Westminster is an affluent community of fewer than 100,000 residents in Orange County, California. Seventeen percent of the city's population is aged 65 or older, many of whom have been diagnosed with dementia disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or Huntington's disease. Throughout California, an estimated 650,000 seniors are living with dementia.
For those who need it, there is one memory care facility in Westminster, although there are an additional 185 facilities in surrounding cities. These facilities, officially referred to in the state as residential care facilities, are closely regulated by the California Department of Social Services. These facilities often offer both assisted living and memory care services because regulations for these two levels of assistance are similar.