The Best Memory Care Communities in Marin County, CA

Marin County is a hilly, largely residential outlying area to the north of the metro San Francisco Bay Area. Located directly across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco, Marin County is home to 261,000 people, more than 21 percent of them seniors, many of them with Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease or another form of dementia. For seniors whose conditions require full-time supervision and daily assistance, Marin County has five memory care facilities within its borders, mostly concentrated near the few built-up areas of Sausalito and San Rafael. 

• Marin County is very close to San Francisco, and, as a result, it shares the same very stable climate, though it tends to be a bit warmer. Summer highs in the county average 81 degrees, while winter lows rarely dip below 42. The prevailing offshore breeze brings occasionally heavy rain to the interior, where 35.5 inches a year is normal. This rainfall, which is heavy by most of California's standards, causes almost the entire county to turn green in winter and raises pollen counts, which can be an issue for seniors with asthma.
• Marin County can be an expensive place with a high cost of living. Average costs to live here run to 262 percent of the national average, though much of that is the $1,114,300 median home value. Healthcare in the county costs 8 percent less than the national average.
• Crime in Marin County is roughly 10 percent more common than it is nationally, though this is an average of all crime categories together. Theft is more common in San Rafael than average, though violent crime is rare everywhere in the county. 
• The Marin County area is home to world-class medical facilities, including those specializing in brain health and dementia care such as Marin General Hospital and Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center, in the event of medical emergencies or illness.

Memory Care costs in Marin County start around $7,565 per month on average, while the nationwide average cost of memory care is $5,694 per month.

It’s important to note that memory care rates in Marin County and the surrounding suburbs can vary widely based on factors such as location, the level of care needed, apartment size and the types of amenities offered at each community.

Learn more about these programs, plus who’s eligible, on our Memory Care in California page.

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 California page.

Marin County-area memory care communities must adhere to the comprehensive set of state laws and regulations that all memory care communities in California are required to follow. Visit our Memory Care in California page for more information about these laws.