The 10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Port Saint Lucie, FL for 2024

In Port Saint Lucie, about one in five of the 205,000 residents are aged 65 and over. The Alzheimer’s Association shows that this demographic is the one most likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Despite the city’s large senior community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of Alzheimer’s-related deaths is declining. Between 2016 and 2020, Alzheimer’s-related deaths went from making up 8% of all fatalities in the region to just over 5%. During that time frame, the number of Alzheimer’s deaths dropped by 15% even though the total number of deaths went up by 28%.

While Alzheimer’s doesn’t currently have a cure, seniors may experience better health outcomes and improved quality of life with comprehensive dementia care. There are several residential memory care facilities in Port Saint Lucie where residents live in secured environments and participate in therapeutic, failure-free social and recreational activities.

This guide covers how much dementia care costs in Port Saint Lucie and outlines some regional and statewide resources that provide seniors and families with information, support and referrals.

In Florida, all long-term care communities, including memory care facilities, are licensed and regulated by the Agency for Health Care Administration, Bureau of Health Facility Regulation. All facilities undergo an inspection prior to licensure, with a follow-up inspection conducted every two years to ensure the facility remains compliant with state and federal regulations.

• Considered one of the best places to retire in all of the U.S., Port Saint Lucie offers plenty for seniors to do. Right in the heart of Florida’s Treasure Coast, seniors have abundant access to beaches and outdoor recreation. The city is also home to numerous museums, galleries and riverside botanical gardens.
• Seniors and their families can enjoy peace of mind, knowing that crime is very low in Port Saint Lucie. In fact, it’s one of the safest cities in the country. The city’s violent crime rate is 9.1 out of 100, which is significantly lower than the U.S. average of 22.7. Property crime rates are slightly higher at 22.3, though most facilities are fully-equipped with security systems and safety features.
• The cost of living in Port Saint Lucie is right on par with the U.S. average. While some costs such as housing and utilities are low, seniors may end up paying a bit more for their health care services, groceries and transportation.
• Florida is one of the country’s most tax-friendly states for retirees. There is no sales tax, but seniors will not be taxed on Social Security benefits, pensions, IRAs, 401(k) s or other forms of retirement income.
• With its subtropical climate, Port Saint Lucie offers warm, sunny weather all year long — perfect for seniors looking to escape cold, snowy winters. However, seniors and their caregivers should be mindful during hurricane season and in the height of summer, when temperatures can climb as high as 90 degrees.
• Port Saint Lucie offers access to a number of world-class health care facilities, including Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital and HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital. The city is also home to Port St. Lucie Hospital, which has a specialized Senior Adult Mental Health Program to treat seniors diagnosed with a variety of conditions, including memory loss and symptoms of early dementia.
• Using the Area Regional Transit (ART) system, seniors can get around Port Saint Lucie. The service operates eight fixed bus routes around St. Lucie County and a free, award-winning micro-transit service known as ART On-Demand.

Note: Residential memory care is usually offered in assisted living facilities, and in general, memory care rates tend to be 20-30% higher than assisted living rates. No national database currently tracks memory care costs in the United States, so we’ve estimated the monthly memory care costs listed below by adding 25% to the rates listed in Genworth’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey.

The average cost of care at a memory care facility in Port Saint Lucie is $4,704 per month, which is lower than both the state median of $5,000 and the national average of $5,625.

While Port Saint Lucie is one of the most affordable cities in southern Florida, there are even less expensive options, including the Sebring area, where memory care typically costs $4,295 per month and Sebastian at $4,188. Rates can be much higher in cities such as Miami, where seniors can expect to pay around $5,481 per month. Memory care is most expensive in Naples. Here, seniors typically pay $6,625 per month, which is more than $1,900 higher than Port Saint Lucie.

Depending on their level of need, seniors have multiple care options available to them. The least expensive option is adult day health care. It’s ideal for seniors who require minimal supervision and costs an average of $1,517 per month. Assisted living is also affordable at $3,763 per month, followed by in-home care and home health care, which cost $4,671 and $4,767, respectively. A nursing home will be the most expensive option, with costs averaging $8,164 per month for a semiprivate room.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for memory care, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance memory care costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in Florida page.