Baton Rouge Senior AdvisorIs there a memory care license in Louisiana?
No: memory care is a specialized dementia care program inside a licensed ARCP, which must be disclosed to LDH, or care in a nursing home.
Across the region, 1 licensed ARCP uses memory care in the licensed name (Holly Court Assisted Living and Memory Care); more buildings market dementia programs without saying so on the license, so the written program policies are the document that matters.
How much training do memory care staff need in Louisiana?
Hands-on staff in a dementia program need eight hours of dementia-specific training within 90 days of hire and eight hours every year.
Other direct care staff in ARCPs need two hours within 90 days and two hours a year.
Can a memory care unit lock its doors in Louisiana?
Only where residents' clinical needs require it and the Office of State Fire Marshal approves the arrangement.
Ask to see the approval.
Can someone with dementia live in a regular ARCP?
Often yes, if they can be safe in an open building, are not exit-seeking and can evacuate with staff help; restraints are never allowed.
A secured dementia program or a nursing home becomes necessary as needs grow.
Does Medicaid pay for memory care in Louisiana?
Not in an ARCP; Louisiana Medicaid pays for nursing home care and for help at home through its waivers, LT-PCS and PACE.
VA pension with Aid and Attendance can help eligible veterans and surviving spouses in memory care.
What should we ask a memory care program in Baton Rouge?
Ask for the written policies and criteria, the overnight staffing, the Fire Marshal approval for locks, the training records and what would lead to a discharge.
Get a written quote, because no memory care median is published.
Do Louisiana memory care programs have to tell LDH they exist?
Yes: an ARCP must disclose its specialized dementia care program to LDH when it starts the program and when it ends it, although LDH does not publish the list.
That is why the program's written policies, which the public may see, are the best way for a Baton Rouge family to confirm a program exists.
What dementia support is there for families at home in Baton Rouge?
Parish councils on aging offer caregiver support and respite programs, adult day health care centers in Baton Rouge serve participants with memory loss, and PACE Baton Rouge serves eligible East and West Baton Rouge residents.
Ask each adult day center whether it accepts participants who wander and how it keeps them safe.
