Long-Term Care Nursing Home Patients. According to the National Nursing Home Survey, the average length of stay for patients currently in nursing homes is 892 days, or 2.44 years.The average length of stay for those patients who are able to be discharged is 272 days, or approximately nine months.ong-Term Care Nursing Home Patients. According to the National Nursing Home Survey, the average length of stay for patients currently in nursing homes is 892 days, or 2.44 years.