Baton Rouge Senior AdvisorBaker is the small city just north of Baton Rouge along Plank Road and Highway 19, with about 12,136 residents in 2025 Census estimates, slightly fewer than in its 2020 base. It is older on average than the suburbs to the south and east.
Licensed care inside Baker is a nursing home rather than assisted living, so families looking for an ARCP usually compare Zachary, Central and North Baton Rouge. Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary and the Baton Rouge hospitals are each a short drive.
How much licensed senior care does Baker have?
LDH's November 2026 roster lists 0 adult residential care providers and 1 nursing home with Baker addresses; Baker itself had about 12,136 residents on July 1, 2025 (Census Bureau).
| What Baker has | What Baker lacks | |
|---|---|---|
| On LDH's roster here | Nursing homes: 1 | — |
| Missing here | — | Adult residential care providers, Home health agencies, Hospices, Adult day health care centers |
| Level 3 or 4 assisted living | — | No Level 3 or 4 ARCP in Baker |
Is any assisted living licensed in Baker?
Not at present: no adult residential care provider lists a Baker address, and the closest Level 2 or larger ARCP is The Lodge at Lane in Zachary, roughly 3.8 miles from the middle of the area.
| Facility | Miles away | License type | Licensed capacity | First licensed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lodge at Lane 6170 Carpenter Road, 70791 | 3.8 | Level 3 | 51 | 2022 |
| The Claiborne at Shoe Creek 11 Parkway Blvd, 70818 | 7.5 | Level 3 | 100 | 2020 |
| Shekinah Glory 3613 Government Street, 70806 | 10.3 | Level 2 | 20 | 2009 |
| Williamsburg Senior Living Community 5445 Government Street, 70806 | 10.3 | Level 3 | 163 | 2001 |
Which nursing homes are in Baker, and what are their CMS ratings?
Baker has 1 licensed nursing home with 132 certified beds in all; 0 of the 1 rated by CMS carry four or five stars overall.
| Facility | CMS overall rating | Licensed capacity | Last CMS health inspection | Deficiencies cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Oaks Nursing & Rehabilitation Center 3612 Baker Blvd., 70714 | 3 of 5 | 132 | July 8, 2026 | 5 |
How close is Baker to a hospital?
From the middle of the area, Lane Regional Medical Center is the nearest acute-care hospital on LDH's roster at about 3.8 miles, followed by Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center at about 13.2 miles.
Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge is about 14.0 miles away. All distances are straight lines between ZIP-code centers, so use them to compare, not to plan a drive.
Where can Baker families get free help with an aging parent?
East Baton Rouge Council on Aging ((225) 923-8000, 965 N. 18th St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802) provides meals, transportation and information for East Baton Rouge Parish, and Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146 takes requests for Medicaid waiver and nursing home services.
Yes: Baker is in East Baton Rouge Parish, one of the two parishes LDH lists for PACE Baton Rouge (225-490-0604), which combines Medicare and Medicaid care for people 55 and older who qualify for nursing home care but can still live safely at home.
Licensing complaints go to LDH's Health Standards Section at 1-888-810-1819, and the long-term care ombudsman for the Baton Rouge region, run by the Capital Area Agency on Aging, answers at (800) 833-9883.
