If you know how much assisted living and memory care costs in you area, please post here.

[Halftime Hope]

Please post only if you know current prices; thank you.   I'm looking for cost of living info to work up retirement budget projections for once dh and I need either assisted living or memory care.  Also looking for the price of nursing home care.

 

Please 1) post the location for which you are reporting prices (the name of the closest medium or big city is fine if you don't want to be specific, 2) the kind of care and how much it costs.  Ranges would be helpful.  3) Is everything included? if not, what else has to be paid?  4) what percentage COL increases have you seen each year for eldercare?

 

Thank you so much!!

 

 

ETA:  I just shouldn't post late at night.  Yeesh! I edited it; hope it makes more sense.  Thanks, all!

[Hen]

Hi,

 

we just went through this with my grandfather, here is what I know.  I live in Orange County,Ca my grandparents lived in Riverside County, Ca  The closest large city to me would be Santa Ana or Anaheim, the closets to my grandparents would be Riverside or Menifee.- cost of living in Riverside county is more affordable than where I live and so also the prices of private care is more affordable.  We had my grandfather in private, memory care (board and care) and it was *Not a locked facility and not a medical home.  Price was $2, 500.00 a month.  He shared the master bedroom with one roommate, they had their own shared master bathroom attached.  If he had been in a smaller shared room, the price would have been $2,000.00 a month.  This covered 24 hour care, home cooked meals, laundry, bed-changing, room cleaning, entertainment-care during the day (bingo, moved them around, didn't let them just sit) also a daily walk.  We had to provide toiletries, his clothes, and any special food he liked (like donuts for breakfast that he liked) We paid for his medication, but they administered medicines daily.  They co-ordinated health care in the home, but we had to take him to doctors appointments outside and take him  to have his hair cut.  We decorated his room, he had basic cable.

 

We looked at a retirement home, that was considered non-profit, they had a locked memory care unit, but the price for that started at $4, 300.00.   The private home board & cares seemed to be the most affordable, but they did not take medical, which we did not have at that point. We were trying to get him on medical for later, when he was worse.  When he was at the private board and care, he was self-ambulatory and able to use the bathroom and able to feed himself.  He did get worse, and we moved him to another board and care that could care for him more fully, and they were asking $3, 000.00 a month, but we negotiated down to $2, 500.00. 

 

hope this helped. 

 

[purplejackmama]

I live in the Florida panhandle and the range in my area is $2800-$6200 month. The median is $4800. This includes everything except obviously your own prescriptions.

 

Not sure of the COL increases each year.

[Hen]

there is a website called "A Place for Mom" that will give you lists of places in the area you want, with the target price you want- if possible.  They will speak to you on the phone and are very helpful.  They found us the non-profit locked home, which we really, really liked.  Ultimately, the place we found we found through word of mouth, but A Place for Mom was very helpful for finding what was out there and educating us on cost and services.

[Anne in CA]

One of  our best customers was paying more than 9,000 a month for her 93yo mother with dementia. That is NorCal.

[Guest]

Just went through this twosome degree in boise. Assisted living was 3200-4200, depending on level of care needed. Skilled nursing was 8200 to 10,000 per month for a private room depending on provider. Don't know about memory card.

 

Totally second A Place for Mom as initial resource. Your Gut as a second resource.

[Corraleno]

Currently paying $3500/mo, all inclusive, for assisted living in a really nice, privately owned, nonprofit facility in an urban area in the Pacific Northwest. It's not memory care, but he is mildly autistic/developmentally disabled. He previously lived in a Leisure Care community in New Mexico, which was about $4800/mo. The current facility is smaller, "homier," and the care is more personal (much lower staff turnover) compared to the Leisure Care place (which is a chain).

[HSmomof2]

My grandma's care is $4700 in a nice, clean, well-run assisted-living memory care (locked) facility Pacific NW. Although, she now gets the Veteran's benefit and is on Medicaid, and they accept those payments (which is less than the $4700).

