What is memory care?
Memory care is residential support for people living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. It can include help with daily routines, personal care, medication support, activities, meals, housekeeping, and safety practices. The right setting depends on a person's needs, preferences, health information, budget, and the services a specific home can provide.
Shepherd Premier describes small, home-style assisted living and memory care at specific locations in Illinois and Wisconsin. Care scope, services, pricing, and availability vary by home. A care conversation with the home is the best way to discuss whether a location may fit your family member's needs.
Ready to talk through your options? Call or text Shepherd Premier Senior Living at (847) 961-2551 or contact our team to request a conversation.
Who may benefit from memory care?
Families often begin exploring memory care when a loved one needs more support with daily routines, medication safety, personal care, meals, supervision, or activities than can be provided safely at home. A diagnosis alone does not determine the right setting. Mobility, communication, sleep, wandering, health needs, preferences, and the ability of a particular home to provide or arrange care all matter.
A small residential home may offer a familiar daily rhythm and a closer household setting. Shepherd Premier describes individualized support, meals, activities, and home-style living, but the details must be confirmed at the location you are considering. Published bed counts describe home size, not current vacancies, and no location should be assumed to offer the same care or staffing as another.
What to discuss before choosing a home
- Help needed with bathing, dressing, eating, mobility, transfers, or continence.
- Medication reminders, assistance, or administration and who performs those tasks.
- Cognition, wandering, overnight supervision, behaviors, sleep, and emergency response.
- Room type, activities, meals, transportation, outside providers, and family updates.
- Whether the home can provide or arrange the care that the person may need now and as needs change.
How much does memory care cost?
Memory care pricing can vary by home, room type, care needs, included services, and additional fees. Some Shepherd property pages publish starting figures for a specific location. For example, the Dixon memory care page currently lists all-inclusive care starting at $8,000 per month. This is a property-specific starting figure, not a chain-wide rate, a personalized quote, or a promise of availability.
Before making a decision, ask the home for a dated, written, itemized quote. Confirm what is included for the room, care level, meals, medication support, activities, housekeeping, transportation, emergency services, deposits, move-in costs, rate changes, and any optional services. Ask how the assessment affects the care plan and monthly cost.
Call (847) 961-2551 to discuss current pricing, availability, and care fit at a specific home. A tour or assessment helps families explore options and does not guarantee admission, a room, or a written rate.
Five memory-care destinations to explore
Explore the memory-care destinations documented on Shepherd Premier's current site. Care type, room options, services, pricing, availability, and admission fit vary by home. Confirm the details directly with the location before making a decision.
- Dixon, Illinois memory care, a property page with current location-specific information and an advertised starting figure.
- Sterling, Illinois assisted living and memory care, including the property's described memory-care offering.
- Cottage Grove, Wisconsin assisted living and memory care, where the site describes separate care homes.
- Robinson, Illinois memory care information, a current provider page describing the local memory-care destination.
- Monticello, Illinois memory care information, a current provider page describing the local memory-care destination.
These links are destination pages, not a statement that every Shepherd home offers memory care. Ask the team to confirm the current address, care scope, room options, availability, and assessment process for the home you are considering.
Helpful memory-care guides
Use these guides to prepare for a care conversation and compare options:
- How to Choose a Dementia Care Home: 9 Key Checks
- The Differences Between Assisted Living and Memory Care
- Signs It's Time for Memory Care
- What to Ask When Researching Memory Care Communities
- Transitioning from Assisted Living to Memory Care Smoothly
Plan a private tour and care conversation
A private tour can help your family see the home, ask about rooms and routines, meet the care team, and discuss the support your loved one may need. Use the conversation to confirm care scope, current availability, pricing, services, safety practices, and next steps for an individualized assessment.
Call or text Shepherd Premier Senior Living at (847) 961-2551, or contact our team to request a private tour or care conversation. A tour or assessment is an opportunity to explore fit. It does not guarantee admission, availability, or a written rate.
Frequently asked questions
What is memory care?
Memory care is residential support for people living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. It may include help with daily routines, personal care, medication support, activities, meals, housekeeping, and safety practices. Services vary by home.
How is memory care different from assisted living?
Assisted living and memory care are distinct care models, although a provider may offer both. Memory care is designed around dementia-related support and routines. A home-specific assessment is needed to discuss whether its services fit a person's needs.
How much does memory care cost?
Costs vary by property, room, care needs, included services, and additional fees. The Dixon property page currently lists all-inclusive care starting at $8,000 per month. Ask the home for a current, dated, itemized quote rather than assuming one rate applies to every location.
Does every Shepherd Premier home offer memory care?
No. The service and care scope are property-specific. Use the destination links above and confirm the current care type, room options, availability, pricing, and assessment process directly with the home.
What should we ask before choosing a memory-care home?
Ask about daily-care support, medication tasks, mobility and transfer needs, wandering and overnight supervision, emergency response, activities, meals, rooms, transportation, outside providers, fees, availability, and how the care plan changes when needs change.
