Stamford Senior AdvisorIs memory care licensed separately in Connecticut?
No: memory care in Connecticut assisted living is a dementia special care unit or program operated through a licensed assisted living services agency, and DPH does not publish a list of the communities that run one.
That means no state roster can tell a Fairfield County family which communities offer memory care. Our directory lists every active ALSA license, but the memory care question has to be asked of each community, and the answer checked against its paperwork. A community that markets memory care should be able to show the written description of its dementia unit in the residency agreement and confirm that its agency filed a staffing plan with DPH.
What staffing does Connecticut require in a dementia special care unit?
An ALSA that provides dementia special care unit services must have adequate staff and submit staffing plans to DPH (CGS 19a-564), but there is no minimum staffing ratio, a gap the state auditors flagged in 2023.
The general ALSA rules still apply on the unit: a registered nurse supervisor, a second RN as backup, an RN on call around the clock and at least 10 hours a week of licensed nurse time per 10 or fewer aides. For a locked or secured unit the number that matters most is the overnight headcount physically on the unit, so ask for it by shift, and ask whether those aides float to other floors.
What dementia training must memory care staff have in Connecticut?
All licensed direct care staff in memory care units must complete dementia-specific training every year (CGS 19a-562a), on top of the 10-hour orientation every ALSA employee completes and the competency exam and annual continuing education required of aides.
- A 10-hour orientation for all staff; aides must pass a competency exam and take annual continuing education (19-13-D105(f) and (i))
- Annual dementia-specific training for all licensed direct care staff in memory care units (CGS 19a-562a)
- From October 1, 2026, annual in-service training on residents' fear of retaliation and their right to complain (PA 26-44)
Ask how many hours the community's own dementia curriculum runs, who teaches it, and whether housekeeping and dining staff on the unit take it too.
What should the residency agreement say about memory care?
Connecticut requires the MRC residency agreement to describe dementia special care unit care where it applies, alongside the services, charges, grievance procedures and terms for what happens when a resident's health deteriorates.
Read that section for three things: what behaviors or care needs would trigger a move out of the unit, how much notice the family gets, and whether the memory care rate is a flat fee or a base rent plus care charges that rise with assessed need. Because the ALSA reassesses residents at least every 120 days, care charges can change several times a year.
What does memory care cost in Fairfield County?
No published median exists: CareScout's Connecticut survey does not price memory care separately, and its 2025 statewide assisted living median of $104,106 a year (about $8,676 a month) is the closest published benchmark, which memory care typically exceeds.
Ask every community for a written memory care quote that separates rent, the dementia unit fee and assessed care charges. The Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders can pay for assisted living services for eligible residents in approved communities, but not rent; see how CHCPE works.
At a glance
| Connecticut memory care rules do | Connecticut memory care rules do not | |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | Require adequate staff and a plan filed with DPH | Set a numeric staff-to-resident ratio |
| Training | Require annual dementia training for licensed direct care staff | Certify individual memory care programs publicly |
| Disclosure | Require the residency agreement to describe dementia unit care | Require DPH to publish which communities have units |
Sources include the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (19-13-D105 and related sections), the Connecticut General Statutes as summarized by the Office of Legislative Research, DPH, DSS and Aging and Disability Services pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
