Quick answer
Memory care is a secured residential setting where staff trained in dementia care help with daily life, routine and safety. A nursing home provides 24-hour skilled nursing for people with serious medical needs, and some have dementia units. If the main problem is wandering, confusion and daily care, memory care usually fits. If your parent also needs daily skilled nursing, a nursing home may be needed. (800) 614-8388 to talk it through.
Side by side
| Memory care | Nursing home | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Safety, routine and daily life with dementia | Skilled nursing and medical care |
| Nursing | Varies; often a nurse on staff or on call | Licensed nurses on duty 24 hours |
| Setting | Home-like, secured neighborhood | Clinical; shared or private rooms |
| Medicare | Doesn't pay | Can pay for a short skilled stay after a qualifying hospital stay |
| Medicaid | Sometimes helps with care costs through waivers | Pays long-term care for people who qualify |
| 2025 cost, Kansas | No published median | $8,669 a month, shared room |
| 2025 cost, Missouri | No published median | $6,741 a month, shared room |
Nursing home medians: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025.
When memory care fits
- Wandering, getting lost, or trying to leave.
- Needs cues and help with most daily tasks, but is medically stable.
- Does best with a calm routine and small, familiar spaces.
When a nursing home fits
- Needs daily skilled nursing: wound care, injections, tube feeding, complex medications.
- Needs two people to transfer, or is mostly in bed.
- Late-stage dementia with medical complications.
- Recovering from a hospital stay and needs daily rehab.
Paying for each
Medicare doesn't pay for long-term custodial care in either setting. Medicaid pays for long-term nursing home care for people who qualify. Few memory care communities accept Medicaid, so ask early if savings may run out. See paying for care.
Not sure which setting fits?
Tell us what your parent needs day to day. We'll explain the options near you. Free.
Questions families ask
Can a nursing home take someone with dementia?
Yes. Many nursing home residents have dementia, and some homes have secured dementia units.
Is memory care cheaper than a nursing home?
Often, but not always. Ask for all-in monthly prices. The 2025 nursing home median for a shared room was $8,669 a month in Kansas and $6,741 in Missouri.
Does Medicaid pay for memory care?
Sometimes, for care costs, through state waivers, but not room and board, and few communities participate.
How do I check quality?
Use Medicare's Care Compare for nursing homes and your state's inspection records for memory care.
Sources
- CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, Median Cost Data Tables (survey July to November 2025; median cost data tables, published March 2026)
- Medicare.gov: Skilled nursing facility care (2026 costs)
- Medicare.gov: Long-term care coverage
- Medicare.gov Care Compare (nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice)
- Alzheimer's Association: Caregiving