By Stephanie Heredia, Administrator, Serenity Living Home Care. Last updated: October 2026.
Hi, I’m Stephanie. I run two small assisted living homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and both offer memory care. The question I hear most from families, usually right after “Is Mom going to be okay?”, is “How on earth are we going to pay for this?” It’s a fair question, and you deserve a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
Palm Beach Gardens offers a lot of memory care options, from large assisted living communities with specialized memory care units to small care homes like ours. So in this guide I’ll share what memory care costs at our homes, what drives the cost of memory care up or down in Palm Beach County, what’s included, and the truth about Medicare, Medicaid and the other ways families pay.
What Is the Average Cost of Memory Care in Palm Beach Gardens, FL?
At our two Palm Beach Gardens homes, memory care runs about $6,000 to $7,000 a month, depending on the care your loved one needs and whether the room is private or semi-private. That works out to roughly $200 to $230 a day, plus a one-time $1,500 move-in fee.
I like to be upfront about pricing because so many memory care facilities in Palm Beach Gardens won’t give you a number until you’ve toured. Ours is a range, not a promise, because every person is different. Someone in the early stage of dementia who mainly needs reminders and supervision needs a different level of care than someone who needs help with every activity of daily living. I’ll give you an exact number after we talk, once I understand the care needed. You may also find these helpful: staying in touch with a loved one and making visits with aging parents count.
For context, the Genworth and CareScout 2024 Cost of Care Survey puts the Florida median for assisted living at about $5,324 a month. Memory care usually costs more than standard assisted living, because it takes more staff time, more supervision and specialized training. Our assisted living runs about $5,500 to $6,500 a month, so memory care with us sits a step above that.
How much is memory care per day?
Divide the monthly cost by about 30. At $6,000 to $7,000 a month, memory care at our homes is roughly $200 to $230 per day. That daily cost covers room, meals, personal care, supervision, activities and caregivers in the home around the clock, which is why it compares well with hiring in-home help for the same hours.
What Affects Memory Care Costs? Care Level, Room Type & Senior Living Communities in Palm Beach
Memory care costs vary based on care needs, room type, the size and style of the community, and how fees are structured. Large senior living communities with many amenities often charge more, and some add level-of-care fees on top of base rent. Always get every fee in writing.
When families compare memory care communities in Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach or Royal Palm Beach, these are the things that change the price most:
- Level of care required: help with bathing, dressing, eating and mobility adds staff time
- Room type: a private room costs more than a semi-private room. At our homes we have both private and semi-private rooms
- Pricing model: all-inclusive pricing versus base rent plus care fees
- One-time fees: community or move-in fees (ours is $1,500)
- Setting: a big campus with dining venues and a pool prices those amenities in; a small care home puts the money into caregivers
Many senior living communities in Palm Beach Gardens price this way, and it’s not wrong, but compared to the average all-inclusive home it can make the first quote look lower than the real bill. My two cents: don’t compare only the base rent. Ask what the bill will be in month three, once the care assessment is done. That’s the number that matters.
Is Palm Beach Gardens, Florida expensive?
Palm Beach Gardens is one of the nicer areas of Palm Beach County, close to PGA National, good hospitals and the beach, so senior living here isn’t the cheapest in Florida. But small homes like ours often cost less than large senior living communities nearby, because you’re paying for care, not a clubhouse.
Memory Care Services Included: Dementia Care for Our Memory Care Residents
At Serenity Living, memory care includes a private or semi-private room, home-cooked meals, housekeeping, laundry, help with personal care, medication management, supervision, daily routines and activities, with caregivers in each home around the clock.
Here’s what the monthly cost covers for our memory care residents:
- Personal care: bathing, dressing and grooming at each person’s pace
- Medication management, so nothing is missed
- Home-cooked meals and snacks adapted to each resident’s diet
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Calm daily routines and activities like music, crafts, chair exercise and brain games
- Supervision 24 hours a day by caregivers who know each resident well
- Coordination with doctors, home health, therapy and hospice providers
Every resident has individual care plans that we update as needs change, because memory loss doesn’t stay the same from month to month. We also offer respite care, short stays that give family caregivers a break, when we have a room open. And we protect each resident’s privacy and dignity in everything from bathing to phone calls.
To be clear about what’s not included: we’re a non-medical home, not a nursing home, so we don’t provide skilled nursing care. Our caregivers include certified nursing assistants. We don’t provide transportation, and our homes aren’t pet-friendly, so I’d rather you know that before you visit.
For a deeper look at how we care for residents living with dementia, see our memory care services.
Our Memory Care Program: A Small Care Residence, Not a Large Care Center
Our approach to providing memory care is simple: a small care residence where a small team of caregivers gets to know each resident well. Instead of a large care center or one of the big dementia care facilities, residents live in a real home in Palm Beach Gardens with familiar faces and steady routines.
Dementia comes in different forms, including vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, and every person’s journey is different. What helps almost everyone, in my experience, is consistency. That’s the heart of our memory and dementia care services:
- Caregivers in each home around the clock, so someone is always nearby
- Familiar faces and steady routines, which can ease confusion and anxiety
- A real house, with a kitchen, a living room and outdoor space instead of long hallways
- Care partners, not just staff: I keep families updated on the good days and the hard ones
Families tell me the care quality is what they notice first, and the compliment I hear most is “clean, bright, caring.” That’s the kind of care living I believe in. Our homes offer assisted living and memory care under one roof, so a resident whose needs change doesn’t have to move to a different building. If you’re comparing care services in Palm Beach County, ask every home who will actually be with your mom at 2 a.m. and how many residents that person looks after.
