In a state that has 24,000 people living with Alzheimer's disease, it's important for New Hampshire, a state with 1.3 million residents, to have enough memory care resources. For example, Strafford County, located in the Eastern region of New Hampshire along the border of Maine, has 130,090 residents, 14.6 percent of whom are 65 or over, and to accommodate residents who may require memory care, there are three memory care facilities — one in Dover, another in Durham and a third in Lee.
In Strafford County, assisted living residences (ALRs) have special provisions that provide its residents with specialized memory care services.Â
- Strafford County has a relatively comfortable climate, especially during the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, the area averages about 54 inches of snow, which can make colder months challenging. There are an average of 199 sunny days a year in Strafford County, providing plenty of time for seniors to enjoy the outdoors.
- The cost of living in Strafford County is about average for the state. On a cost of living index where the national average is 100, Strafford County falls at 110, slightly below New Hampshire's average of 114.
- Incidents of property crime and violent crime are infrequent for this area, so seniors can feel safe living in Strafford County. The violent crime rate is 10.7 on a scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being low crime and 100 high crime. This is below the state average of 14. Property crime incidents match the state average of 22.8.
- New Hampshire is a tax-friendly state to all of its residents, including seniors. The state does not have income or sales tax, and the state does not tax Social Security, pension income or withdrawals from retirement accounts.
Note:Â Data on this page was updated in 2019 and based on the latest 2018 figures.