Three Ways to Cover the Cost of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is not only emotionally devastating, but it’s also one of the most expensive conditions to manage. When you’re watching a loved one suffer, it can be difficult to know how to help, especially when faced with difficult care decisions and overwhelming expenses.
You want what’s best for your loved one, but even families who’ve planned ahead have trouble covering the cost of Alzheimer’s disease. This is especially true if your senior needs long-term care in a nursing home or memory care facility.
So, how much does dementia care really cost?
This guide breaks down the cost of Alzheimer’s disease. While the numbers may seem daunting, there are practical ways to manage the total cost. Here are three main strategies to help cover expenses related to Alzheimer’s and other dementia care.
What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?
People often use Alzheimer’s and dementia interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental function, including issues with memory loss, loss of concentration, and struggling to understand and express thoughts. Dementia symptoms are caused by changes in the brain, which may or may not be related to Alzheimer’s.
In contrast, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that causes changes to the brain. Alzheimer’s is one of the most common causes of dementia symptoms, known as Alzheimer’s dementia, and accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. Over time, people with Alzheimer’s may experience memory loss, difficulty with movement, and behavioral changes. Because the disease impacts every part of daily life, people with Alzheimer’s often need long-term, full-time care.
Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures
If you’re wondering how to cover costs associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia, know that you are far from alone. Around 7.2 million people over age 65 are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2025, which works out as about 1 in 9 (11%) of people in that age bracket.
In 2022, Alzheimer’s disease was the sixth-leading cause of death among individuals aged 65 and older.
The prevalence rate is expected to rise as the population ages. By 2050, the number of people aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s dementia is projected to grow from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million.
Want to learn more? Check out the Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, an annual report released by the Alzheimer’s Association on alz.org.
What is the average cost of dementia care?
The main costs associated with Alzheimer’s disease
The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s disease depend on a number of factors, including your location, the level of care, and whether that care is at home or in a skilled nursing facility. The figures below give an overview of the long-term care costs of Alzheimer’s and dementia so you can start a care plan:
- Average costs in 2023 for assisted living in the U.S. are estimated at $6,694 per month, while nursing home facilities cost $12,240, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). Many nursing home facilities offer memory care, which is care tailored to the specific needs of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. About three-quarters of senior facilities are equipped to care for people with dementia.
- Memory care units offer something in between. A safe, structured environment to limit the stress for people living with Alzheimer’s. They can be assisted living facilities or full nursing homes, depending on the individual’s needs. The average memory care monthly rent is $8,399 in the U.S., according to 2023 NIC statistics.
- All together, average annual monetary costs associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia ranged from almost $42,000 to over $56,000 per person.
- Because nursing homes are so expensive, many people with Alzheimer’s hire dementia caregivers for part-time, in-home care. The median national cost of care for home health care is over $4,500 per month.
- Although home health aids are more affordable than nursing homes, most aids only work part-time. Family or friends may fill in to give informal, unpaid care when the paid care worker is off.
- Examples of informal care include the son who helps his mother get out of bed every day or the daughter who helps her father find a nursing home. Nearly 12 million people are unpaid caregivers for someone with Alzheimer’s. It’s worth calculating the indirect costs of these hours of care to understand the full economic impact, including time off work and travel expenses.
- The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2025 facts and figures report estimated that caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia contributed 19 billion hours of unpaid care. This work was valued at $413 billion.
- That same organization’s 2025 report, the lifetime cost of care for a person living with dementia is over $405,262. As many as 70% of these costs are met by family caregivers in the form of unpaid caregiving and out-of-pocket health and long-term care expenses, or from unpaid care.
The figures above are just an estimate of possible Alzheimer’s direct costs and indirect costs. You may worry about affording care for a loved one with dementia, especially if their quality of life is suffering.
There are also additional healthcare risks for people living with Alzheimer’s, which could incur additional emotional difficulty and healthcare costs. Common comorbidities for Alzheimer’s disease include heart disease, diabetes, mental health, and Parkinson’s.
That said, there are ways to pay for care. Many have used the three strategies below to cover the cost of Alzheimer’s disease.
