Specialized Memory Care
Memory Care in St. Louis, MO
Deciding on memory care for your mom, dad, or spouse is one of the hardest calls a family ever makes, and it usually comes wrapped in guilt. You are not giving up on them. You are getting them help. Dolan provides memory care in St. Louis in small, home-like residences built around the people who actually live in them, so a parent with Alzheimer’s or another dementia is known by name, not managed as a case.
What Is Memory Care?
Care That Understands Dementia
Memory care is specialized support for people living with dementia, the umbrella term for the diseases that gradually change memory, thinking and behavior. Alzheimer’s is the most common, but it is far from the only one. Vascular dementia, Lewy-body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia, where more than one is present at once, all sit under that same umbrella. Memory care goes further than general senior care or assisted living, which mostly help with everyday tasks. It means care partners trained for dementia and a secure home where a person can move about freely and safely, with a daily routine built around how the disease actually works. At Dolan, memory care is the only kind of care we provide, in small homes designed for it from the start.
The Household Model
Care Built Around the Person
At Dolan, a day is built around the people who live here, not a schedule on a wall. Residents share meals at a family-style table, keep a steady routine, and take part in named programs like Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. The household model means small, familiar surroundings, with no more than 10 to 11 residents in a home, where care partners know each person well.
Aging in Place
The Same Home, Through Every Stage
We care for people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia at every stage. As needs change, the care changes with them, in the same home and with the same care partners. No one is moved to another floor or another building as their condition progresses. For your family, that means you choose a home once, not again and again as the disease moves along.
The Dolan Difference
Why St. Louis Families Choose Dolan for Memory Care
A Dolan home holds no more than 10 to 11 residents, in an actual house on an actual street, not a wing of a larger building. That changes how every day feels, and it shapes everything below.
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Person-Centered Care Plans
Care follows each resident's own history and their physician's direction, supported by licensed RNs, accredited social workers, certified medication administration aides and skilled nursing assistants. Read about our person-centered care approach.
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Secure Neighborhood Homes
Beautiful 7,000 square foot ranch homes on residential streets in St. Louis County communities like Creve Coeur, Chesterfield, Clayton, Frontenac, Kirkwood, Ladue, and Des Peres, secured inside and out so a resident can move freely without the danger of wandering off. You can find a memory care home near you.
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Dementia-Trained Care Partners
Every care partner is trained specifically in dementia care, so a hard day is met by someone who understands what is actually happening.
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Aging in Place
Residents are not moved to another floor or another building as their needs change. They stay in the same home, with the same care partners, through the end of life.
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Nurses On Site, Care Partners Around the Clock
Nurses are on site seven days a week, and care partners are in the home 24 hours a day, so someone who knows your loved one is always there.
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Small Households
Smaller groups of residents in each home mean quieter days, familiar faces and care built around the person rather than the schedule.
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On-Site Clinical Support
Podiatry, physician visits, hospice, and physical, occupational and speech therapy are coordinated on-site under each resident's own doctor.
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A Local Family Business
Dolan is locally owned and family operated, and memory care is the entire focus here. See the Dolan Difference.
What Sets Us Apart
Over 30 Years of Memory-Care Expertise
Dolan Memory Care was founded by Tim Dolan on a simple belief: people living with dementia “belong in homes, not institutions. As long as people have a need, and I can provide a place, I’ll keep doing it.”
- Family-owned and operated for more than 30 years
- Memory care is our only focus, not one line of business among many
- Nurses on site seven days a week, care partners in the home around the clock
- Named 2025 Best Memory Care by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
In Their Own Words
What Families Say About Dolan
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The decision to place my husband/best friend in Memory Care was the most difficult decision of my life. The consistency of care and dedication you provide to my loved one and his housemates in this homelike environment is just what we needed. The love and family atmosphere is genuine.
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Dolan Memory Care was a life saver for my family!! We were very grateful to find a wonderful home with caring people to support my Brother Tom's final time on this earth!! The facilities were magnificent.....very clean, well maintained, and safe for the guests, and all the visitors. God Bless the Dolan Family for carrying out this important work!!
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My beloved husband recently passed away. He lived at Dolan Memory Care for just shy of 2 years after having to leave another placement. How grateful I am that Dolan accepted him and gave him a home. Dolan is unlike other facilities. The Dolan family understands dementia, from the founder and owner, Tim Dolan, to his daughter, Allison, a nurse practitioner, to other family members. These family members aren't "suits" that just show up once in a while. They are roll-up-your-sleeves workers who have a mission that is visible to all--understanding, loving, and caring for people experiencing dementia and doing that in a lovely home-like setting. They set the example for staff. I am forever grateful for the care and love my beautiful husband received.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Memory Care in St. Louis
If you don’t see your question here, call us and we’re happy to talk it through.
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01 What is the difference between memory care and assisted living?
Assisted living supports everyday tasks for people who are still largely independent. Memory care is built specifically for dementia: a secure home-like setting, care partners trained in dementia and a steady routine. Every Dolan home is dedicated to memory care, not assisted living with a memory wing added on. If you are weighing options, it helps to understand memory care vs assisted living and how it compares to dementia care in St. Louis.
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02 How much does memory care cost in St. Louis?
Dolan uses one all-inclusive monthly rate that covers the home, care, meals and on-campus activities, and it does not go up as care needs increase. Billing is private pay, monthly. The “extra” costs are minimal and optional and include beautician services, outings, and transportation fees for doctors appointments.
Call us and we will walk through your family’s situation and what to expect.
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03 When is it time to move a loved one to memory care?
A few signs tend to add up: wandering or safety scares, falls, missed medications, and behaviors that are hard to manage at home, alongside caregiver burnout. Choosing memory care does not mean giving up. It often means giving your loved one more than you can provide alone. See deciding when it is time for memory care.
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04 What makes Dolan different from a large memory care facility?
Dolan is dementia care first, in small homes of no more than 10 to 11 residents rather than one large building. Care partners are trained in dementia, the homes are secured, and residents stay in the same home through the end of life.
A Different Kind of Memory Care
See What Memory Care Feels Like at Dolan
Tour a Dolan Memory Care Home whenever it suits you, ask the hard questions and bring whoever you’d like. No pressure, just answers. If it is easier to talk first, call 314-993-9500.