The population of Buncombe County, NC, is 257,607, and 19.4 percent of these people are age 65 or over, which is just under 50,000 seniors, the group most at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia. In North Carolina, the Alzheimer's Association estimates there are 170,000 people living with Alzheimer's, and this number is estimated to grow to 210,000 by the year 2025.
To accommodate residents of Buncombe County who require memory care, there are two memory care facilities, both located in Asheville. In Buncombe County, as in the rest of North Carolina, memory care facilities are officially known as Special Care Units (SCUs).Â