Life Care Center of Banner Elk
185 Norwood Hollow Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604 · Avery County · 118 certified beds · avg 66 residents/day · certified since Oct 1, 1981
Part of chain: LIFE CARE CENTERS OF AMERICA (194 facilities, chain avg rating 3.4★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 4/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
All citations in the current public record (7)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide appropriate care related to bladder and bowel needs — including care for residents who use catheters and steps to prevent urinary tract infections. |
| Aug 6, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Aug 6, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Aug 21, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide activities that meet residents' needs and interests. Nursing homes must offer meaningful activity programs, not just leave residents idle. |
| Aug 21, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not honor residents' right to form and take part in resident or family groups, such as a resident council. |
| Aug 21, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility used bed rails without first trying safer alternatives, or without assessing the resident's safety risk, discussing the risks and benefits with the resident or family, getting consent, and installing the rails correctly. |
| May 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the care needed to maintain or improve residents' movement and flexibility — such as range-of-motion exercises — leading to avoidable decline. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (3 → 3).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | D |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | E |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | D |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
No fines or payment denials in the published 3-year window.
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.32 | 4.01 | 3.95 | bottom 23% in North Carolina; bottom 28% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.43 | 0.64 | 0.69 | bottom 31% in North Carolina; bottom 27% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.09 | 3.56 | 3.50 | bottom 36% in North Carolina; bottom 36% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.21 | 0.41 | 0.48 | bottom 20% in North Carolina; bottom 13% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 17.6 | 49.0 | 45.8 | top 1% in North Carolina; top 2% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 28.6 | 45.7 | 42.9 | top 21% in North Carolina; top 26% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 3.18, RN 0.41, weekend 2.96. Staffing rating: 3/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 3/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 3/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developers Investment Company INC | Organization | Direct Ownership Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/24/2015 |
| Preston, Forrest | Individual | Indirect Ownership Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/24/2015 |
| Barker, Joseph | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/01/2022 |
| Barker, Joseph | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/10/2025 |
| Cross, Cindy | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/30/2015 |
| Developers Investment Company INC | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/24/2015 |
| Fletcher, Todd | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/13/2024 |
| Henry, Terry | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/30/2015 |
| Kilpatrick, Lynn | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/18/2013 |
| Kilpatrick, Lynn | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/18/2013 |
| Kilpatrick, Lynn | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/10/2025 |
| Laws, Brandy | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2025 |
| Laws, Brandy | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2025 |
| Lay, Lisa | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/09/2018 |
| Life Care Centers of America, INC. | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/30/2015 |
| Life Care Centers of America, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/10/2025 |
| Preston, Aubrey | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/13/2024 |
| Preston, Forrest | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/31/2000 |
| Solomon, Jennifer | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2019 |
| Solomon, Jennifer | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2019 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "How do you care for residents with incontinence or catheters, and what do you do to prevent urinary tract infections?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Can I see this month's activities calendar, and what do you offer residents who can't leave their rooms?"
- "Does your facility have an active resident council, and how does management respond to its concerns?"
- "What alternatives do you try before using bed rails, and how do you involve families in that decision?"
- "What do you do daily to keep residents moving, and how do you help residents at risk of losing mobility?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge | 10.7 mi | Blowing Rock, NC | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| The Waters of Roan Highlands,llc | 10.8 mi | Roan Mountain, TN | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation | 12.7 mi | Boone, NC | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 |
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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 345203.