[*****]

I am rather surprised at how low the prices in Calif. seem to be. We were paying nearly $5000  a month for my mom in eastern Washington last year (a major chain assisted living place). This  is a rather blue-collar city. This included medication delivery, meals, room cleaning and laundry, cable/l local phone, wifi, and shower assist. We paid basically the same rate at the same chain in Florida for her as well. They had memory care wing, but I would assume the rate would be higher.

Most nice places cost this much, but there were even better places that cost more (just as there were places that weren't as nice that cost less).

Our small town has a nice place for just over $2000 for meals and for delivering meds. However, residents had to be independent other than that, so it was a fairly 'light' assisted living place. And just to clarify, assisted living is different than independent living places, which most folks end up in first, sort of like a stepping stone as they age to assisted living. (Independent living places often offer meals and room cleaning, residents do their laundry.) Some are now even offering 'light assisted living', in which they will dispense meds for an extra fee, thus prolonging the need to move to an assisted living place until absolutely necessary. They started this just after we moved my parents to assisted living, which sure would have been a nice feature.

Then there are long term care places (nursing homes), which cost more.

If you can stay in your home and have someone come in, at least initially, to dispense meds, do light care...this could be much less expensive than a residential facility. And don't forget, I am quoting prices just for 1 person, 2 people would be more. Good for you for considering the costs for your future!

[JFSinIL]

We are looking at around $6,500 a month for a lock-down dementia care in Redlands, California, where Dad lives.  His various pensions and SS should cover it....we certainly will not have anywhere near his level of resources when we need care!  Told my kids we can live just fine in their basement on cat food when the time comes. 

[MBM]

Just went through this twosome degree in boise. Assisted living was 3200-4200, depending on level of care needed. Skilled nursing was 8200 to 10,000 per month for a private room depending on provider. Don't know about memory card.

 

Totally second A Place for Mom as initial resource. Your Gut as a second resource.

 

Patty Joanna, in case you might need to know in the future (hoping you don't), there is a small memory care facility in S. Nampa, not too far from Boise, that charges about $4K per month.

[Tiramisu]

One nursing home gave us a rate of $250 or $275 a day, but that wasn't specialized Alzheimer's care even though she has significant dementia that impairs normal life activities and personal care.

 

I think the highest quote we were given was about $13,000 a month. I'm not sure what specialized care that included, but it was not posh or particularly nice.

 

We are in the suburban NE.

 

I think I'm going to have to relocate when my time comes, though we wouldn't be able to private pay in any case.

 

[poppy]

One of  our best customers was paying more than 9,000 a month for her 93yo mother with dementia. That is NorCal.

 

My husband's grandmother paid about that much for a private room, nursing care, meals in a nice facility. Boston.

[Pawz4me]

DH's uncle was just put in a memory care facility for $7,000/month.

 

From what I've heard assisted living typically runs around $3,000-$4,000/month.

 

Those are NC prices.

 

[Orthodox6]

[see interpolations, below]

 

 

Please post only if you know current prices; thank you.  

Prices shall rise sharply, so today's costs would not suffice for the future.  Our answers are good for "right now." 

 

I'm looking for cost of living info to work up retirement budget projections for once dh and I need either assisted living or memory care.  Also looking for the price of nursing home care.

You would be best helped by researching this yourself for the city/state/area where you anticipate living during your senior years.  (or, asking for respondents only from those locations)  There are so many variables, that our answers are not going to be greatly useful to you.  For example, my cousin in Boston reported to me that she toured a memory care unit facility for her brother which would have charged over $9,000 per month.  Costs where I live are nowhere near so high. 

 

It would be wise to secure the services of an experienced eldercare attorney to assist you and your husband in making financial plans.

 

Many of the companies advertising about the "veteran benefits" are pretty close to being scammers.  They are peddling annuities that provide profit to themselves, rather than provide best benefit to the purchaser.  My dad nearly went with one of those, until I unearthed criminal history in an adjoining state on the part of the lawyer and his "annuity-selling side-kick".

 

Please 1) post the location for which you are reporting prices (the name of the closest medium or big city is fine if you don't want to be specific,

Dallas-and-suburbs, TX

 

2) the kind of care and how much it costs.  Ranges would be helpful.

