Memory Care Communities in Reno, Nevada

Compared to Carson City, its closest southern neighbor in Nevada, memory care in Reno is more expensive by $538 per month. However, when comparing Reno to other cities in its geographical area, we have to move to cities in California, and in comparison to these cities, Reno is less expensive. More specifically, Reno’s price for memory care is $500 less than Yuba City, just over $1,000 less than that of Chico, and nearly $2,220 less than the cost of memory care in the Sacramento area. 

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.

Seniors who live in the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area pay an average of approximately $5,300 per month for memory care services. While this amount is $625 more than the state average, it is less than the national average by $300 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 Nevada page.

Memory care is often more expensive than other types of senior care due to the advanced treatments that seniors with Alzheimer’s often require. Memory care costs approximately $5,300 per month, which is more than $3,600 more per month than adult day health care and more than $1,000 more per month than living in an assisted living community.

However, home health care and home care in Reno are both more expensive than memory care, amounting to a $400 cost difference. Memory care is also less expensive than entering a nursing home, with seniors paying more than $4,400 more each month for a semi-private room in a nursing home than they do for comprehensive memory care services.

In Nevada, the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance is responsible for the licensure and regulation of health facilities in the state, including memory care facilities and hospitals. This is a department of the state’s Department of Health and Human Service Division of Public and Behavioral Health. 

• The weather in Nevada is to be envied. Summers are hot, but with a daily humidity that rarely gets above 35 percent. Low humidity also makes it a great area for seniors who have chronic pain or respiratory disease. Reno offers a four season climate that allows seniors to mark the year by differences in the weather; what doesn’t vary much is the cloud cover, as Reno gets more than 3,400 hours of sunshine each year.  
• Nevada is one of the most tax-friendly states in the country for seniors. The state has no income tax, so seniors don’t  have to pay on the money they make throughout the year. It also has no tax on Social Security and other retirement accounts. The property tax rate is low, and there is no estate or inheritance tax either, making it easy for seniors to afford to leave property to their loved ones. 
• Reno joined the AARP Age-Friendly Network in 2018. This means that government agencies in the city have pledged to make the city more senior-friendly. In Reno’s case, the city has promised to increase affordable housing for seniors, increase transit options and expand the number of caregivers accessible to seniors in the area. 
• The crime rate in Reno is somewhat higher than in comparable cities across the nation, with residents sharing a 1 in 45 chance of being a victim of property crime and a 1 in 177 chance of being involved in a violent crime, compared to a 1 in 215 chance for the rest of the state. Fortunately, most senior communities that house dementia residents are secured through an electronic locking system or are housed in a gated community. 
• The Northern Nevada Medical Center is a newly built hospital for seniors who live in the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. It has already been recognized by the Joint Commission as the first to be certified in pain management. The city also has a highly ranked VA Hospital and close access to the resources of Sacramento and San Francisco.