How much does senior care cost based on your personal experience?

My brother with Alzheimer's is in senior living in Elk Grove, CA, starting at $5300 monthly. Includes most meals, but requires $7,000 fee to get in. The 1 and 2 BR apartments are large with full kitchen. It's really a nice, clean, hotel-like place. Lots of amenities, which I am sure he pays extra for. He loves it there and they love him. They have AL and MC, should he need it in the future. The weather there is about 10 - 15 degrees higher there than where I live.

I looked into a comp place in Kalispell, MT and they had a $200K+ fee to get in. My niece wants me to move there, but that was a deal breaker for me. I am thinking that for the time being, I will hire help for a few hours a day, a few days a week to fix some meals and do light housework, so I can stay in my own condo. I haven't any children and my niece (sisters' daughter) is my only resource. She is caring for her mother in assisted living, soon to be MC and I don't want to put more pressure on her to take care of me as long as I can do it myself. At 83, I am in relatively good health and am still able to drive. However, my niece is sure I will drop dead at any minute and today had the sheriff's dept do a wellness check because I went to lunch, then shopping and left my cell in my car. We now have her phone set up to track my phone so she will know where I am (or at least my phone).

My sister's (85) income is Social Security, so Medicare pays for her to live in a place with 9 other residents with has one small room + bath. The shower is shared and there is no pool. For what it is, it's nice and the people working there seem to be caring. Like my brother (88), my income is too high to be eligible for Government funds.

It takes a lot of research and compromise to find the right place to match with your LO's income, physical and mental abilities, and expectations. Personally, I think resources are all over the place in price and amenities and are charging whatever the traffic will bear. They are profit making organizations with not much government oversight.

My MIL's ALF apartment was $7K a month, base rate. By the time they did all the 'add ons' it was closer to $10K.

Yes, it was probably THE nicest facility we could find, and money wasn't even an concern.

A much less 'nice' ALF was about $5K, with add ons being in the $1-2K per month--and not nearly so nice. Also had an air of despondency that was palpable. Everything seemed cloaked in a fine layer of grime.

She was actually moved into the better place and lived only 8 days there and passed away. She was out about $10K b/c there was a non-refundable deposit and she did have to pay the whole month's rent.

Also, as a side note--her evaluation prior to moving her in showed that she would be best in the ALF side of the facility. Once they did a REAL eval, she was being moved to the MC unit. It would have been a base rate of $12K a month.

You get what you pay for.

Too much. Think about it just from an employer employee relationship. How much would you expect to get paid for 8 hrs workday? Now consider it a skilled job 80k 100k per year? For a 40 hr week. Now triple that for 24hr care.
all this before you even tack on the “medical” part to the care. Now if you are in a facility expect 10k per month.or more. The game is to go bankrupt so the government will pay.

My 97 year old mother lives with me. I don't use her income to pay for anything related to my home (utilities, taxes, maintenance) which is paid off.

I use her income to pay for a sitter (I have 3 private sitters who come on different days as needed). Maybe 16 hours each week at $20/hour = $320 per week on average.

I use her income to pay for her toiletries, depends, pads, her clothing as needed, a portion of the grocery bill, etc. All of that is maybe $400 / month.

So it costs roughly $1700 / month to care for my mother with most of that being sitters to give me a break.

PeggySue2020: My mother paid zero since I was her out of state pro bono caregiver. If my mother had to go into managed care, she could not have afforded it.

My mother lived in assisted living for four months at Lilies Care Home in South San Francisco, CA where the starting rate is $3,000 monthly.

Michigan. 5200.00 memory care. 2600.00 assisted living and that was two months ago

Try Adult Day Care for less than $100.00 a day in some states low as $40.00
https://www.seniorcare.com/adult-day-care/resources/adult-day-care-costs/

WOW. 

I guess they don’t see a lot of Medi-Cal residents in there, do they.

California: $6500/mo board & care with private room, never more than six residents at a time. Everything provided: Adjustable bed, comforters, dresser, nightstands, recliner, lamps, all toiletries needed for bathing. 

