Memory Care Communities in Scottsboro, Alabama

Scottsboro seniors pay approximately $4,181 per month for residential memory care, running below the Alabama median of $4,379 and the national norm of $5,625. Although rates in Gadsden come in about $680 lower than in Scottsboro, other cities in the region have costlier care. For example, in Decatur, care costs surpass local care costs by about $120, and in Florence, fees run even higher at $5,188.

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 Scottsboro, memory care communities charge a baseline rate of $4,181 per month.

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.

In Scottsboro, monthly memory care fees come to approximately $4,181, running a little higher than rates for alternative senior care options. By comparison, seniors who schedule private in-home care services, such as help with bathing and dressing, or home health care services, such as medication administration and disease monitoring, pay about $180 less for full-time services, and seniors without dementia who need personal care services in a residential environment pay approximately $840 less for assisted living. Additionally, those who attend adult day health care save about $3,050 per month over memory care residents, although nursing home rates run $2,660 higher for those who need 24-hour skilled nursing.

The Alabama Department of Public Health licenses Scottsboro’s memory care communities and requires them to comply with rules for staffing, security and care planning. Additionally, the department publishes information on Alzheimer’s and resources available to state residents.

• Highlands Medical Center serves memory care residents in the Scottsboro region through numerous specialties, including diagnostic imaging, cancer care and rehabilitative therapies. The hospital has a 24-hour emergency room, as well as a Medicine on the Move team that travels throughout the region to administer free health and wellness screenings. To promote access to dementia services outside of a hospital setting, many memory care communities have on-call physicians who provide routine checkups and referrals.

• In Alabama, seniors don’t pay state income taxes on Social Security benefits or income from pensions, but they pay taxes at rates between 2-5% on any money they take from retirement savings accounts. The state doesn’t have an inheritance or estate tax, which may affect some seniors’ memory care budgets in Scottsboro.

• The overall cost of living in Scottsboro runs about 2% below the nationwide norm, promoting economical long-term care services for seniors with memory loss. Health care costs come in especially low at nearly 23% below the U.S. average, which may help seniors afford treatment services for Alzheimer’s and related conditions.

• Scottsboro scores just 39 points on the AARP Livability Index, nearly 10 points lower than the average U.S. city score, which indicates that it has limited amenities and benefits for seniors. Even so, access to affordable housing may support budget-friendly long-term care pricing, and its higher-than-average walkability score enables some individuals to visit loved ones in local memory care communities without having to drive.

• On a 100-point total crime index, Scottsboro scores just six points, indicating 96% of U.S. communities report less crime than this city. Annually, the city sees 37 illegal incidents per 1,000 people, including about 10 violent acts and 27 nonviolent crimes. Although this surpasses state and national norms, as well as what’s typical in similarly sized cities, the city has several safe neighborhoods for prospective memory care residents, including Estillfork/Hollytree, Skyline and Scottsboro South.