Dementia caregiving is exhausting for families. If you’ve been doing it alone, please know there’s no failure in asking for help. That’s what the care provided by a good memory care home is for.
Does Medicare Pay for Memory Care?
No. Medicare does not pay for long-term memory care or the room and board in an assisted living or memory care home. Medicare may cover medical services your loved one receives, such as doctor visits, hospital stays, some therapy and hospice care, but not the monthly cost of living there.
This surprises a lot of families, and I hate being the one to tell them. Medicare is health insurance. Memory care is mostly what Medicare calls custodial care: help with daily living and supervision. Medicare can cover a short stay in a skilled nursing facility after a qualifying hospital stay, but that’s rehab, not long-term memory care.
How Do Families Pay for Memory Care in Florida?
Most families pay for memory care in Florida with private funds, such as savings, pensions, Social Security or the sale of a home. Long-term care insurance, VA Aid and Attendance and Florida’s Medicaid long-term care program can also help. At our homes, we accept private pay, VA Aid and Attendance and Medicaid; if your loved one has long-term care insurance, ask me about it.
- Private pay: the most common way families cover memory care costs
- Long-term care insurance: many policies pay once a person needs help with activities of daily living or has a cognitive impairment; check the elimination period and daily benefit
- VA Aid and Attendance: a pension benefit for eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily living; we accept it
- Florida Medicaid: the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program can pay for services in participating assisted living homes for people who qualify medically and financially. Room and board generally isn’t covered, and there can be a waitlist. We accept Medicaid; ask me which plans we work with
- Family contributions: siblings often share the cost
I go into more detail in smart ways to pay for assisted living.
Where do seniors go if they can’t afford assisted living?
Start by applying for Florida Medicaid long-term care early, because waitlists are common. Look at VA benefits if your parent or their spouse served. An elder law attorney can explain Medicaid planning. And call me anyway: I’ll tell you honestly whether we can help, and point you elsewhere if we can’t. See options when you can’t afford assisted living.
Cost of Senior Living: Memory Care vs. Assisted Living, Independent Living & Nursing Homes
Memory care usually costs more than standard assisted living but much less than a private nursing home room, which the 2024 CareScout survey puts at a Florida median of about $11,558 a month. In-home care can cost more than memory care once you need help around the clock.
| Care option | What it is | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living (our homes) | Help with daily living in a small home | About $5,500 to $6,500 |
| Memory care (our homes) | Assisted living plus dementia supervision and routine | About $6,000 to $7,000 |
| Assisted living, Florida median | Genworth/CareScout 2024 | About $5,324 |
| Nursing home, private room, Florida median | Skilled nursing care, Genworth/CareScout 2024 | About $11,558 |
Independent living costs less than memory care, but it doesn’t include supervision, so it’s rarely safe once dementia affects daily judgment. Price isn’t the only difference. A nursing home provides skilled nursing care; memory care in a small home like ours provides supervision, personal care and routine in a home setting. The right care option depends on what your loved one needs medically. I explain the differences in memory care vs. dementia care vs. assisted living, and the bigger picture of costs in assisted living costs in Palm Beach County.
Finding Affordable Memory Care Facilities in Palm Beach Gardens & Near West Palm Beach
To find affordable memory care in Palm Beach Gardens, compare total monthly costs in writing, consider a semi-private room, ask about all-inclusive pricing, apply early for Medicaid or VA benefits, and look at small residential care homes, which often cost less than large senior living communities.
- Ask for the all-in number. Base rent plus every care fee, in writing.
- Consider a semi-private room. It lowers the monthly cost, and many residents enjoy the company.
- Start benefits early. Medicaid and VA applications take time.
- Check the license. Look up any home on FloridaHealthFinder.gov, run by the Agency for Health Care Administration. Ours are licenses #13026 and #14099.
- Tour small homes too. You may find the quality care you want at a lower price.
- Read the inspection reports. Every licensed home in Florida has them, and they tell you more than a brochure.
Most of our families live in Palm Beach Gardens communities, Jupiter or North Palm Beach, close to West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, Florida. Florida living near family matters: being close enough to visit often is worth more than any amenity. Families tell me the price is the hardest part, and the second hardest is the fear of change for their parent. Both get easier once you’ve seen the place. Our memory care residents live in a real house, with familiar caregivers and a calm, family-style routine.
Frequently Asked Questions About Memory Care Costs
Does Medicaid pay for memory care in Florida?
Florida’s Medicaid long-term care program can pay for care services in participating assisted living homes for people who qualify, but usually not room and board. We accept Medicaid. Apply early, because there can be a waitlist.
Is there a move-in fee?
Yes. We charge a one-time $1,500 move-in fee. Ask every home about one-time fees so you can compare memory care costs fairly.
Can we tour before deciding?
Please do. I give every tour myself, any day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and we can set up a virtual tour for families out of town.
Talk to Me About Memory Care Costs
The fastest way to know what memory care will cost for your loved one is a short conversation. Call (561) 354-3476 or contact us, and I’ll give you an honest estimate and show you both of our Palm Beach Gardens homes.
You can also learn more about our assisted living homes in Palm Beach Gardens.
Warmly,
Stephanie