Stumbled on a stat about dementia costs that blew my mind

Was looking up local assisted living options for my mom and found out the average annual cost for dementia care in the US is over $90,000. I knew it was bad, but that number hit different when I realized that's more than double my yearly income from the tree service. Has anyone else looked into this and found a way to budget for it without going broke?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren_mitchell5d ago

Oh man, I read somewhere that most families end up spending down their savings within just a few years of that diagnosis. It really feels like the system is set up to drain people dry.

emma_wells835d ago

@wren_mitchell hit the nail on the head. It's brutal how fast the savings go. We had a scare with my dad a few years back, and seeing those numbers made me sick to my stomach. It's like the system is designed to punish you for getting old and needing help. My neighbor's wife has early onset dementia and they've already had to sell their lake house and pull the kids' college funds. Just a total nightmare watching someone you love slip away and then having to worry about money on top of it all. @wren_mitchell, you're not wrong about the system draining people dry, it's a broken mess.

torres.blair5d ago

And the worst part is, it's not like you have time to plan for it or shop around. When my aunt needed memory care, we were scrambling to find a place that would even take her because the good ones had years-long waiting lists. Then you're stuck paying out of pocket while you wait for any kind of help, and by then the money's already gone. It's like they've got you trapped in this maze where every turn costs you more.