Assisted Living vs. Board and Care

If you or a loved one is starting to need help around the house, you've probably looked into hiring a caregiver. 

But at some point, home care can get really expensive. 

Especially if you need help for more than a few hours a day.

At $38 an hour with a four-hour minimum, home care runs about $152 a day. 

Bump that up to 12 hours a day and you're looking at over $13,000 a month. 

Around the clock care can top $27,000 a month. 

That's when a lot of families start looking at other options.

The two most common are assisted living and board and care. 

They sound similar. But they're actually pretty different.

Assisted living is what most people picture. 

Think of a large building with lots of apartments. 

Residents have their own space. 

There's a dining hall, activity rooms, maybe a beauty salon or a fitness room. 

Staff is around to help with things like bathing, dressing, and medications. 

Assisted living usually houses anywhere from 50 to 200 residents.

Here in Southern California, assisted living runs around $5,000 to $8,000 a month. 

If memory care is needed, that usually adds another $2,000 or so.

Board and care is a much smaller setup. 

It's usually a regular house in a regular neighborhood. 

Six residents or fewer. Each person has their own bedroom. 

The caregivers live there or work in shifts. 

Meals are homemade. It's a quieter, more personal setting.

Board and care in our area usually runs around $4,000 to $6,000 a month. 

That includes room, meals, and personal care.

Here's why this matters. 

If home care costs are climbing past $10,000 a month, board and care can actually save you money. 

And you often get more one on one attention because the staff is caring for a small handful of people, not 100.

So which one is right? It really depends on the person.

Assisted living tends to be better for people who are still pretty independent and enjoy being around a lot of others. 

Lots of activities. Lots of neighbors. Lots going on.

Board and care tends to be better for people who need more help, don't get around as easily, or just prefer a quieter home setting. 

It's also a good fit when memory issues start to show up.

Neither option is covered by Medicare. And Medi-Cal only helps in limited situations. 

So this is usually paid out of pocket, from long-term care insurance, or from savings.