Memory Care Communities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Oak Ridge offers some of the most affordable memory care rates in the city and state, with local seniors paying $4,779 per month for care. By comparison, Tennessee’s monthly average exceeds Oak Ridge’s norm by 7%, and nationally, care costs run 18% higher than in Oak Ridge. Additionally, this city’s memory care costs come in about 7% lower than in Morristown and 9% lower than in Chattanooga. In Kingsport, rates exceed the local norm by 16%, and in Cleveland, seniors pay about 26% more than those in Oak Ridge.

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 Oak Ridge, seniors in memory care pay $4,779 per month on average for housing and dementia support.

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 Tennessee page.

Memory care rates in Oak Ridge average $4,779 per month. This aligns with what seniors who live in private residences pay for in-home care, which averages $4,757 per month, and home health care, which comes in at $4,715. However, it exceeds the cost of assisted living, which doesn’t include memory support, by 25%, and it surpasses the $1,517 that seniors pay each month for adult day health care. However, memory care rates come in about 33% below the cost of nursing home care, which is for seniors who need 24-hour attendance.

 

The Tennessee Department of Health regulates memory care facilities in Oak Ridge and enforces strict licensing rules to promote high-quality care. It requires dementia care facilities to follow standard assisted living policies, along with additional rules for staffing and dementia-specific caregiver training.

• Oak Ridge carries the distinction of serving as one of Dementia Friendly America’s Purple Cities, meaning it has community-based services and educational opportunities for seniors and families living with dementia diagnoses. Through the Purple Cities Alliance, which features local volunteers, health care practitioners and community leaders, individuals can obtain information on Alzheimer’s treatment options.
• Oak Ridge has hot, humid summers that stretch from late May until mid-September, as well as cold, short winters that last from late November until late February. Daytime temperatures typically range between 48 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 88 degrees Fahrenheit in July, and the city gets some type of precipitation 118 days out of the year. Memory care facilities often organize supervised outings in the summer and indoor activities in the winter to promote engagement throughout the year.
• Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge resides in the city proper and provides a full range of age-informed services, such as rehabilitative therapies, palliative care and orthopedics. It also has telemedicine services to promote access to medical support with minimal disruption in daily routines, and it provides referrals for dementia care.
• Tennessee operates as one of the few states in the nation with no state income tax, promoting affordability for seniors seeking dementia support in Oak Ridge. Sales taxes in this city exceed national norms, but opting for residential care can effectively help seniors avoid this added expense.
• On a 100-point cost of living index based on national norms, Oak Ridge scores 86 versus Tennessee’s average of 89.9. This indicates low living expenses that may benefit those seeking budget-friendly memory care services.