Even when it’s the right decision for your loved one’s comfort and safety, transitioning a family member to a memory care community isn’t always easy. Naturally, there are emotional factors behind the choice. But, more immediately, you’re concerned about the costs. Memory care facilities can seem much more expensive than general senior living options like assisted living.
Wondering why memory care is so expensive is understandable. The simple answer is that memory care communities provide specialized support for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other forms of memory loss. Still, the monthly cost of placing your loved one in a memory care community can feel like a lot. Understanding what goes into that cost can make it easier to compare communities and determine what your family is actually paying for.
What Makes Memory Care So Expensive?
Memory care communities come with higher costs than other forms of senior living because they offer more specialized services designed to support people with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or memory loss.
These services include caregivers trained in dementia care and other forms of cognitive and behavioral assistance. Fees for a memory care community may also cover individualized care plans, sensory programming, therapeutic activities, and structured routines designed to improve residents’ quality of life.
Higher Staffing Needs
One of the biggest factors in memory care costs is staffing. Caregivers supporting people living with dementia are often called upon to help with a wide range of personal care tasks:
- Safe bathing and grooming
- Getting dressed
- Bathroom assistance and incontinence care
- Taking medication safely and properly
- Transferring from their beds to a wheelchair or walker
- Assistance with eating
- Escorting residents to meals, daily activities, or therapies such as physical therapy
- Guided participation in special activities like arts and crafts
Since memory care residents also need more frequent reminders, redirection, or supervision than seniors who can live more independently, memory care communities generally need more caregivers available throughout the day and night. Depending on the setting and program, this can include 24-hour awake staff.
When you’re paying for memory care, you’re not just paying for a room. You’re also paying for trained people to be available when your loved one needs them.
Specialized Dementia Care
If you’ve seen dementia take hold of your loved one, you know that it’s a difficult condition to manage — and it entails a lot more than mere forgetfulness. Dementia can impact someone’s behavior and judgment while leaving them unable to communicate or move around as easily as they used to. It can also affect your loved one’s ability to navigate familiar surroundings.
Caregivers in a memory care community understand these challenges and know how to respond appropriately in ways that keep your loved one safe. Specialized dementia care goes beyond standard senior care — everything from staff training to the physical environment and daily routines can be designed around the needs of people living with dementia.
For instance, communities with specialized dementia care may include controlled exits and enclosed outdoor spaces to help keep residents from wandering off the property while still letting them enjoy safe freedom of movement and some fresh air. Caregivers in these environments may also receive training in how to manage potential challenges with communication or behavioral changes, such as increased agitation.
Twenty Four-Hour Supervision
Sometimes, memory loss can lead to safety concerns that require 24-hour supervision and other safety planning. People with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or memory loss can become confused about where they are or even attempt to leave the community without understanding the risks.
To keep residents safe, memory care facilities may rely on a combination of security measures:
- Doors with keypad access
- Awake overnight staff
- Communal areas monitored by staff
- Emergency call systems
- Enclosed outdoor spaces
- Frequent head counts and check-ins with residents
- Motion and pressure sensors that can alert night staff if a resident at risk for falls gets out of bed
- Nighttime and behavioral support, where caregivers manage sundowning and nighttime agitation, as well as issues with incontinence
These systems work in tandem to protect residents while preserving their dignity and quality of life. However, they also require a significant investment in designing the physical environment and providing ongoing staff oversight.
Why Does Memory Care Cost More Than Assisted Living?
Moving a loved one into memory care costs more than a stay in assisted living because each community is designed to meet different levels and types of needs.
While you could be forgiven for feeling frustrated when comparing costs with a friend whose parent moved to an assisted living facility instead of a memory care unit, remember that adults in assisted living can still maintain a relatively independent lifestyle — even if they need some help with everyday activities.
Your loved one entered memory care because they need more frequent supervision, as well as greater assistance with personal care and daily tasks. Since memory care residents have more intensive needs, many memory care communities also have staffing levels that enable staff members to monitor residents more closely.
These additional levels of support are a major reason memory care generally costs more than assisted living, even if there seems to be some overlap in the services provided by each facility.
