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Reviewed by Victoria Collier, VA-Accredited Attorney Patriot Angels has helped 1,175 families in South Carolina access the VA benefits they've earned. Some of the cities where we help the most families:
South Carolina Memory Care by the Numbers
Paying the Monthly Memory Care Bill in South Carolina
Memory care in South Carolina costs about $5,050 a month, based on 2025 move-in prices, 25% below the U.S. figure of $6,690. That is $300 less than the South Carolina assisted living median, the gap families pay for secure doors, more staff per resident and dementia training. With the maximum benefit, roughly $1,205 a month would be left to cover from Social Security, a pension or the family home.
| Type of care | South Carolina per month | U.S. per month | Share up to $3,845 covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory care | $5,050 | $6,690 | 76% |
| Assisted living | $5,350 | $6,200 | 72% |
| In-home care (non-medical, 44 hrs/week) | $5,982 | $6,673 | 64% |
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $9,034 | $9,581 | 43% |
South Carolina assisted living, in-home care and nursing home figures are CareScout 2025 medians. Each community prices memory care by apartment and care needs.
Could VA Benefits Help Pay for Memory Care in South Carolina?
Memory care is paid, round-the-clock care, which is what Aid & Attendance is for. A South Carolina veteran or surviving spouse living with dementia may qualify for up to $3,845 a month. A spouse of a living veteran can sometimes qualify too; see whether a spouse of a living veteran can get Aid & Attendance.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (844) 757-3047
Veterans in South Carolina
South Carolina has 343,824 veterans, 163,788 of them 65 or older (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024). About 112,500 South Carolina residents 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2020, and 229,000 family members provide unpaid dementia care, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Many of those caregivers are spouses of South Carolina veterans, and many do not know a surviving spouse can qualify too.
Veteran-Approved Memory Care Across South Carolina
Patriot Angels works with 39 South Carolina memory care communities, and 33 of them also offer assisted living on the same campus.
| City | Partners | Also offer assisted living |
|---|---|---|
| Sumter | 3 | 3 |
| Charleston | 3 | 3 |
| Greenville | 3 | 1 |
| Mount Pleasant | 3 | 2 |
| Columbia | 3 | 3 |
| Florence | 2 | 2 |
| Spartanburg | 2 | 2 |
| Anderson | 2 | 2 |
Operators with the most South Carolina locations: Discovery Senior Living (8), Mainstay Senior Living (6), ALG (5).
Featured South Carolina Partners
How South Carolina Regulates Memory Care
In South Carolina, oversight of secured dementia units falls to South Carolina Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing, which licenses the host community and sets the added rules on exit security, caregiver dementia training and awake night staff. State site
Under South Carolina rules, a secured dementia unit can operate inside these license categories: Community Residential Care Facility (CRCF); Alzheimer's special care units. Ask which one the community holds and whether its dementia unit is listed on that license.
Before you tour, confirm: South Carolina CRCFs that market Alzheimer's care must disclose their special care services. Also ask how many caregivers are on the memory care floor at night and what dementia training each one completed.
Recent citations for a South Carolina memory care unit show up in the SC DPH licensing page; look for anything on wandering, falls or staffing. Search reports
How South Carolina Families Pay for Memory Care
Medicaid for dementia care
Community Choices Waiver (plus Optional State Supplementation for CRCF residents) is the South Carolina route Medicaid offers here. It may cover hands-on dementia care in a locked unit once a resident qualifies, but rarely the room itself, and not every memory care community takes it.
Aid & Attendance
Paid to the veteran or surviving spouse, so it can go toward a secure memory care unit at any private community in South Carolina.
The family home
Once a veteran with dementia moves out, the South Carolina home is often the biggest source of funds. Talk to us before you list it.
Find Memory Care in Your South Carolina City
24 South Carolina cities have a memory care page. Numbers show Patriot Angels partners.
Neighboring states: North Carolina, Georgia.
Veteran Families We’ve Helped
Families looking at memory care in South Carolina and across the country rate Patriot Angels 4.9 on Google. BBB A+ accredited. See all reviews
South Carolina Memory Care Questions
How much does memory care cost in South Carolina?
About $5,050 a month is typical in South Carolina, based on 2025 move-in prices. Prices depend on the apartment and how much care is needed.
Can Aid & Attendance pay for memory care in South Carolina?
Yes. A qualifying wartime veteran or surviving spouse can receive up to $3,845 a month and use it toward a South Carolina memory care bill.
Who oversees memory care in South Carolina?
South Carolina Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing.
Does South Carolina Medicaid cover memory care?
Partly. Community Choices Waiver (plus Optional State Supplementation for CRCF residents) is the South Carolina route Medicaid offers here. It may cover hands-on dementia care in a locked unit once a resident qualifies, but rarely the room itself, and not every memory care community takes it.
How many Patriot Angels memory care partners are in South Carolina?
39 partner communities in 24 cities.
New to Memory Care? Start Here
For the memory care basics that apply in South Carolina and every other state, start with the national guide.
Related Patriot Angels guides
Other Care Options in South Carolina
Assisted living in South Carolina
An apartment with staff nearby, a step between memory care and living alone in South Carolina.
Independent living in South Carolina
Senior apartments in South Carolina for a spouse or veteran who doesn’t need daily care.
In-home care in South Carolina
Caregivers who come to the house in South Carolina, by the hour or around the clock.
