The 10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Lexington, KY for 2023

The Lexington region has 320,000 residents and a moderately sized senior community that accounts for 14% of the population. While this percentage is low compared to state and national norms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the number of dementia-related deaths per capita is high. In 2016, 137 deaths in the region were linked to Alzheimer’s, a disease primarily diagnosed in those aged 65 and over. In 2020, this number increased by almost 25% to 171. During this reporting period, the total number of deaths went up by a little less than 23%.

While memory care doesn’t cure Alzheimer’s, it can improve the quality of life of someone living with this disease. The Lexington region supports seniors and families affected by Alzheimer’s through several residential memory care facilities. These facilities provide standard assisted living services such as housing, meals and housekeeping and laundry services, and they have specialized social and recreational activities that help residents maintain social, physical and cognitive health. This guide provides information on dementia care costs and resources for seniors and families in Lexington.

The Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living regulates assisted living communities, including memory care in Lexington and the rest of the state. They provide licensing information and certifications for facilities. It also offers seniors the Aging and Disability Resource Center, which can assist in locating facilities and resources available to them.

• Lexington is a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, with a livability score of 57 that places it in the top half of communities in the nation. As a member of this program, the city is committed to improving the liveability of the community for seniors.
• The BestPlaces Comfort Index in Lexington, which rates how comfortable the climate is, is a 7.3 out of 10, with summer rated at 8.2 and winter at 5.6. This makes Lexington’s climate one of the most comfortable in the state. This location sees 188 sunny days per year, under the U.S. average of 205, but receives just 10 inches of annual snow compared to the national average of 28 inches.
• Seniors concerned about access to medical care can rest assured knowing that Lexington has over double the U.S. average of 210 physicians per 100,000 people, with 434 per 100,000 in the area.
• Lexington is home to several hospitals, including the Albert B. Chandler Hospital. This hospital ranked as the #1 hospital in Kentucky and is rated by the U.S. News & World Report as high performing in two specialties, including geriatrics. Also in Lexington is the Good Samaritan Hospital, which offers all private rooms and a state-of-the-art diagnostic center. This hospital is home to the second-largest joint replacement program in Kentucky.
• The cost of living in Lexington is about 10% lower than the national average. However, the cost of memory care in this city is estimated to be just over the U.S. average. Seniors may see savings if they opt for in-home or home health care rather than moving into a memory care facility.
• Crime in Lexington is higher than the state averages. On a scale of 1 to 100, Kentucky’s state average for violent crime is ranked 15.2, and property crime is ranked 35.4. However, in Lexington, those numbers increase to 22.0 and 55.8, respectively. While this can paint a concerning picture, memory care facilities are typically quite secure, meant to keep wandering seniors with dementia inside and unwanted visitors out, which can minimize the effects of these higher crime rates.

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 Lexington, the average monthly cost of memory care is $5,418, but the exact prices will vary based on specific facilities and the amenities provided.

Memory care in Lexington is higher than both the state and national averages of $4,310 and $5,625, respectively. It’s also higher than other areas in the state. In Louisville and Bowling Green, costs for memory care are the same, averaging $4,375 per month. Care in Elizabethtown is nearly $1,700 less than in Lexington. A more affordable option for memory care can be found in Owensboro, averaging $3,860 per month. 

In Lexington, adult day health care is the most affordable care option, averaging $1,690 per month, followed by assisted living for an average of $4,568. Both in-home care and home health care average the same cost of $4,957, which is still lower than memory care in the area. Seniors who need more extensive medical care may be best served by nursing home care, averaging $6,996 for a semiprivate room in the area.

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 Kentucky page.