| What you’re paying for | Assisted living | Memory care |
| Help with daily activities | Assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, meals, and medications based on individual needs. | Hands-on help with daily activities, plus more frequent prompting, reminders, and step-by-step guidance when memory loss makes tasks difficult to complete independently. |
| Around-the-clock staffing | Staff are available 24/7 to assist residents and respond to needs. | 24-hour staffing with caregivers prepared to provide ongoing supervision and respond to dementia-related needs, including during overnight hours. |
| Personal supervision | Residents generally have more freedom to move about and manage their daily routines independently. | Staff may need to monitor residents more closely, particularly when confusion, disorientation, wandering, or difficulty recognizing unsafe situations is a concern. |
| Dementia – specific training | Staff are trained to provide general senior care and assistance with daily living. | Caregivers receive training focused on dementia, including communication strategies, recognizing changes in behavior, responding to confusion, and providing appropriate redirection. |
| Structured routines | Residents typically have flexibility in choosing activities and managing their daily schedules. | Consistent daily routines can help residents know what to expect and reduce confusion or anxiety. Staff may provide reminders and guidance throughout the day. |
| Dementia – focused activities | Activities may include exercise classes, crafts, games, outings, entertainment, and social events. | Activities can be adapted for different cognitive and physical abilities and may include music, art, sensory activities, gardening, movement, reminiscence, and other forms of engagement. |
| Support with behavioral changes | Staff can respond to changes in mood, behavior, or care needs within the services the community provides. | Staff are prepared to respond to dementia-related behaviors such as agitation, anxiety, repetition, resistance to care, or wandering, often by identifying triggers and using redirection or other individualized approaches. |
| Safety and security | Emergency response systems and general safety measures help protect residents. | Additional measures may include secured entrances, controlled access, enclosed outdoor spaces, and environmental design intended to reduce wandering and other dementia-related safety risks. |
| Environment | Designed to support independence, comfort, and social interaction. | Designed around cognitive needs, with features such as easy-to-navigate spaces, familiar cues, reduced overstimulation, and accessible areas for safe movement and outdoor time. |
| Dining support | Meals are provided in a communal setting, with assistance available when needed. | Meals may involve additional supervision or hands-on assistance, along with seating and dining routines designed to make mealtimes easier and less overwhelming. |
| Medication support | Staff may provide medication reminders, assistance, or management depending on the resident’s needs and the community’s services. | Staff may provide more active medication support and monitoring because residents may forget medications, take them incorrectly, or have difficulty communicating what they have taken. |
| Support with orientation | Residents generally manage their own schedules and navigate the community independently. | Staff may provide frequent reminders about the time, place, daily schedule, meals, activities, and other transitions throughout the day. |
| Family communication | Families can receive updates about a resident’s general well-being and changing care needs. | Families may receive more frequent communication about changes in cognition, behavior, routines, care needs, or other concerns that can accompany dementia. |
| Overall purpose | For older adults who need some assistance with daily life while maintaining a significant degree of independence. | For people whose Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or other cognitive impairment creates a need for specialized supervision, structure, safety measures, and dementia-informed care. |
How Much Does Memory Care Cost in Washington?
While the cost of memory care varies based on the community you choose, recent estimates put the average monthly cost in Washington State between $8,000 and $9,500.
Be aware that every facility is different. The cost of moving your family member into a memory care community depends on its pricing structure. With some pricing structures, you’re expected to pay an all-inclusive monthly fee; with others, you’ll be responsible for itemized add-ons related to personal care, medication management, or other services after room and board has been paid.
Depending on the pricing structure they adopt, communities in the same area can come with different monthly price tags. In Washington State, memory care facilities must be able to provide, in writing, an inventory of the care and services they offer.
How Can I Pay for Memory Care for My Loved One?
Many families use a combination of personal funds, private pay, and government or other assistance to cover these costs. It’s worth noting that while original Medicare won’t pay for room and board in a memory care facility, it can cover certain kinds of care your loved one may receive there, such as cognitive exams, doctor visits, physical therapy, and other covered medical services.
Likewise, Medicaid, which is known as Apple Health in Washington, doesn’t cover room and board in a memory care community, though it can help pay for some of the care residents receive. However, Medicaid coverage depends on your loved one’s financial situation and care needs, as well as the specific program and facility they’re a part of. Before your family assumes that Medicaid can help pay for care, it’s wise to consult with the facility and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to see what coverage may be available.
Families can also look to a few other avenues for help with the costs:
- Retirement savings
- Social Security
- Long-term care insurance, if their loved one purchased it
- Life insurance
- Veterans’ benefits, if their family member was an eligible veteran
Working with a trusted financial advisor or attorney specializing in elder law can help you and your family determine the best path toward paying for memory care while also protecting your own personal finances.
What Can Affect the Cost of Memory Care?
There’s no single set cost across all memory care communities. However, there are a few consistent things that can generally impact the overall cost of transitioning a loved one into memory care.
- Room type: While a private suite for your family member would be lovely, individual accommodations typically cost more than shared rooms.
- Level of care: Some communities adjust their rates based on how much assistance a resident needs.
- Services included: In some facilities, meals, housekeeping, medication assistance, activities, transportation, and other services are included in the monthly rate. In other communities, getting these services for your family member incurs additional fees.
- Changing care needs: Since conditions like dementia are progressive, your loved one’s needs may change over time. In some instances, as your family member’s level of care increases, the costs of providing adequate care will also rise.
When you’re touring a memory care community and meeting with its administrators, it’s important to ask questions that will help you determine the actual costs you might be looking at every month.
How Can Families Compare Memory Care Costs?
Start by asking what features are included in the base rate and whether there are additional charges for personal care, medication assistance, transportation, or other services.
There are other questions that will paint a clearer picture of what the actual costs might be than a monthly quote alone:
- How is a resident’s level of care determined?
- How often are care needs reassessed?
- Can the monthly cost change if care needs increase?
- What meals, activities, and other services are included?
- Are there additional fees that aren’t included in the advertised rate?
- What happens if my loved one’s needs become more intensive?
Understanding the Cost of Memory Care
Expressing concerns about the costs associated with moving a loved one into a memory care community is understandable. It doesn’t mean that you don’t want the very best for your family member. It means that you have questions about where the money goes and how costs can translate into high-quality care.
At Longhouse Assisted Living Households, we believe in demonstrating the value in our Alzheimer’s and dementia care with every resident interaction. From the thoughtful design of our care homes to the compassionate and respectful engagement of trained staff members, we prioritize the comfort, safety, and dignity of our residents.
If you’re ready to discuss what your family member’s transition to memory care might look like, we’re here. Contact us today.
