfers
Dementia unit (UPD)	€3,200–€4,200	€3,800–€5,200	Locked unit, specialist staff
Palliative / end-of-life	—	€3,800–€5,500	Often bookable by the week

Specialist dementia care (UPD)

A Unidad Psicogeriátrica or Unidad de Daño Cognitivo is a separate locked floor for residents with Alzheimer's, vascular dementia or Lewy body dementia who would wander or harm themselves on an open ward. Staff-to-resident ratios are higher (1:6 vs 1:10), there are sensory rooms, themed corridors for orientation, and specialist nursing in BPSD (behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia).

The best UPDs on the Costa Blanca: Ballesol Costablanca (Alfaz), Sanitas Residencial Albir, ORPEA Mediterráneo (Alicante), and DomusVi Mas Camarena (Valencia, 1 hour north).

Choosing the right nursing home

✦Ask for the medical staff timetable in writing — DUE coverage 24/7 is non-negotiable.
✦Visit unannounced at 19:00 on a weekday — staffing dips badly in poor homes.
✦Ask how many residents have pressure sores (Grade 2+). A good home reports <3%.
✦Look at the hospital transfer protocol — is there a named SNS hospital coordinator?
✦Confirm DNR / living will respect (voluntades anticipadas register).
✦Check insurance status — Sanitas, Adeslas and Asisa cover some nursing-home stays.

Public-system nursing care

Hospital sociosanitario vs residencia

Long medical-recovery stays (e.g. post-stroke rehab beyond 3 weeks) happen in a hospital sociosanitario — Pare Jofré in Valencia and the medium-stay wards at Hospital de Sant Joan d'Alacant and Hospital de la Vega Baja are the closest. These are fully covered by the SNS but stays are limited (typically 60-90 days). After that, the resident moves either home with rehab support, into a concertada residence, or self-funds a private nursing home.

Assisted living

The step before full nursing care.

Home care

Stay at home with carer visits.

Long-term care planning

How to fund 5+ years of care.

Healthcare: emergencies

Calling 112 and ER pathways.

Estate planning: wills

Spanish wills and living wills.

Healthcare insurance

Which policies cover nursing care.