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How do they price assisted living/memory care. Looked at several online, but none provide pricing. We don’t want to get ripped off. We will call a few tomorrow and set up some appointments. What do they base their prices on?Any advice?Thanks,

My mother pays about $6500 per month for Memory Care.

We are in Central Florida.
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Reply to cxmoody
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I will start with Assisted Living and move on to MC, as often BOTH are available from one venue and in one place.
People who qualify for ALF do not have dementia to the extent where they cannot be social with others, do a deal of self caring and decision making, and not require a locked facility. They usually have one of two rooms and take their meals communally. They may or may not need assistance with showers, dressing, continence, medications, and etc. So there is room accommodations) and board (includes usually the cleaning of the room, the laundry, and the transport often to a mall or to shop several times a week, or to appointments for medical (in my brother's place that took place on Thursdays).
The second cost factor in ALF is levels of care required and qualified for. There are usually 4 or 5 levels of care and they range from level I, which is basically self caring with your own medications, walking, and continence, showering, dressing and etc. And going up to those who require much more care with continence, with showering and dressing and having medications given by medication nurse.

All of this should be presented to you with a meeting . My brother's place was really wonderful in explaining how often there was a rental raise (often yearly) and what to expect (3% to 5% unless something unusual like covid comes on the scene). Rules and regulations are explained. You must qualify as not needing memory care and locked facility if you are going into AL.

Bumping up to memory care it is different in that there is much more staff and there is really no such things as self-caring. Rooms are less able to hold your own personal items and they are almost always shared. Most people here have severe dementia and need careful monitoring round the clock. The cost is MUCH higher.

If you visit facilities, they will want to know your own assets to afford care, as most places do not accept Medicaid, and are privately owned or corporately owned.
This can become intrusive seeming and my brother, and I became finally so peeved that we started conversations teasingly by "you are looking at about a million on the hoof. Only farmers or those familiar with farming will "get it".

You might consider also such businesses as A Place for Mom and like models where you are sort of pre-qualified as for a home loan. A Place for Mom will have you fill out forms explaining your needs, and etc. and assets. And you will go or have come to you representatives of different care places. I should let you know that A Place for Mom does own, manage, make available this Forum site, just so you know. None of us work for them, but you should know that.

Do consider also that there are (fewer, sadly, but still some) 6 packs or Board and Care facilities, often in a home, often run by a family, where there are about 6 residents with their own or shared room, home cooked meals, transportation and etc. They are harder to find, and few want to go through all the regulations and qualifications and dealing with difficult residents and families. But still some.

So, you are at the beginning of an adventure in learning here, and soon can contribute HERE to help others. Wishing you the best of luck. Hope you will update as you move along.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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