A free resource for families

Assisted living and memory care, side by side

Every state-licensed community with 16 or more beds in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties, in one place. Filter by memory care, size and city, compare up to three, and read each one’s state inspections before you tour.

Communities
100
With memory care
62
By county
Sacramento62
Placer26
El Dorado6
Yolo6

Which level of care fits?

From the least help to the most. Your parent’s doctor and each community’s own assessment help decide.

  1. Level 1Independent livingAn apartment or home in a senior community. Meals and activities often included; personal care usually isn't.
  2. Level 2Assisted livingHousing plus help with bathing, dressing and medications. Licensed in California as an RCFE.
  3. Level 3Memory careAssisted living built for dementia, with secured spaces and specially trained staff.
  4. Level 4Skilled nursingRound-the-clock nursing care, often after a hospital stay. Licensed by the state's public health department.

This list covers levels 2 and 3. Communities with memory care are marked.

Compare every licensed community

The orange bar shows licensed beds on one scale, so you can see at a glance which places feel like a neighborhood home and which feel like a campus.

What matters to you?

Questions? Call or text Maggie (916) 549-3131
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Showing 100 of 100. Tap “Compare” on up to 3 to see them side by side.

From the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing, checked October 21, 2026: licensed elder care with 16 or more beds. Communities on a probationary license are left off. “Memory care” means the state lists the community as serving residents with dementia; “Hospice allowed” means it holds the state’s hospice waiver. The state doesn’t publish prices, so get written quotes from each community. Smaller six-bed board-and-care homes aren’t listed here; ask Maggie if you’d like help finding one. Three life plan communities with care on site, Eskaton Village in Carmichael, Eskaton Village Roseville and University Retirement Community at Davis, are in our 55+ community guide.

Questions to ask on every tour

  • ?What's included in the base monthly rate?
  • ?How are care levels set, and how often are they reassessed?
  • ?What are the one-time fees to move in?
  • ?How much have rates gone up in recent years, and how much notice do you give?
  • ?What happens if care needs grow, or if the money runs low?
  • ?Will you hold a move-in date while the house is in escrow?

How families pay for care

  • Private pay

    Income, savings and investments. Many families pay for assisted living this way.

  • Long-term care insurance

    Find the policy now and read the waiting period and monthly benefit.

  • VA Aid and Attendance

    Monthly payments added to a VA pension for qualified veterans and survivors who need daily help.

  • Medi-Cal

    Pays for skilled nursing for those who qualify. Its Assisted Living Waiver operates in Sacramento County.

  • The house

    Selling, renting or borrowing against it. Medicare does not pay for long-term care.

The details, with sources, are in our guide to assisted living vs. memory care. Talk with an elder law attorney before you sell, transfer or retitle anything.

We don’t take placement fees from any community or care provider. Ever.

Some placement services are paid by the communities they recommend. Maggie isn’t. She holds a B.S. in Health Care Administration and completed California’s RCFE certification course, so she knows what to ask on a tour. Then we plan the sale of the house around the move-in date with Well MOVED™.

How Well MOVED™ handles the moveContact

Common questions

+Does Medicare pay for assisted living or memory care?

No. Medicare.gov says Medicare does not pay for long-term care, which includes the daily help most assisted living and memory care provide. It can cover a short skilled nursing stay after a qualifying hospital stay.

+What is the difference between assisted living and memory care?

Assisted living is housing plus help with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing and medications. Memory care is assisted living built for people with dementia, with secured spaces and staff trained in dementia care. In California, both are usually licensed as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs).

+How do I check a community's inspection history?

Every community on this page links to its record with the California Department of Social Services, where you can read inspection and complaint reports. Read them before you sign anything, then ask the community about what you find.

+Do you get paid for recommending a community?

No. Maggie takes no placement or referral fees from any community or care provider, ever. The choice of community stays with your family.

Tell us where you are.

No pressure and nothing to decide. We read every note and call you back.

It starts with you, not the house

Tell us what’s changing in your life. The house and the numbers fit around that.

Call or text us: (916) 549-3131

Already working with Rachel? Call or text Rachel: (916) 284-3775