Dementia is a family disease.
Dementia impacts not only the person with the illness but the family as well. MemoryCare strives to provide the best medical care for our participants living with dementia. Having input from family members who know the person well is essential for making and implementing appropriate plans. Over time, as the illness progresses, having a family that understands the disease and has access to an expert team who knows them and their loved one can make all the difference! At MemoryCare, when a person with dementia comes for a visit in our clinic, they come with family as well – every visit, every time. One caregiver described visits to MemoryCare by saying, “You give us the tools we need to be the caregivers our mom needs.”
Family involvement is a necessary part of any “best-practice” dementia care program. For MemoryCare to operate, it costs, on average, $2000 per family, per year for the comprehensive care we provide. Through grants, donations, and endowment income, we raise charitable funds for about 50% of our annual budget. We ask families to contribute with an annual caregiver membership fee and offer fee waivers or payment schedules for those who find the fee to be a challenge. We want the care to be available when it is needed! Ironically, while MemoryCare accepts any insurance, no insurance covers the full cost of educating, training, and supporting families in a way that every guideline says is necessary. Each year, insurance reimbursement covers about a quarter of our costs.