Three ways to pay for the cost of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care
1. Apply for an Alzheimer’s care grant
Financial help for seniors can include food assistance, transportation, and help to pay medical bills. There is also help available for care beyond basic necessities. Three groups in the U.S. offer financial aid (grants) to people with Alzheimer’s and their families. The most common grant is for respite care. Respite care grants give informal caregivers time off to relax and recharge. Grant recipients are matched with home health aids, adult day care, or assisted living. Grants cover both short-term and long-term help.
- The Alzheimer’s Association (AA) administers respite care grants through local chapters. Respite Grant Program. Use AA’s Find Your Local Chapter page to connect with a chapter in your area.
- The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) also funds Family Respite Care Grants. AFA partners with local organizations to pay for temporary care in-home or at a facility. Applications can be submitted through an AFA member organization.
- In addition to these big-name organizations, the nonprofit Hilarity for Charity (HFC) sponsors respite care. Founded by actor-comedian Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, the group partners with Home Instead Senior Care to provide in-home support for people with dementia. More information on the grant program can be found here.
2. Raise money through friends and family who want to help
It can be painful to watch your loved one’s health and quality of life worsen over time. It takes a lot of time to apply for grants and government benefits, and there’s no guarantee you’ll be approved for funding.
Crowdfunding is one of the most efficient ways to get help covering the cost of Alzheimer’s. Setting up a crowdfunding page allows you to reach out to friends, family, community, and kind strangers to ask for immediate support. It may feel embarrassing or shameful to ask for assistance at first, but you may be surprised by people’s generosity.
Millions have already used GoFundMe to pay for a nursing home, cover out-of-pocket medical care, and meet unexpected expenses.
If you start a fundraiser to cover costs associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia, don’t be afraid to explain your situation and your needs. Everyone needs help at some point, so it’s likely your ask will resonate with others who have struggled with the same issues.
Here are some GoFundMe fundraisers that have helped cover the cost of Alzheimer’s disease:
Help for Richard
Richard was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017 after showing memory loss for a few years. His advancing condition made him aggressive towards his children and his wife. He needed help with daily activities like toileting. Richard’s son James used crowdfunding to raise over £1,500 for Richard’s transition to a supportive facility.
Ana Cristina needs Alzheimer’s care
Ana Cristina’s family is coming together to support her after her husband and main caregiver died late last year. They reviewed their beloved grandmother’s finances and found that Ana Cristina doesn’t have enough savings to get the memory care she needs. Her daughter is now the primary caregiver while the family fundraises to pay for a nursing home. They’ve already raised over $2,500 in pursuit of their goal.
Children care for their mother with Alzheimer’s
The children of Judy Fraley, a senior with advanced Alzheimer’s, needed help to cover the initial cost of a memory care facility for their mom. The family found a welcoming facility near Judy’s husband with open visitation hours, so he could go see her anytime. The goal was $8,000, but they wound up raising over $12,000 for Judy.
3. Become a paid caregiver yourself
There are two public healthcare programs that cover U.S. citizens and some non-citizens. Medicare is open to people over age 65. Medicaid is open to low-income people of all ages.
Medicare
If the person living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia is a beneficiary, Medicare will pay for some care costs. Its coverage may include inpatient hospital care, up to 100 days of skilled nursing home care under limited circumstances, and hospice care for people living with dementia who are determined by a doctor to be near the end of life.
Medicaid
Medicaid has a program that lets families become paid caregivers for a relative with dementia. The program is called Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers (HCBS Waivers). It gives your loved one a budget, or allowance, for paid care. The caregiving family member is then paid from the allowance. States administer HCBS Waivers, so contact your state’s Medicaid office for more information.
It’s important to note that Medicaid has strict income and wealth requirements. You can only access Medicaid services if you have less than $2,000 in assets like savings, stocks, and bonds. Here is a full breakdown of Medicaid eligibility if you think your loved one may be covered.
Help your loved one live comfortably
Planning Alzheimer’s and dementia care for your loved one can be an emotional process. Besides grants and government aid, crowdfunding can lessen the financial burden on families and support with everything from medical costs to long-term care.
Most importantly, crowdfunding can provide your loved one with a better quality of life. It’s never too early to secure care for your loved one, so if you’re thinking of starting a fundraiser, now is a good time. Here are some additional crowdfunding success stories to inspire you.