Cost of memory care for an Alzheimer's patient

I think the range is about $9-12k per month.

I’m no expert, but found the following in my state. Long term care can be provided in multiple ways. Some people with dementia may qualify for a Memory Care unit. These units are usually located inside an Assisted Living facility. Assisted Living is not the same as a nursing home. The Assisted Living facilities, including Memory Care, are not covered by Medicaid long term care. However, many states, such as NC, have similar programs that provide financial assistance to those who qualify by income and asset criteria. In NC it’s called Special Assistance.

And then some people with dementia may also qualify for nursing home care. Patients with dementia are also cared for there, similar to Memory Care. There are certain requirements that a doctor can state that might qualify the patient for nursing home admission. Medicaid long term care does cover this care, if they meet the criteria for income and assets.

The rules and exceptions to those rules are complex. It’s best to get a thorough evaluation by someone you retain to find legal ways to suggest ways you can become Medicaid eligible. Certain Elder Law attorneys will advertise if they are “Medicaid” certified. They can recommend options to help you, . I’d be careful listening to what a lay person might say. I would confirm the situation from those who really know the rules and exceptions. And you may have already dine that. There are protections offered for the spouse who may need to live in the marital home or continue to get income from the ailing spouse.

The costs of MC and Nursing Home Care varies by facility and location. But, it’s expensive everywhere that I’m aware of.

Good luck with everything. Seeking help is very stressful but will be worth it.

pierwell and celia,

Thank you for your responses.

In Hawaii, Memory Care is $16k per month and the cost goes up to $24 K for in-home carers who are bonded and insured. Hawaii is one of the most expensive states for this. I got those figures from a geriatrician, who also told me to put a credit freeze in place as a protection if I ever got in-home care for my husband.
Our Alzheimer's Association has an excellent coordinator in our county who assists caregivers and families with these issues. Also a geriatrician, social worker, and/or elder law attorney may be able to help, as @celia16 pointed out, especially if you need to spend down so your husband can qualify for Medicaid.
Not all persons with Alzheimer's need Memory Care as here it is a secured unit for those with agitation and wandering issues. Other care homes may be suitable for those who do not have behavioral issues.

my Mother in law was in a facility in Quincy MA and it was $14k a month until she was on Medicaid then it went down to $6k a month.

We pay about $3,500 per month for 1:1 memory care in Thailand. The staff there is specially trained in Tom Kitwood's "Person Centered Dementia Care". They even came to our house in Seattle and escorted her from door to door for free. Also very much worth noting that the prices are locked in for life regardless of how fast or slow her Alzheimer's progresses.

Well, I asked this Memory Care Question in Sept of 2025. Now it's May of 2026 and I am getting close to having to put my husband into memory care. He has run away many times, and his anger is getting worse. It looks like the cost ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 a month. In order for him to qualify for Medicaid I will have to spend down most of our life's savings so that he will qualify for Medicaid benefits. Honestly, I am kicking myself that I didn't spend more money on some wonderful vacations. Some of the better memory care facilities require you to self-pay out of pocket for so many months in order for them to accept Medicaid after that. You are allowed to spend down your assets in many ways but you a prohibited from giving the money to your family. Also, the spouse can stay in the home but after I die the cost of the memory care will come out of the value of the home.
The money portion of this is difficult but the part that I am having the most trouble with is the thought of my husband being in a memory care center. We have been married for 58 years, and it will be so lonely without him. Also, I will worry about how it will make him feel to be in a new place. We live in a 3-bedroom home, and he already has to ask me sometimes how to get to the bathroom.

Anyone have any experiences with putting a loved one into Memory Care that you might want to share with us?

@katrina123 It sounds like you need some emotional support right now, rather than financial advise. Hello Katrina; 58 years is a lifetime together. What else have you known, except a life together? I haven't been married more than 16 years but I can't imagine how hard it would be to uproot our lives together and tell our daughter we were moving my husband to memory care full time. For us it was my mother that needed memory care, but she's been divorced for over 20 years and was living alone, so it's not really comparable to your situation.

I actually met another woman while visiting my mom, she was from DC and had been married to her husband for at least 40 years. I think they got married when she was 22. Her emotional journey sounds similar to yours. He was an optometrist, handsome, kind, worldly; and they have two adult daughters together. I ended up inviting her to get ice cream with us and our 4 year old daughter. She had never lived with anyone but her husband, and was really afraid of being alone (actually I think terror might be a better descriptor.)

She ended up staying in Chiang Mai for a couple months living near her husband. She visited every day, ate meals there, but then less frequently, and then after a few weeks, she slowly started to find things to do and connected with other travelers. The last I heard from her she'd gone back to DC to sell her house and travel, something she'd never done on her own. What I saw in her was a transition from fear of loneliness to sadness and fear of what's next, then tacit courage and belief in herself and her own resilience.

I believe in people, and their ability to adapt when challenged. This may be the biggest challenge you've ever encountered in your life, but I believe in you. There will be a time after this if you choose to believe in yourself too.

@lisagrey
That was a nice experience that was full of Love and Hope.
How kind.

Thank you.

@katrina123

I was in your place a few years (a lifetime really) ago. My long term husband’s dementia was progressing quickly and he could no longer be left alone at all. I knew the situation couldn’t last much longer. But I was paralyzed. Couldn’t do anything. Except then I had emergency brain surgery and when I came home from the hospital and stroke rehab, my kids had moved my husband to memory care. I realized that I couldn’t take care of him then and let him stay although when I got myself together I moved him to a better place where I could visit regularly. My only advice is to research the possible places now so that you know where to go if (when) you need it. I wish you courage and strength as you go forward. M.