Average cost in NJ for Memory Care ??

charley0419 · November 2023

Want are cost of care for patients? Is memory care certain amount of times a week? Please explain ? And at what point do you start memory care?? My wife has anosognosia. Live in NJ near shore

harshedbuzz · November 2023

It's hard to say.

Are you north or south? Prices in MC tend to trend with housing and COL. Five years ago my aunt in suburban Boston was paying over $10K/month while mom was paying $7200 in suburban Philadelphia. Part of the difference was related to her facility maintaining a Kosher kitchen which is more expensive than standard meals. Another member here had her DH in a facility owned by the same company as dad's with the same branding in my state but further from metro areas and was paying about $1600 less a month for the same level of care.

HB

charley0419 · November 2023

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/188121#Comment_188121

South Manchester

Vitruvius · November 2023

You asked:

”Is memory care certain amount of times a week?”

When people refer to memory care here they mean full time residential care in a facility dedicated to patients with dementia, referred to by the acronym MCF (memory care facility). The cost for this kind of care can vary greatly even in the same area. In my ultra high cost of living area I had quotes from $7800 to $13500 per month. The quality of care was only roughly correlated to cost. The one’s with the best care always had wait lists of many months. Putting your LO in an MCF is referred to here as placement. I have no idea about costs in your area but they’re almost certainly lower. Facilities are always glad to talk to you about their costs and care. I would advise calling a few.

”And at what point do you start memory care?”

Not everyone places there LO in a facility, but those who do, like me, will usually say it has as much to do with the needs of the caregiver as of the patient and how difficult it is to care for them and keep them safe. It usually seems to happen in late Stage 6.

And anosognosia can make placement harder, but not always. For my DW with anosognosia, placement was no problem, she never asked about coming home and in fact didn’t give any indication that she thought she should be somewhere else from the day she moved in.

No great advice but I hope it helps a bit.

Vitruvius · November 2023

In thinking about your questions a bit more I wonder if you were referring to more of a “day care” program for adults with dementia. These are more activity programs to provide socialization for the PWD and respite for the care giver. If so I can tell you that my DW went to a program that was strictly for adults with dementia. She started about the beginning of Stage 6, and went for about a year until she went into a MCF. She might have been ready earlier but the program had been suspended during the early days of the pandemic. DW went four hours a day for four days a week. It was an excellent program with “failure free” activities and had a staff of 5 for 15 PWD so they got a lot of attention. Again my DW had/has anosognosia and I thought there was no way she was going to accept going. But she went and enjoyed herself, although she struggled a bit at leaving me each time. Others have reported their LO would not go, so YMMV.

charley0419 · November 2023

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/188168#Comment_188168

Thinking like day care

JeriLynn66 · November 2023

@charley0419

There is an organization :

Alzheimer’s New Jersey

that offers care consultants to help find resources specific to your State. They have a website and Hotline # that is staffed Monday through Friday. The # is 888-280-6055.

Hope this is helpful.

charley0419 · November 2023

Thank you very very much. I’m not in this group long and at first I thought it’s all just sad stories. But I find not so! You have to just take everything in and adjust your mind set. I got advice just the other day NOT to tell DW we have neurology appointment till day off. It worked out well she was annoyed at me but once we left dr she was fine even agreed to take new meds. So I’m guessing really never a happy ending to this illness

Whyzit · November 2023

My DH goes to daycare twice weekly. It runs from 9 to 3 and costs $90 per day. He thinks he works there as a volunteer so he gets ready to go without any fuss. He is very dedicated to his job which is great. I don’t know what it costs in your area; we live in Connecticut.

It did take him a few weeks to adjust to going. Assuring him that he was needed was paramount to his adjustment. He also took things for show and tell which worked well as he liked to show the woodcarvings he made which generated positive comments .