The 10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Sonoma, CA for 2023

Sonoma is a very popular tourist town of just over 11,000 people in California's Napa Wine Country. At least 28 percent of Sonoma's people are seniors age 65 and over, many of whom have some form of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease or advanced stages of Parkinson's disease.

Sonoma's eight memory care facilities have trained staff to look after seniors with memory impairments. All residential care facilities in California are licensed at the state level by the California Department of Social Services Adult Care Licensing Program, which inspects the assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care facilities it monitors.

• The weather in Sonoma is one of the town's nicest features. Generally, mild summers can average 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the hottest parts of July and August, while even more mild winters usually average 38 degrees overnight in December and January. This part of the Napa Valley gets close to 31.5 inches of rain a year. This is good for the redwood violets all over town, but problematic for seniors with severe allergies and asthma.
• Sonoma's cost of living is high, both by national standards and the already-high standards of California. Overall, the cost of living here is about double the national average, while housing is more than 300 percent more expensive. Healthcare, which is especially important for seniors in memory care, is surprisingly affordable, costing just 88 percent of the national average rate.
• Crime rates are low across the board in Sonoma. In all crime categories combined, Sonoma's crime rates are less than two-thirds the national average rates. In the categories of violent crimes, local rates are low enough that some categories have had zero incidents in some years.
  
• The Sonoma area is home to world-class medical facilities, including those specializing in brain health and dementia care such as Sonoma Valley Hospital Hand And Physical Therapy and Queen of the Valley Medical Center, in the event of medical emergencies or illness.

Financial Assistance for Memory Care in Sonoma

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

More Ways to Pay for Memory Care

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.

Sonoma and the surrounding area are home to numerous government agencies and non-profit organizations offering help for seniors searching for or currently residing in a memory care community. These organizations can also provide assistance in a number of other eldercare services such as geriatric care management, elder law advice, estate planning, finding home care and health and wellness programs.

To see a list of free memory care resources in Sonoma, please visit our Memory Care in California page.

Directory of Winners in the Sonoma Area

Sonoma-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.