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Alzheimer’s / Dementia Care Costs: Home Care, Adult Day Care, Assisted Living & Nursing Homes

Last Updated: February 09, 2023

 

Factors Influencing the Cost of Care

Hiring outside assistance to help care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or related dementia can be very expensive. Home care, adult day care, assisted living, and nursing home care all provides vastly different services and have dramatically varying price tags. Costs vary depending on the type of care.

Many factors influence the cost of care, like:

What state you live in

Population density (rural vs. urban)

Agency vs. independent caregiver

Local laws and ordinances

Demand (especially for residential care)

Seasonality

Which activities of daily living do you need help with

Tax credits and deductions

 Use this interactive cost of assisted living/memory care map for regional and local cost differences within each state.

 

Care Costs by Type of Care

Home Care

Home care is almost always charged on an hourly basis. Fortunately, most home care providers do not charge higher hourly rates for persons suffering from Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or other types of dementia. It should be noted that there is a difference between Home Health Care (injections, IV infusions, dressing wounds) and Non-Medical Home Care (housekeeping, running errands, companionship).

Most people with dementia do not require home health care. The best home care option for someone with dementia is usually called “personal care.” It includes non-medical home care services like companionship and some housekeeping, as well as help with exercising and activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, getting dressed, eating, and using the bathroom. Nationwide, as of February 2023, the average cost is $28/ hour, $179 / day, $5,452 / month, and $65,436/ year. Like all types of care, there is considerable geographic variation in the cost of home care. Regional information can be helpful for families. In the southern and mid-western United States, state averages for home care are between $20 – $25 / hour. In New England, the mid-Atlantic states, and on the West Coast, state averages are in the range of $30 – $39 per hour. The most expensive state for home care is Minnesota, for about $38 per hour in 2023; the most affordable state is West Virginia, for roughly $20 per hour.

 Did You Know? Families can receive free assistance finding local home care providers for their loved ones. Start here.

 

Adult Day Care

Adult daycare is usually billed daily. There are different types of adult day care: adult day social care, adult day health care, and even Alzheimer’s day treatment. Surprisingly, there is not a lot of cost variance between these different types of programs. The national average rate in 2023 is $85. This makes adult day care a more affordable option than the home care described above.

Depending on where you live, the differences in cost can be huge. The most affordable state for adult day care is Texas, for about $38 per day followed by Alabama at $39 per day. The most expensive is North Dakota at $171 per day and Vermont, at about $164 per day. More generally, in the deep south and the plains states, adult day care usually costs $66 – $85 per day; in the Northeast and on the West Coast, one should expect to pay $104 – $148 per day. Regardless of where one lives, adult day care is the most cost-effective care for persons with dementia. Many adult day care centers provide transportation, some for free while others charge a fee.

 

Assisted Living / Memory Care

Assisted living for persons with dementia is often called Memory Care. Memory care typically provides higher levels of care, with more specialized staff training, as well as greater security to prevent wandering. Memory care costs vary greatly by community, with some residences even in the same geographic area charging almost twice as much as others.

Nationally, as of February 2023, the average cost of assisted living is $4,950 / month ($54,000 / year). However, memory care (for persons with Alzheimer’s or other related dementia) costs, on average, $1,200 more per month, or $6,160. In the southern states and through the plains, the monthly cost can be as low as $3,850 / month. In the Northeast and on the West Coast, costs are much higher. Families can expect monthly costs upwards of $6,600, even $8,250. For the cost of memory care in a specific state, and other information including state-specific programs that will help cover costs to make memory care more affordable, click here and find your state.

  Finding the right memory care or assisted living residence can be very challenging and time-consuming. Families can receive free assistance finding, evaluating and touring different residences. Get Started Here

 

Nursing Homes

For persons with later-stage dementia, nursing home care may be necessary. Like adult day care, nursing homes charge by the day. The national average for a shared room in a nursing home as of February 2023 is $286 per day. State averages range from $187 – $495 daily except for Alaska where care costs are significantly higher (as much as three times more than any other state). Unlike assisted living communities, nursing homes do not charge additionally for individuals with dementia.