Life Care Center of La Center
252 W. 5th Street, La Center, KY 42056
La Center, Kentucky · CMS verdict
On the federal five-star scale, Life Care Center of La Center shows above-average quality that runs above Kentucky's state average of 2.9.
The rating and the PlainElderCare Index below summarize federal inspection, staffing, and outcome data, they measure specific, documented dimensions of this facility, not a holistic verdict on the care your family member would receive. Visit in person, talk with staff and current residents' families, and weigh your family member's specific needs before choosing.
Life Care Center of La Center in La Center, Kentucky holds a CMS overall rating of 5 of 5 stars and a PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index of 85 of 100 (grade B). Its CMS inspection record lists a moderate number of deficiencies. Figures are from CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Quality & Compliance Index (upper star tercile)
This facility's CMS overall rating sits in the upper U.S. star tercile (>4/5). A transparent composite of this facility's CMS Care Compare sub-ratings and its federal inspection record. It complements, and does not replace, the official CMS overall star rating shown at the top of the page. How this is calculated.
How the 85 is built
Each segment is a dimension's weighted points toward the score, summing to 85.
Weights: health inspections 30%, staffing 25%, quality measures 25%, inspection record 20%; any dimension CMS has not published drops out and its weight redistributes (no silent deflation). Inspection record is benchmarked against all rated US nursing homes. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Life Care Center of La Center's upper-tercile CMS stars
Quality ratings
On Care Compare (data as of April 2026), the overall star is a roll-up of three separately tracked sub-ratings: health inspection, staffing, and quality measures. The comparison chart below shows where each one sits relative to Kentucky.
What each sub-rating measures
The health inspection rating reflects on-site surveyor findings from the last three cycles. The staffing rating compares case-mix-adjusted nurse hours per resident day to national benchmarks, and quality measures aggregate 15 clinical indicators including pressure ulcers, falls with injury, and long-stay antipsychotic use.
Size and setting
Located in La Center, Kentucky. Bed capacity and average daily census, where CMS reports them, are in Facility details below. Its ownership type, listed in Facility details, can influence staffing patterns, reinvestment decisions, and admissions policy. Occupancy of about 86% puts this facility in normal territory for a stabilized operation, neither unusually full nor unusually empty.
Same-ownership peers
Within Kentucky, Life Care Center of La Center is one of 88 for profit - corporation nursing homes CMS rates. Its 5-star overall rating sits above the for profit - corporation-segment average of 2.9 stars, ahead of roughly 83% of same-ownership peers in the state. This ownership-segment comparison controls for business-model differences, so what's left mostly reflects how this facility runs relative to similar operators, not the type of operator it is.
Inspection record
On the regulatory side, federal and state surveyors have documented a moderate number of deficiencies at this facility; the counts are in Facility details below. CMS has levied no enforcement penalties over the equivalent window. This volume of findings is worth reading past the count: CMS's F-tag scale separates isolated, low-harm citations from widespread or immediate-jeopardy ones, and only the full report shows which this facility has.
Where these figures come from
Figures above come from CMS Nursing Home Compare (Care Compare, data as of April 2026) with state cost medians from the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey. See our methodology for vintage.
How Life Care Center of La Center's upper-tercile stars compare to Kentucky
CMS five-star sub-ratings (0–5) for this facility against the Kentucky facility-weighted average. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Bar = this facility's rating · vertical marker = Kentucky state average. Higher is better on all four CMS measures.
Where Life Care Center of La Center ranks in Kentucky
Among the 266 CMS-rated nursing homes in Kentucky, Life Care Center of La Center’s 5-star overall rating is higher than 83% of them. The bars show how all Kentucky homes spread across the CMS 1-to-5 scale; this facility’s band is highlighted.
44 Kentucky homes share this 5-star rating. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Facility details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 70 |
| Residents | 60 |
| Ownership | For profit - Corporation |
| County | Ballard |
| Penalties | 0 |
| Deficiencies | 9 |
Source: CMS Care Compare Nursing Homes (data as of April 2026)
What do families ask most?
What is the quality rating for Life Care Center of La Center? ▾
5 out of 5 stars is Life Care Center of La Center's current CMS overall rating. The chart on this page breaks it into health inspection, staffing, and quality measures against the Kentucky average.
How much does a nursing home cost per month in Kentucky? ▾
In Kentucky, a semi-private nursing home room runs a median $9,718/month ($116,618/year) per the CareScout 2025 survey; private rooms average $11,254/month.
What services does Life Care Center of La Center offer? ▾
CMS classifies Life Care Center of La Center as a skilled nursing facility. Care Compare does not itemize the services on offer; the facility itself is the source for that, and its capacity, census, and ownership are listed in Facility details above.
Does Life Care Center of La Center have any deficiencies or penalties? ▾
Life Care Center of La Center has multiple deficiencies and no penalties recorded by CMS; the counts are in the Facility details table. A count in this range makes it worth asking staff or the facility directly which findings were minor paperwork versus resident-care issues.
What are the alternatives to a nursing home in Kentucky? ▾
In Kentucky, alternatives include assisted living ($5,528/mo), home health aides ($6,197/mo), and adult day care ($1,907/mo).
Keep reading
Also see the Kentucky elder-care overview and highest-rated states. Provider ID: 185320.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.