John Nuar and Wife Spent $120,000 on Dementia Care After Memory Facility Costs Hit $6,600
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 6
John Nuar and Wife Spent $120,000 on Dementia Care After Memory Facility Costs Hit $6,600
2 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 6
Summary
$120,000 is what John Nuar and his wife say they paid out of pocket for his father’s dementia care, covering gaps after Social Security and a $300 monthly pension.
$4,200 a month for memory care eventually rose to $6,600 as his father’s needs worsened; the couple also paid $175 monthly for a wheelchair rental and $326 for a Medicare supplement.
Michigan care options narrowed after his father wandered repeatedly and no longer could live safely at home, while higher-rated nursing homes required about $10,000 a month until a Medicaid bed opened.
Three years in memory care followed two years with relatives in Virginia; his father died in 2024 after nearly a decade of decline that began with memory lapses around 2015.
Nuar said the financial strain reshaped his family’s planning, pushing them to complete advance directives, live more frugally and prioritize HSA savings for future long-term care.