Memory Care Facilities in Dothan, AL

 

In Dothan, seniors make up about 18% of the 71,000 residents, which explains the need for long-term support and dementia care solutions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights the impact Alzheimer’s has had on the local community. According to its research, between 2016 and 2020, the number of Alzheimer’s-related deaths in the region increased by about 27%. While this is slightly less significant than the 33% increase recorded in the number of deaths across all causes, Alzheimer’s accounted for about one in 10 deaths in both reporting years.

Memory care offers a safe, welcoming environment for seniors with dementia. This residential care option provides daily meals, medication management and personal care services, along with dementia-informed therapies and recreational programming to promote engagement. Facilities are staffed with caring, highly trained professionals who specialize in recognizing and managing dementia-related symptoms. Many feature open floor plans with visual cues to support self-direction and minimize confusion. 

Through this guide, readers can get more information on dementia care in Dothan, including how much care costs and some ways to pay for services. 

The Alabama Department of Public Health licenses memory care facilities in Dothan, promoting a high standard of care and a safe, secured environment. In this city, as in the rest of the state, memory care units are officially licensed as specialty care assisted living facilities, and they comply with unique guidelines related to staffing, staff training and security features.

 

• Seniors in Dothan pay state income taxes on all withdrawals from retirement accounts. However, Alabama doesn’t levy any income taxes on Social Security benefits or public or private pensions, making the state a budget-friendly option for seniors who rely mainly on these forms of retirement income.
• Dothan is among the communities in Alabama that receive grants from the Dementia Friendly Alabama Initiative. This promotes access to support groups, memory cafes and community educational activities, fostering a supportive environment for those living with dementia.
• There are two hospitals in Dothan proper: Southeast Health Medical Center and Flowers Hospital. Combined, these hospitals have over 500 inpatient beds and provide a full range of emergency, primary and specialty care services. In addition to this, the city has about 328 doctors per capita, compared to the national norm of 210, and many memory care facilities have on-call physicians who provide in-house care.
• Dothan is among the hottest places to live in Alabama, with the city seeing humid summers with average high temperatures in the low 90s. The weather is considerably milder from late fall through the early spring, with daytime temperatures ranging from 60-80 degrees, providing opportunities to enjoy therapeutic outdoor activities.
• Crime is comparatively common in Dothan, which may make residential dementia care a good alternative to living alone, for those with mild to moderate dementia. On a 100-point index, the city scores 37.2 for violent crime and 52.8 for property crime versus national respective norms of 22.7 and 35.4. To minimize the risk of crime, memory care facilities employ alarm systems, security gates and locked entry points.
• Dothan’s cost of living is about 20% below national norms and several percentage points below the Alabama average, indicating that this city is a generally cost-effective place for retirement. Housing costs are very low, which may promote competitive memory care costs. Additionally, residents typically pay less for utilities, groceries and transportation in this city than in other U.S. communities.

 

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.

In Dothan, memory care facilities charge $4,299 per month for care.

In Dothan, memory care facilities charge an affordable rate of $2,688 per month for dementia services, which is a significant saving compared to the state's average of $4,379 and roughly $1,325 less than the national average. Most other communities in the surrounding region have costlier care, including Mobile, where rates are about $1,716 higher than in Dothan, and Daphne’s rates are even more expensive at $4,985. Two hours north, seniors in Auburn pay much higher rates of $5,373, but to the west in Tuscaloosa, care costs are a bit more competitive at $3,938.

In Dothan, memory care is notably more affordable than many other senior care options, costing residents just $2,688 per month. To put that in perspective, it's a significant $4,300 less per month than what's charged for a semiprivate room in a nursing home. Additionally, private in-home care or home health care typically costs seniors around $1,300 more each month. For those who don't require memory support, assisted living is available at $2,150 monthly. However, the most budget-friendly choice is adult day health care, priced at a modest $542.

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 Alabama page.