The 5 Best Memory Care Facilities in Walton County, FL for 2024

Walton County is included in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area on the western coast of the Florida panhandle, with the county seat of DeFuniak Springs. The county has a population of 68,376, including 19.8 percent seniors aged 65 or older, the most common age bracket for Alzheimer's disease.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration licenses and regulates  assisted living facilities that supervise seniors with dementia as Extended Congregate Care facilities, or ECCs, as they are called in Florida. In Walton County, there are two ECCs, one in Destin and one in Santa Rosa Beach.

• Walton County never gets snow and receives 14 more inches of rainfall annually than the national average of 59. A normal U.S. city has 205 sunny days per year, but Walton County has 238 of them. Seniors with painful joints or respiratory ailments can appreciate the mild climate, where winter lows fall to a balmy 52 degrees, and summer highs barely break 90 degrees. Walton County was given a 75 out of 100 on Sperling's Comfort Index.
• Crime is rated on a scale with one being the safest area and 100 being the most dangerous. The national average for violent crime is 31.1, and Walton County's ranking is nearly 19 points higher. Property crime in the U.S. averages 38.1, as compared to 54.1 in Walton County. Seniors with cognitive impairments can benefit from the extra level of safety an ECC provides, such as cameras, guards and self-locking doors.
• Florida is one of the few states that doesn't have a state income tax, which can stretch the budget for those on a fixed income. Families can use any extra funds for household expenses or continued care for seniors in an ECC.
• Cost of living estimates are based on a national median of 100. Walton County's overall cost of living is 128.4, and healthcare in particular is 101, so expenses may not rise dramatically. Families should keep that in mind when searching for an ECC in Walton County.

Memory Care costs in Walton County start around $6,195 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 Walton 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 Florida 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 Florida page.

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