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How Much for 24-Hour Home Care for a Dementia Patient?
Date Updated: January 10, 2025
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Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Gene Altaffer has a Masters in Gerontology from the University of Southern California and has worked in many avenues along the continuum of long-term care, assisting thousands of clients and their families since 1995. He also sold long-term care insurance from numerous carriers while also assisting families with retirement planning. Gene helps seniors navigate their Medicare plans, ensuring they understand their benefits and options.
The amount for 24-hour home care for a dementia patient costs upward of $21,000 monthly, per 2024 data from Genworth Financial. However, precise fees depend on location and the need for specialized services based on an individual’s level of cognitive decline and ability loss. High costs might make residential settings more feasible.
Why Someone With Dementia May Need Around-the-Clock Home Care
People with dementia who require 24/7 home care often have intensive support needs. These may include requiring assistance with multiple activities of daily living or needing help managing challenging symptoms, such as sundowning, wandering or anxiety. Caregivers also provide companionship, which may include structured leisure activities such as working puzzles together or discussing current events. Around-the-clock home care enables individuals to remain safely, securely and comfortably at home in a familiar environment.
However, home care doesn’t include medical or therapeutic care. Rather, those aging in place who need such attention would also require home health care services. Home health agencies charge about $33 per hour, while full-time home health care runs around $24,000+ monthly.
Most and Least Affordable U.S. Locations for Home Care
While the national median monthly price for full-time home care runs around $21,840, fees vary substantially among cities and states. Toward the higher end of the financial scale, monthly rates stand at about $27,663 in Hawaii, Maine and Iowa. Prices rise to around $31,668 in Washington and $32,760 in New Mexico, peaking at $36,036 in Montana.
Alabama and Pennsylvania offer affordability, with median home care rates of $16,017 and $15,288, respectively. Prices fall even further in some areas; across the country, the most economical places for in-home care include Oklahoma ($14,559), Arkansas ($13,833) and Mississippi ($10,920).
Alternative Care Settings for People with Dementia
Individuals with extensive medical needs often find nursing home care more affordable than home care; facilities charge about $8,669 per month for a semi-private room. People in the earlier stages of dementia or without extensive medical needs may consider assisted living facilities for day-to-day help with essential tasks and leisure programming in a communal setting. Furthermore, many communities have 24/7 staffing. Some also have designated memory care neighborhoods where residents can receive heightened support as their condition progresses. The national median monthly cost of assisted living stands at $5,350, although prices vary widely.
Specialized memory care communities tend to change more than assisted living facilities but less than nursing homes. They also offer significantly lower monthly fees than 24-hour home care. Memory care facilities feature caregivers trained in specific dementia issues, 24/7 staffing, enhanced security features and specialized programming to boost cognition and promote skills maintenance.