The 10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Polk County, OR for 2024

Polk County, located in Willamette Valley in north-central Oregon, has more than 300,000 residents and a thriving senior community of 40,549 seniors who are 65 or older. Some of the area’s seniors may be among the 65,000 Oregon seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, a number that’s expected to grow by 29.2 percent over the next few years. To care for this growing demographic, there are six memory care facilities located in the county.

Memory care facilities are known as Assisted Living Facilities and Residential Care Facilities in Polk County, and in Oregon as a whole, and are licensed by the Oregon Department of Human Services.

• It rains a lot in Polk County, which might be disappointing to seniors who enjoy spending time outdoors. Although the county gets 61 inches of rain annually, significantly more than the national average of 39 inches, it only gets six inches of snow each year, 20 inches less than the national average of 26.
  
• Polk County’s cost of living is 114.5, more than 14 points higher than the national average of 100. Seniors can also expect to pay more for transportation and groceries, although healthcare expenses are less than the average at 83. Housing expenses are significantly higher than the U.S. average at 154.6, which might be a concern to families with restrictive budgets hoping to move to the area.
  
• Polk County has low crime rates which might be good news for safety-cautious seniors and their families. The county has a violent crime rate of 12.1 and a property crime rate of 31.7, both lower than the national averages of 22.7 and 35.4, respectively.
  
• Polk County has better air quality than other parts of the U.S., which might be of interest to seniors with respiratory issues. Polk County’s air quality has a rank of 65 on a scale where 100 represents the areas with the best air, a full seven points higher than the national average of 58.

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

Memory Care costs in Polk County start around $5,411 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 Polk 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 Oregon 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 Oregon page.

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