The four main options differ by how much help a person needs. Independent living is housing plus lifestyle; assisted living adds daily personal care; memory care adds a secured setting for dementia; a residential care home delivers assisted living in a small house instead of a large campus.
Side by side — 2025 national medians
- Independent living — no hands-on care; meals, maintenance, activities. About $3,200/month
- Assisted living community — help with bathing, dressing, medications on a larger campus. About $5,419/month
- Memory care — secured setting, dementia-trained staff, structured days. About $6,690/month
- Residential care home — assisted living in a house of roughly 4–15 residents, with more one-on-one attention. Typically $4,000–$7,500/month
What your options depend on
- Care needs: light support, daily hands-on help, or secured dementia care
- Setting: a large community with amenities, or a quiet home-like house
- Memory: a dementia diagnosis or wandering points to memory care
- Budget: cost climbs with each level of care
How A Place for Seniors advisors help
These labels blur in real life — a six-bed house and a 120-unit campus can both be licensed as 'assisted living.' An A Place for Seniors advisor translates your parent's actual needs into the right care type, then shows you real local options at that level.
Your next step
Not sure which type fits? Take our placement quiz — it takes a few minutes, and an A Place for Seniors advisor follows up at no cost to your family. Or browse communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah.
Related questions
- How Do I Choose the Right Level of Care?
- Can My Parent Age in Place in Independent Living?
- Signs a Parent May Need Memory Care
Figures are 2025 planning estimates; licensing terms vary by state.