Costs will be significantly higher for a private room.  If one spouse develops dementia and needs to reside in the memory care area, then the costs will be for two private rooms, two shared rooms, or for one of each. 

 

Sometimes "memory care" is provided as part of assisted living.  For example, the Silverado chain is for Alzheimer's patients only.  (They also accept Parkinson's patients.)  Despite the total care provided for the residents, Silverado is "assisted living" and, as such, ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare.  Private pay, only.

 

Some assisted living facilities combine a separate "memory care" unit with a regular section for other residents.

 

Many assisted living facilities are for the fairly healthy.  They will not accept dementia patients.  Nor will they allow a resident to remain whose physical care needs have escalated beyond a certain point (set by the individual facility). 

 

You also should be aware of candidate rehab facilities, often needed after a hospitalization.  These facilities often offer assisted living, rehab care, and long-term nursing care, all at the same location. 

 

A critically important point, often not thought of ahead of time, is whether you wish to continue with your preferred primary care physician.  If you do, then select a facility where your PCP has clearance to see patients.  Otherwise, you are stuck with someone whom you did not select, and whom you cannot "fire" if you need or want to.  I cannot speak with any kindness about the doctors who work at residential facilities. 

 

FWIW, nevertheless, my mother spent one year at a Silverado, at a private-pay price of over $5,000 per month for a shared room.  Everything was provided.  (except for safety.  She fell multiple times, with injuries, because of the "no restraint" policies.  These are the right kind of policies, I strongly agree.  Nevertheless, they can spell danger for dementia patients.) 

 

My mother then spent two years at a private pay long-term nursing home facility at the same price point, again for a shared room.  She died four months ago, so my information is current.

 

Both of these facilities were "high quality" for where we live.  [Reputation and reality, however, are on distant skew lines.]

 

3) Is everything included? if not, what else has to be paid? 

How much is included varies with the facility.  Some supply "adult diapers" if they are needed, others require the family to supply these.  Some supply personal toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc.), others require the family to supply. 

 

Room cleaning service at an assisted living residence is provided once per week.  Laundry, same. 

(I did my mother's laundry myself in order to save her clothing from industrial destruction.  Even then, things would be "lost".  Sometimes other people's clothing would be placed in her closet.  At the worst, I would find Mom dressed in somebody else's clothing.)

 

Meals:  Varies.  Assisted living may offer one, two, or three meals per day.  Some offer snacks.

 

Transportation:  Often there is a "van fee" for group trips to malls, movies, grocery stores, and/or doctor appointments.

 

Telephone service costs.

 

Television service may or may not cost.

 

 

 

4) what percentage COL increases have you seen each year for eldercare?

Have not tracked this. Internet research suggested.

Thank you so much!!

 

 

ETA:  I just shouldn't post late at night.  Yeesh! I edited it; hope it makes more sense.  Thanks, all!

 

[Halftime Hope]

_{A bit more explanation might be warranted.    I'm asking here on the board hoping to get an idea of what people across the country are paying.  I've done my local research both in the less expensive and more expensive burbs of the DFW metro area, so I have a good idea what the range is locally.} 

 

_{I have three children and zero idea where they might end up when they are adults.  When we need care in our last years it will be near one of them.  Our family isn't stongly tied to this area, so they could be anywhere in the US, therefore we could be as well.  The one known is that we will NOT do what my parents did and live 1500 miles away from children and grandchildren when we are old and need help.}   

 

_{As to the value of getting numbers now when it may be 15 or 20 years until we need the care: well, you gotta start somewhere, and Excel is dh's friend.  LOL!  The local providers all tell me that in the last 5 years, costs have increased 3-5% per year.  But that's just here.  I'd like to know if that holds true in other corners of the county.}

 

_{Thank you so much to all who have posted thus far -- it is very helpful!}

 

 

[Word Nerd]

My grandma was in a small assisted living residence for a couple of months after she broke her hip. It was around $1400 per month. (She lives in a small town in a very rural part of Kansas where the SOL is quite low.)

[idnib]

I don't have any data for you, but I wanted to make sure you know about long-term care insurance.

[Shelly in IL]

Northwest Ohio. $6300 per month for nice lockdown Alzheimer's facility.