The 10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Wilmington, DE for 2023

As the largest city in Delaware, Wilmington has a total population of 70,898, with 13.6% of people being adults aged 65 and older. Based on the national average, the Alzheimer’s Association expects that more than 1,000 of the city’s seniors may have Alzheimer’s. This is particularly concerning considering that between 2016 and 2020, the CDC found that the rate of Alzheimer’s deaths in the city grew by 34.43%, which translates to a 6.8% increase in the Alzheimer’s mortality rate as a percentage of total deaths in the city.

Thankfully, Wilmington has numerous memory care facilities offering around-the-clock assistance with personal care, nutritious meals and activities designed to maintain mental fitness. The compassionate caregivers at these facilities are trained in the latest dementia care techniques, and many communities also offer on-site therapy. In addition to covering the pros and cons of living in Wilmington, this guide details the cost of care at the city’s memory care communities. Resources that may help families pay for their loved ones’ care, choose a facility and generally improve their quality of life are also included.

The Division of Health Care Quality, a subagency of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, oversees, regulates and licenses assisted living facilities that offer memory care services in Wilmington. The Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection investigates allegations of abuse against residents, thereby promoting a high quality of care throughout the state’s memory care facilities.

• Seniors may consider moving to Wilmington to help their savings last longer. The city’s overall cost of living is 10.1% below the national average and 12.8% below Delaware’s statewide cost of living. Although seniors who move to memory care communities pay a monthly fee that’s inclusive of housing, seniors interested in buying homes may also appreciate Wilmington’s median home price of $257,200, 11.8% below the national median of $291,700.
• Wilmington is a magnet for crime in Delaware. On a scale from 1 to 100, where lower scores indicate less crime, Wilmington’s violent crime rating is 80.1, nearly four times the U.S. average of 22.7. Wilmington’s property crime rating is also high, being assessed at 68.7, nearly twice the national average of 35.4. Fortunately, assisted living facilities with memory care programs offer enhanced security measures such as closed-circuit camera systems, keycard-only entries and exits and fenced-in courtyards and other outdoor areas.
• Wilmington experiences average summers and cool winters. The city’s average July high is 86.1 degrees Fahrenheit, right in line with the U.S. average of 85.8 degrees. Wilmington’s average January low is 25.2 degrees, 3.5 degrees higher than the U.S. average of 21.7 degrees. The city receives just 13 inches of snowfall per year, less than half the national average of 28 inches.
• Delaware is one of just five states with no state sales tax. Wilmington also imposes no local sales taxes on local commerce, helping seniors make their finances stretch further. 
• Wilmington has experienced significant urban decay due to significant economic decline in recent history. Even though most seniors who are considering moving to a memory care community won’t be affected by Wilmington’s high unemployment rate (10.3%), which is 71.6% higher than the national average (6%), Wilmington’s urban decay still presents several downsides that everyone, including seniors, has to deal with. Some of these downsides include increased poverty, increased crime, low citywide living standards and elevated pollution levels.

Assisted living communities sometimes provide memory care, typically offered as an add-on service. Memory care services cost 20-30% more than base-level assisted living care. There aren’t any authoritative resources about memory care costs in the United States, so we estimated the costs below by increasing the assisted living costs from Genworth’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey by 25%.

On average, memory care providers in Wilmington charge $7,591 per month. This rate is $97 more than Delaware’s state average ($7,494) and $1,966 more than the national average ($5,625). Monthly memory care costs in nearby cities range considerably, starting at $5,938 (Baltimore) and rising as high as $9,363 (Ocean City). On average, memory care facilities in Philadelphia charge $7,106 per month, whereas those in Salisbury average $6,225.

Adult day care only costs $1,343 per month in Wilmington, thousands of dollars less than any other senior care option. Home care and home health care both cost $5,339, closely followed by assisted living at $6,073. Nursing homes charge between $12,653 for semiprivate and $12,836 for private rooms.

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 Delaware page.