Memory Care Communities in West Columbia, South Carolina

Memory care facilities in West Columbia charge $4,088 per month for housing and services. This is hundreds of dollars below South Carolina’s average rate of $4,515, and it’s 27% lower than the national norm. Seniors may pay less for care in Sumter, where monthly fees are 19% lower than in West Columbia, but rates are generally higher in other cities in the region. For example, in Florence, monthly care costs come in at $4,320. In Spartanburg, rates exceed care costs in West Columbia by 10%, and in Greenville, monthly fees are even higher at $4,679.

Note: Residential memory care is usually offered in assisted living facilities, and in general, memory care rates tend to be 20-30% higher than assisted living rates. No national database currently tracks memory care costs in the United States, so we've estimated the monthly memory care costs listed below by adding 25% to the rates listed in Genworth's 2021 Cost of Care Survey.

In West Columbia, seniors pay $4,088 per month for memory care.

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 South Carolina page.

Memory care costs in West Columbia average $4,088 per month, which is moderate compared to other senior care options in the city. Seniors without memory-related disorders pay lower rates of $3,270 for assisted living, and those who attend adult day health care pay considerably more economical rates of $1,376. However, memory care costs about 7% less than in-home care and home health care and about 44% less than nursing home care.

In West Columbia, memory care facilities are officially licensed as community residential care facilities, and they’re regulated by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. This department enforces rules related to care planning and staff training to promote high-quality care in all memory care communities in the region.

• On a 100-point index based on overall living costs in the nation, the cost of living in West Columbia rates about 15% below the national norm and about 4 percentage points lower than the state average. This is mainly due to comparatively affordable housing costs, although residents also generally spend less on groceries and transportation expenses in this city than in a typical U.S. city. This may promote access to budget-friendly residential memory care services.
• Property crime occurs at a higher frequency in West Columbia than in a typical U.S. city, with the city scoring 80.1 on a 100-point scale compared to the national score of 35.4. Violent crime doesn’t occur as often, but the city’s score of 45.1 for this type of crime is still higher than the national norm of 22.7. This may make residential memory care a safe alternative to living alone for those with dementia.
• West Columbia is one of the hottest cities in South Carolina, with year-round temperatures ranging from 36 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. On a 10-point comfort index, the city scores 4.2 versus the national score of 7.8, largely due to its hot, humid summers. It gets about an inch of snowfall, most of which comes in January, and 45 inches of rain. To keep residents comfortable during the summer months, many memory care facilities have amenities such as swimming pools and individually controlled thermostats in residents’ rooms.
• Lexington Medical Center, a state-of-the-art 607-bed major medical facility, is located in West Columbia proper. This hospital serves as the main campus for a countywide health care network that includes over 7,800 health care professionals and a broad range of specialties, including dementia care. There are also five medical parks and office buildings in the city, promoting access to care for those in local memory care facilities.
• Seniors in West Columbia don’t pay state income taxes on their Social Security benefits, and while other types of retirement income are taxable, seniors can claim a deduction of up to $15,000. This may help some seniors afford local memory care costs.