Frequently Asked Questions

Assisted living provides help with daily activities — bathing, dressing, medication management, meals — while residents keep as much independence as possible. Memory care is a specialized form of assisted living for people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias: it adds a secured environment, staff with dementia-specific training, and structured daily routines designed to reduce confusion and anxiety. Many communities offer both, which lets a resident transition without moving to a new community.

Costs vary widely by location, care level, and apartment size. As a national ballpark: independent living often runs $2,000–$4,000 per month, assisted living $3,500–$6,000, and memory care $5,000–$8,000. Skilled nursing is typically the most expensive. Many communities charge a base rate plus care fees based on an assessment of individual needs. Always ask what's included in the base rate and how care-level pricing works — we list starting prices on community pages whenever they're published.

Medicare generally does not pay for assisted living or memory care room and board (it covers medical care such as short-term skilled nursing after a hospital stay). Medicaid may help in many states through waiver programs, but only at communities that accept it and often with limited slots. Our community pages show a Medicaid indicator where accepted — and it's always worth confirming details directly with the community and your state's Medicaid office.

Common signs include difficulty managing medications, falls or fear of falling, poor nutrition, isolation and loneliness, a caregiver reaching burnout, or a home that no longer feels safe. A useful starting question: is your loved one thriving where they are, or just getting by? Touring communities before there's a crisis gives your family more options and a calmer decision.

Look past the lobby. Watch how staff interact with residents, ask about staff turnover and training, visit during a meal and taste the food, ask how care plans are built and how families are kept informed, and read recent reviews from other families. Visit more than once at different times of day if you can. Our community pages summarize what families consistently praise — and criticize — so you can arrive with pointed questions.

Yes. Searching, comparing communities, reading reviews, and getting guidance from us is completely free for families. We're supported by the communities that list with us, and that never changes the reviews or ratings we show — those come from real families and public review platforms.

We combine reviews written by families directly on My Living Choice with public reviews from platforms like Google and Yelp, always labeled with their source. Overall ratings are a count-weighted average across all sources. Our "What Families Think" summaries are generated from the full set of a community's reviews and its verified details, and we show both the good and the bad.

Use the "List Your Community" button at the top of any page or reach out through our contact form. Listed communities get a full profile with photos, care types, amenities, and reviews, plus portal access to keep their information current.