Memory Care in Massachusetts

The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) licenses and regulates memory care facilities in Massachusetts. Stand-alone memory care facilities are referred to as Special Care Residences while memory care units that share a campus with Assisted Living Residences are referred to as Special Care Units.^[01]

To remain a licensed memory care facility in Massachusetts, Special Care Residences and Units must maintain a clean, safe, and healthy environment and meet the following requirements.^[01]

Resident admission requirements

• Have a nurse conduct an initial screening to assess and determine residents’ service needs and preferences based on their functional abilities and cognitive status.
• Use the initial screening and a recent physician evaluation outlining the resident’s physical, cognitive, functional, and psychosocial condition to develop individualized service plans.
• Have a nurse evaluate the personal care services outlined in each resident’s service plan every 6 months to make updates if necessary.

Staff requirements

• Maintain a sufficient staff-to-resident ratio at all times.
• Have on-site, awake staff 24 hours a day.
• Provide all staff a 7-hour orientation prior to active employment and at least 10 hours of ongoing education and training on an annual basis.
• Provide all memory care staff an additional 7 hours of dementia-specific training prior to active employment and at least 4 hours of continued dementia care education on an annual basis.
• Provide 54 hours of training to on-site caregiving staff, with at least 20 hours of personal care training conducted by a qualified registered nurse.

Services and amenities requirements

• Offer one to three scheduled, dietitian-approved meals per day.
• Implement safety measures like secured entrances and emergency plans.
• Provide a multipurpose activity space and a planned activity program including gross motor, self-care, social, sensory, and memory enhancement activities.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health contact information

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-624-6000
Submit a contact form

Search for memory care facility compliance reviews

The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) conducts an initial compliance review before licensing a memory care facility and every two years thereafter.^[01]

The EOEA may also conduct a compliance review at any time if there is cause to believe that a memory care facility has violated any regulations. If any violations are found, the facility must respond within 10 days of the notice with a corrective action plan. If the plan is deemed acceptable, the EOEA will then conduct a timely review to ensure corrections are made.^[01]

In Massachusetts, compliance reviews of a memory care facility include:^[02]

• A review of the operating plan
• Inspection of common areas
• Inspection of residents’ rooms (with residents’ consent)
• Examination of resident records (with residents’ consent)

The EOEA doesn’t publicly publish any facility inspections. To access inspection reports, the general public can request a digital copy via email at information.resources@mass.gov or a physical copy through fax at 617-727-9368.