(Walking in and seeing my mom's hair styled, wearing a crown, surrounded by balloons, flowers, and gifts from "her girls" on her birthday: Priceless)

Beautiful newer home, very modern, open kitchen to great room, high ceilings with lots of natural lighting, three full baths with walk in showers, one being a roll in, nice decor, wood plantation shudders, backyard with outside patio and string lighting, and always extremely clean. State reports and unannounced inspections pass with flying colors. Three home cooked meals per day plus snacks and all laundry services included. Manicures and polish every Sunday as needed or desired. Owned locally and owner is always in there making sure things are running smoothly. Two aides and a supervisor (divides her time between two homes) during the day. One med tech always on duty. Staff frequently texts with photos and videos and have answered the phone within three rings 100% of the time day or evening.

Increase of 3% expected in January of each year and one-on-one is extra (it’s in the contract but not in front of me at the moment). The 1:1 is considered dedicated 24/7 with resident 100% of the time. 

Same company provides in home services at $38/hr base with 4/hr minimum. 

Assisted Living National Average is $4,300.00 per month., The cost does differ a lot in Many States NJ Average is $6,650.00 per month

Homecare in NJ averages about $32.00 per hour to have an aide come to your home with minimum requirements.. AL average is about $6-$8,000 per month.
NH or LTC $12-$18,000 per month

Fla $4,800 AL includes everything.

I wouldn't buy a 600k place then add on the $9,500, crazy to me.

In the Detroit area, we are paying $33/hr for in home care for both of my parents thru an agency. Mom has dementia which makes finding home care help difficult. Dad has mobility issues Right now we have 10 hrs/day of help but the amount of help required will increase over time.

Sure glad you cleared that Peggy Sue. What's that song?

My mom paid about 2,000 a month for extra home care (I was her unpaid primary caregiver during that time), 4,500 for AL, 6,750 for MC, a 11,000 for nursing home, and end of life home on Hospice was 4,500 again, all in CO.

About $9000/month and up as more care is needed.

Genworth has some good data on this. It varies by facility and type of care. https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care

You cannot determine the cost of care on a forum like this . It depends on the a state you live in. And even within a state the price varies. I live in S New Jersey. Anyone from the area will tell you North and South are two different cultures especially the Counties near NYC. The South would be cheaper than the north. You just have to do the research where u live.

If one had to privately pay qualified aids for in-home 24/7 care it would exceed the cost of most facilities.

Your husband works for an AL that only the rich can afford.

There are so many variables to the cost for any one individual that it’s too difficult to give any kind of estimate. My mother was in three different facilities in two states. The last one, in California, was by far the nicest, most modern facility and the most expensive. Base rent for AL without medication management was $6400 a month. By the end of her life just a month ago we were at $9100 because she needed help with everything other than feeding herself. Her dementia had dramatically increased as her mobility decreased. So it really depends on the level of care required for each resident.

That sounds insane! My cousins bought into a CCRC here in Denver that does have all levels of care services available, IL, AL, MC and SNF. They paid a buy in of $500k which insures them care services until death, in whatever care level they require, even if they run out of money to pay the monthly rent associated with each care level. They have a brand new 1500sf apartment in IL right now which they got to pick out the finishes for, 2 bedroom, and last I knew, were paying $3500 a month. They buy meal coupons for the various restaurants on the huge property as well, although I'm not sure the cost. I want to say $1500 for 15 meals apiece that can also be delivered to their apt. Nothing is inexpensive about CCRC living, but they can easily afford it and won't likely run out of money, either. They have no children to help them out in any way, so CCRC was a good option. They're mid 70s.

Mom and dad paid $6500 a month 10 years ago in AL for both of them in a 1 bedroom, with dad needing highest level care.

Mom paid $6700 a month for a suite in Memory Care Assisted Living in 2022 which was a smallish room and bathroom. All services were included but incontinence supplies were extra. Meds, doctor bills, phone and personal items were extra too. Again, in the greater Denver metro area.

Super expensive no matter what.

My experience is way too long ago at this point, PeggySue. Back in 2020 my brother paid at his SWANK assisted living in So Cal 485.00 a month for two rooms on level one care with three meals and snacks and transportation provided to medical and around to the malls and so on.

I would imagine, it being four years on this is much more at this point. He had beautiful grounds there, cleaning, laundry provided. Very excellent oversite and care.

I do know at that time it would have easily cost TWICE that in the bay area.