Senior Homes in Peterborough, ON

Senior homes in Peterborough: a local guide

Peterborough has 35 senior homes listed on this page, covering retirement residences, independent and assisted living, memory care, nursing homes (long-term care), respite and in-home care. Across priced communities the median starting rate is $2,814 a month, ranging from about $2,434 for independent living and retirement residences to $3,851 for memory care. Thirty-one of the 35 communities have a City of Peterborough address, so most families are comparing options within a 10-minute drive of each other.

Where senior homes are in Peterborough

Peterborough's senior housing clusters in three areas, which matters mostly for how close you'll be to family, a family doctor and the hospital.

• West end (Clonsilla and Lansdowne corridor): the busiest cluster, close to Lansdowne Place and west-end medical offices. Royal Gardens Retirement Residence at 1160 Clonsilla Ave and Applewood Retirement Residence at 1500 Lansdowne St W are here. Browse senior homes near Lansdowne.
• Northwest (Kawartha Heights, Sherbrooke and Cherryhill): newer, quieter buildings on larger lots, including Kawartha Heights Retirement Living on Denure Dr, Canterbury Gardens on Sherbrooke St and Summit Terrace on Cherryhill Rd — the lowest featured starting rate at $1,961. See senior homes near Kawartha Heights.
• Downtown (Charlotte, George and Water streets): walkable to shops, banks and the Simcoe Street transit terminal. Princess Gardens, Empress Gardens and Peterborough Retirement Residence sit in this core, along with several home-care agencies.
• East of the Otonabee: fewer buildings, but worth checking if family lives on that side of the river — see East City listings.

What senior homes cost in Peterborough

Prices below are starting monthly rates from this page's listings — the entry price for a standard suite and base services, before care add-ons, second occupancy or a larger room.

• Independent living (7 communities): median $2,434/month.
• Retirement residences (9): median $2,434/month.
• Assisted living (7): median $2,662/month.
• Respite care (10): median $2,789/month, usually billed by the day or week.
• Palliative care (4): median $2,865/month.
• Nursing homes (13) and home care (5): median $3,708/month for listed private rates.
• Memory care (9): median $3,851/month, the highest of any care type here.

Expect care fees on top of rent in retirement homes, often tiered by how much help is needed with medication, bathing and mobility. Full detail is on the cost of senior living in Peterborough page.

Public long-term care and home care in Peterborough

Publicly funded long-term care and home care are not booked directly with the home. In Ontario, placement and publicly funded home care are arranged through Ontario Health atHome, which has a Peterborough branch that handles long-term care applications and in-home services. A care coordinator assesses eligibility, you choose which homes to apply to, and you are placed from a waiting list — the province publishes each home's licensed bed count and waiting-list numbers on ontario.ca, so you can compare before you choose.

Long-term care accommodation co-payments are set by the province, not the home: the maximum basic rate rose to $68.56 per day (about $2,085 per month) on July 1, 2025, and residents with lower incomes can apply for a rate reduction on basic accommodation. Retirement homes are different — they are private-pay and licensed by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), which keeps a public register you can search to confirm a home's licence and inspection history before you sign.

Hospitals and getting around

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) at 1 Hospital Drive is the city's acute-care hospital — a 518-bed regional centre serving a population of more than 300,000, which is where most hospital transfers and specialist appointments happen.

For residents who no longer drive, Peterborough Transit sells a 30-day senior (65+) pass for $58 and an annual senior pass for $325, and runs Handi-Van specialized transit for people who can't use regular buses because of a mobility impairment. PRHC, Lansdowne Place and the downtown Simcoe Street terminal are transit hubs, so ask whether a residence sits on a route to them. Activity Haven on Barnardo Ave is a long-standing recreation centre for people 50 and over and a useful starting point for day programs and social contact.

How to choose a senior home in Peterborough

• Match care to need, not to the building. If dementia behaviours are part of the picture, look specifically at memory care rather than assisted living with "memory support" added on.
• Check the RHRA register for any retirement home on your shortlist, and the provincial long-term care listing for nursing homes.
• Ask what pushes the price up: care-level fees, second-person charges, incontinence supplies, escorting to appointments and medication administration.
• Visit twice — once at a mealtime, once mid-afternoon — and ask how many staff are on the floor at night.
• Plan for the hospital trip: ask how transfers to PRHC are handled and whether staff accompany residents.
• Apply for long-term care early even if a retirement residence is the first move, since waiting lists are managed centrally.
• Not sure which care type fits? Start with a free care assessment.

Sources

• Peterborough Regional Health Centre – Wikipedia
• Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) – official site
• Ontario Health atHome – Peterborough, Placement Services (Central East Healthline)
• Retirement Homes – Ontario Health atHome
• RHRA's Retirement Home Public Register
• Long-Term Care Home Accommodation Rate Changes effective July 1, 2025 – Ministry of Long-Term Care
• Ministry of Long-Term Care co-payment rates update (basic rate $68.56/day)
• Extendicare Peterborough – Ontario long-term care home listing (licensed beds and waiting list)