The Best Memory Care Facilities in Tompkins County, NY

Located in Upstate New York about an hour south of Syracuse, Tompkins County has more than 100,000 residents. Although its largest city, Ithaca, is known as a college town and is home to both Cornell and Ithaca College, Tompkins County has a sizable senior population that comprises nearly 14% of its residents. The county features two memory care facilities for older residents who have Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.

As is the case everywhere in New York, memory care facilities in Tompkins County are referred to as special needs assisted living homes and receive a special certification from the New York Department of Health allowing them to serve residents with cognitive impairments.

• Tompkins County is in Upstate New York, so residents should be prepared for long, chilly winters and lots of snow. Temperatures regularly drop below zero during the winter months, and the average January low is 14. Summers are pleasant and mild, with average July highs near 80. This is a perfect time for memory care residents to enjoy supervised outdoor recreation.
  
• The cost of living in Tompkins County is about 1% higher than average. Many staple expenses for memory care residents, however, are less than average in Tompkins County. Healthcare is 2% cheaper than in a typical U.S. city, while groceries are 5% less expensive.
  
• Although New York is known as a high-tax state, its tax treatment of seniors and retirees is actually quite friendly. Seniors in Tompkins County pay no state income tax on their Social Security benefits, and they receive a deduction of up to $20,000 on income from private pensions and retirement accounts. That said, new residents of New York should be prepared for higher-than-average sales and property taxes.
  
• Tompkins County has very low crime. Its violent crime rate of 10.6 and property crime rate of 27.4 are much lower than the respective national averages of 22.7 and 35.4. Memory care residents and their families should feel safe and secure living in the area.

Note: Data reported on this page was updated in 2019 and based on the latest 2018 figures. 

Memory Care costs in Tompkins County start around $6,095 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 Tompkins 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 New York 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 New York page.

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