Dementia care can cost a fortune. Families pay in more ways than one.

Angela Davis, 65, has cared for her mother with dementia for the past few years. Camille Farrah Lenain for BI When Angela Davis discovered that her mother with dementia had changed the locks, she knew she had to intervene. After a standard care facility didn't cut it, Davis, 65, moved her mother into her own home. Davis now manages her medications, assists with her hygiene, and monitors her at night. She sleeps on a love seat near her mom's room in case anything happens. Her mom's care, plus home maintenance, has cost about $7,000 a month. Her mom receives $3,200 monthly in retirement income, and Davis covers the rest. The stress has weighed her down; last week, she took what she thought would be a short evening nap. Next thing she knew, it was 7 a.m. the next morning and time to go to work. Angela Davis said caring for her mother with dementia has weighed her down. Camille Farrah Lenain for BI "It's death by 1,000 cuts, and in this case, you could say death by 1,000 memories every day," Davis said. Seven million Americans have Alzheimer's, leaving families to navigate rising costs for memory care facilities or home care. One estimate shows that lifetime costs for dementia can exceed $400,000. Two dozen families navigating dementia care told Business Insider that costs add up for frequent hospitalizations and physician visits, expensive medications, transportation costs, and round-the-clock home care. Those who can afford it spend five figures on monthly memory care facility costs. Other costs included home modifications, power-of-attorney legal fees, and technologies for aging in place. Are you paying for your own or your loved one's long-term care? Do you have thoughts to share about long-term care in the US? To share your story with a reporter, please fill out this quick form. A report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving found that in 2025, one in four family caregivers cared for someone 50 and over with memory issues or dementia. While an estimated 7 million Americans aged 65 and over have Alzheimer's, that is expected to surge. Wendy Rowland, 53, has cared for her husband with early onset Lewy body dementia for years. To manage his treatment, they spent through his 401(k) and sold their house of 20 years, then put him into a memory care facility two years ago that now costs $6,750 a month. "I hope nothing like that happens with me, and if it does, I don't know if I would want anybody else to go through the same thing of having to figure out what to do," Rowland said. The cost of memory care can be steep It pained Keith Pavlick, 53, to witness his father slowly forget his family members' names and lose track of his surroundings. He hadn't fully anticipated the financial hit that came with it. Pavlick, a real estate agent in Orlando, has helped his mother, 79, and his father, 80, since his dementia diagnosis in March 2025. His parents moved into an assisted living facility for $9,000 a month. The $9,000 is just the start, Pavlick told Business Insider earlier this year. He knows his dad will need a heightened level of care, and memory care facilities in his area cost $14,000 monthly. "Unless you're starting out investing or bought SpaceX at the IPO, then you're probably not going to be able to take care of your parents when they're that age by yourself," Pavlick said. "I'm probably going to be selling real estate until I'm dead." Keith Pavlick helped his parents move into an assisted living facility. Courtesy of Keith Pavlick Memory care costs a median of about $8,000 monthly, according to data from SeniorLiving.org. They're more expensive than standard assisted living centers because dementia patients require 24/7 supervision by specialized caregivers. They also have high security and maintenance costs. Medicare generally doesn't fund long-term memory care. Medicaid chips in for eligible families, though many said they have paid out of pocket or used long-term care insurance. Sharon Winterton, 53, has juggled working a tech sales job, raising a 14-year-old daughter, and caring for her 90-year-old mother with vascular dementia. Winterton moved her mom into an independent living facility as her memory declined. Her mom had invested in long-term care insurance, which she's used to cover her $7,000 monthly assisted living costs. Winterton said they're fortunate to avoid the high out-of-pocket cost, though she's splurged on technologies that allow her to change TV channels and monitor her mom remotely. "Thankfully, I don't have to worry a lot about her long-term care," Winterton said. There are many costs beyond direct care itself Jenn Verser, 45, hadn't anticipated moving into her childhood home in New Jersey to help care for her dad with Alzheimer's. Verser is selling her home and planning to build a two-story, roughly 1,000-square-foot addition to her parents' house. She expects it will cost at least $600,000, which they're planning to cover with a home equity line of credit, her parents