The 10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Santa Cruz County, CA for 2024

Santa Cruz County is a mix of mountains and beaches on California's mid-coastal region, just south of the San Francisco Peninsula. The county is home to 276,000 people, 15.6 percent of whom are seniors age 65 and over, some living with Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease or another form of dementia.

For those seniors whose condition requires full-time supervision and daily care, Santa Cruz has three memory care facilities where trained staff provide room and board, assistance with activities of daily living and the physical or mental therapy prescribed by a doctor. Memory care, assisted living and skilled nursing care facilities are all licensed to operate by the California Department of Social Services Adult Care Licensing program, which inspects properties to ensure quality of care.

• Santa Cruz County is right on the coast of California, where sunny days and coastal breezes produce very mild conditions year round. High temperatures in summer average 76 degrees, and winter lows rarely drop below 41 degrees. This part of California's redwood coast gets 31 inches of rain a year, which falls when the clouds strike the steep coastal range inland. Local forestation puts out a lot of tree pollen, which seniors with asthma or allergies can find irritating in spring, when pollen counts are highest.
  
• The cost of living in Santa Cruz is more than double the cost of living nationally. Expenses in Santa Cruz are 210 percent of the national average, though healthcare costs in the county are only 93 percent of the national average cost.
  
• The crime rate in Santa Cruz is high by national standards at roughly 75 percent more than the national average, though violent crime is much less common than theft.
• The Santa Cruz County area is home to world-class medical facilities, including those specializing in brain health and dementia care, such as Watsonville Community Hospital and Dignity Health Dominican Hospital, in the event of medical emergencies or illness.

Memory Care costs in Santa Cruz County start around $6,558 per month on average, while the nationwide average cost of memory care is $5,694 per month.

It’s important to note that memory care rates in Santa Cruz County and the surrounding suburbs can vary widely based on factors such as location, the level of care needed, apartment size and the types of amenities offered at each community.

Learn more about these programs, plus who’s eligible, on our Memory Care in California page.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for memory care, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance memory care costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in California page.

Santa Cruz County-area memory care communities must adhere to the comprehensive set of state laws and regulations that all memory care communities in California are required to follow. Visit our Memory Care in California page for more information about these laws.