A checklist for memory care facilities, which offer 24-hour supervised dementia care, covers needs, staffing, safety, health support, daily life, costs, and quality records. It also sets how you will compare facilities across tours.
Start the list before you call or visit. Note current help with walking, eating, toileting, and bathing. Include the person with dementia in the decision whenever possible.
Medical information disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a physician or other qualified health professional about symptoms, medications, tests, or treatment decisions.
Table of Contents
- How do you capture current needs and preferences?
- What staffing questions belong on the list?
- How is safety and supervision handled?
- What care, health support, and daily life should you list?
- What will it cost and how do you verify quality?
How do you capture current needs and preferences?
Write down what help is needed each day. List walking ability, eating support, toileting help, and bathing help. Note sleep patterns, fall history, and wandering risk.
Add preferences and practical limits. List location, language needs, food needs, and room type. Bring this sheet to every tour for side-by-side comparison.
What staffing questions belong on the list?
Ask for day, night, and weekend staffing ratios. Ask about dementia-specific training hours and topics. Ask about turnover and whether the same staff care for the same residents.
Ask who provides medical coverage. Ask whether a nurse or doctor is on-site or only on-call. The Alzheimer's Association advises families to check these staffing and training details in its Long-Term Care guidance.
How is safety and supervision handled?
Ask about secured doors, alarms, and monitored indoor space. Ask about safe outdoor space and 24-hour supervised care. Ask for written steps for wandering, falls, and a resident leaving unnoticed.
Watch for calm, clean halls and locked exits that still allow activity. Ask who responds at night and on weekends. The National Institute on Aging directs families to verify these protections in its guide to finding long-term care for a person with Alzheimer's.
What care, health support, and daily life should you list?
Ask how care plans are made and updated as needs change. Ask who manages medications and what medical support is on hand. Ask how staff handle agitation or behavioral changes.
Ask what a typical day looks like. Ask whether activities are structured and matched to interests and abilities. The National Institute on Aging points families to these daily-life and contract questions in its guide to choosing a nursing home or other long-term care facility.
- Plan updates, medication handling, medical support, behavior response
- Meals, social time, outings, transport, visitor rules, contract terms
What will it cost and how do you verify quality?
List total cost before touring. Write the monthly fee, what it covers, and what costs extra. Ask when fees rise with greater needs, and whether long-term-care insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare pays any part.
Check the state license, fee disclosure, and specialized-service disclosure. Check the latest inspection, complaint history, and, for nursing homes, Medicare Care Compare stars for inspections, staffing, and quality. Licensing rules vary by state with no single federal memory-care standard, so tour at different times, observe a meal and staff-resident contact, and use the same written list each time.
