Nursing home
Life Care Center of the Willows
1000 Elizabeth Dr, Valparaiso, IN 46383 · Map
Government - County · Part of Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities) · 92 certified beds
Life Care Center of the Willows is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Valparaiso, Indiana. CMS rates it 1 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 1/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.67 hours per resident per day, below the Indiana average of 3.71. Its most recent inspection on Jan 27, 2026 cited 16 deficiencies.
- 2 fines totaling $14,886In CMS records: 2 total penalties.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Life Care Center of the Willows compares
This facility vs. the Indiana and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Indiana avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.67 | 3.71 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.80 | 0.66 | 0.68 | above avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.12 | 2.27 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 45.6% | 47.0% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 16.0 | 7.5 | 9.5 | above avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
- Every deficiency from the March 25, 2026 inspection was corrected by April 10, 2026
Penalties in CMS records: 2 fines totaling $14,886, 2 total penalties.
What inspectors found at Life Care Center of the Willows
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Mar 25, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Make sure that the nursing home area is safe, easy to use, clean and comfortable for residents, staff and the public.
Environmental Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Implement a program that monitors antibiotic use.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 27, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 1000 Elizabeth Dr
Valparaiso, IN 46383 - CMS certification #
- 155158
- Ownership
- Government - County
- Certified beds
- 92
- Avg residents/day
- 62.3
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1974-07-15
- Chain
- Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities)
- Setting
- Urban
Part of Life Care Centers Of America
Life Care Centers Of America operates 194 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Life Care Centers Of America facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Life Care Center of the Willows using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day, transportation
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Life Care Center of the Willows says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
Life Care Center of The Willows offers inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and 24-hour skilled nursing care in a cozy part of town in Valparaiso, Indiana.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Provides transportation.
Transportation services
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026) - Smoke-free.
Non-smoking facility
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Northwest Health - Porter, Valparaiso. 5.1 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 2 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Valparaiso Care & Rehabilitation, Valparaiso. 1.0 mile away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Caretenders, Valparaiso. 1.0 mile away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Gil's Drugs. 1.1 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 46383 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Davita Comprehensive Renal Care - Valparaiso, Valparaiso, 0.9 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 2 of 5 stars)
Valparaiso Dialysis, Valparaiso, 1.6 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Usrc Coffee Creek Dialysis, Chesterton, 6.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 5 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 14 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 46383.
Heart To Heart Hospice Of Northwest Indiana, LLC, office in Valparaiso, 1.0 mile away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars)
Vna Hospice Home Care, office in Valparaiso, 1.0 mile away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars)
Aseracare Hospice, office in Valparaiso, 1.1 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 2 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Chesterton Physical Therapy Inc, Chesterton. 9.5 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively low. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively low, wildfire very low, tornado relatively high, heat wave relatively low, earthquake relatively low. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here very low |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Life Care Center of the Willows a good nursing home?
CMS gives Life Care Center of the Willows an overall rating of 1 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 1/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Life Care Center of the Willows staffed?
Life Care Center of the Willows reports 3.67 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Indiana average of 3.71.
Has Life Care Center of the Willows had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 16 deficiencies.
How many beds does Life Care Center of the Willows have?
Life Care Center of the Willows is certified for 92 beds.