Overview
Life Care Center of Banner Elk has a Medicare overall rating of 4 out of 5, above the North Carolina average of 3.0. It is the only Medicare-rated nursing home in Banner Elk. Its strongest area is health inspections (4 of 5), and its weakest is staffing (3 of 5).
Residents receive about 3.2 hours of nursing care per day, fewer than at 86% of nursing homes in North Carolina (the state average is 3.9 hours). Of that, 0.4 hours come from registered nurses.
Its most recent standard inspection, on August 6, 2025, found 3 health deficiencies, fewer than the North Carolina average of 4.5. It has no fines on record for the past three years, while 56% of North Carolina nursing homes have been fined.
Life Care Center of Banner Elk is a for-profit facility with 118 certified beds, caring for about 65 residents on an average day. It accepts both Medicare and Medicaid and has participated since 1981.
Medicare ratings
- Health inspections
- Quality of care
- Staffing
Source: Medicare Care Compare, data as of October 1, 2026.
How it compares nearby
Ranked by Medicare overall rating, then quality, inspection and staffing ratings.
Top 30%
Top 28%
Family reviews
No reviews yet. If your family has experience with Life Care Center of Banner Elk, your review helps others decide.
Inspections and penalties
- Most recent standard inspection
- August 6, 2025
- Health deficiencies cited
- 3
- Complaint-related deficiencies
- 0
- Fines in the last 3 years
- 0
- Payment denials
- 0
- Total penalties
- 0
Staffing
Average hours of care each resident receives per day.
- All nursing staff3.21 hrs
- Registered nurses (RN)0.43 hrs
- Licensed practical nurses (LPN)1.10 hrs
- Nurse aides1.67 hrs
- Physical therapists0.08 hrs
Facility details
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 118
- Average residents per day
- 65
- Participates in
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Medicare/Medicaid since
- October 1, 1981
- Inside a hospital
- No
- Continuing care retirement community
- No
- Changed ownership in last 12 months
- No
- Resident or family council
- Resident
- Sprinklers in all required areas
- Yes