Alzheimer's & Memory Care

Alzheimer Special Care or Memory Care Units (SCUs) exist to better meet the special needs of residents with dementia. More than 50 percent of residents in Assisted Living and Nursing Homes have some form of dementia or cognitive impairment and that number is increasing every day.

Until recently, facilities did not have to meet any specific standards, beyond the nursing home standards to which all nursing homes are held, in order to promote themselves as being Special Care Units. The Alzheimer's Association supports the enactment of state legislation regarding the disclosure of claims made by facilities relative to their Alzheimer special care units. Currently, 27 states, including Georgia, have legislation requiring Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Communities to tell exactly what specialized services their SCU provides, including a trained staff, specialized activities, ability of staff to care for residents with behavioral needs and what fees they charge.

In the Senior Resources Directory, to be coded as providing Memory Care, an Assisted Living Community must maintain a "locked" environment to protect against wandering.

In the SRD, Personal Care Homes are coded if they provide "early-stage" memory care, since they generally do not have locked environments and cannot be licensed to care for those who wander.

Communities that provide pro-active memory care can be of great benefit to those who suffer from this debilitating and insidious disease, often times slowing the progression of the disease. Investigate all your options in the Senior Resources Directory.