New Orleans Senior AdvisorBy New Orleans Senior Advisor Care Team · September 26, 2026
Louisiana requires an ARCP that markets dementia care to disclose its program to LDH, keep written policies and criteria the public can see, lock doors only with State Fire Marshal approval and train hands-on staff eight hours a year. LDH does not publish the disclosures, so ask each of the 24 larger ARCPs in the six parishes for the documents.
The problem with the words “memory care”
Search for memory care in New Orleans and you will find dozens of buildings using the phrase. Search Louisiana's licensing records and you will find no memory care license at all. What Louisiana has instead is the specialized dementia care program, defined in state law as a program or unit that separates residents with probable Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder and that is marketed as specialized dementia care. Only 2 of the 63 ARCPs on LDH's October 2026 roster for the six parishes carry memory care in their licensed names, yet many more advertise it.
The rules attached to that definition give families a way to check any claim.
Document one: the program disclosure
An ARCP must disclose its dementia program to LDH when it starts the program and when it stops it. LDH does not publish those disclosures, but you can ask the provider when it disclosed its program and whether it would object to your confirming that with the Health Standards Section.
Documents two and three: written policies and criteria
An ARCP that markets dementia care must have written policies for the program that are available to staff, residents and members of the public, and written criteria for who is included, given to the resident, family and legal representative. Ask to take both home. Read the criteria for leaving the program as closely as the criteria for entering it; they describe when a move will be required.
Document four: the Fire Marshal's approval
Locked doors are allowed only where residents' clinical needs require them and the Office of State Fire Marshal has approved the arrangement. Ask when the approval was granted and how staff respond when a door alarm sounds. A program that locks doors without approval is a serious problem; one that has the paperwork can show it in minutes.
Document five: training records
Hands-on staff in a specialized dementia care program need at least eight hours of dementia-specific training within 90 days of hire and eight hours every year. Staff with regular contact who do not give hands-on care need four hours, then two a year. Ask to see training records for night and weekend staff, who are the ones most likely to be missed.
| What to ask for | What it should show |
|---|---|
| Program disclosure date | When the ARCP told LDH it runs a dementia program |
| Written policies | How the program works day and night |
| Inclusion and discharge criteria | Who the program serves and when a move is required |
| Fire Marshal approval | That locked doors are authorized |
| Training records | Eight hours within 90 days and yearly for hands-on staff |
What the documents cannot tell you
Paper does not show how a caregiver speaks to a frightened resident at 4 p.m. Visit in the late afternoon, when sundowning behaviors peak, and at a meal. Ask how many staff are on the unit overnight; Louisiana sets no numeric ratio, so the answer varies widely. Ask too how residents with dementia are moved and identified during a hurricane evacuation, which can be especially disorienting.
When a building says it does not have a program
Some ARCPs admit residents with memory loss without running a separate program. That is allowed, and it can work well for people in the early stages who are safe in an open building. Louisiana still requires every ARCP's direct care staff to have at least two hours of dementia training within 90 days of hire and every year. The important questions are what happens if your parent begins to wander, whether the building could transfer him or her to a secured program, and what the residency agreement says about discharge.
Paying for memory care
Louisiana Medicaid does not pay for ARCP memory care, and CareScout publishes no memory care median. Programs set their own rates, usually above the building's assisted living rate. VA pension with Aid and Attendance can help eligible veterans and surviving spouses. For a family with limited savings, the realistic alternatives are care at home with adult day health care and Medicaid waiver support, PACE in its listed ZIP codes, or a Medicaid-certified nursing home.
A second visit tells you more
Go back without an appointment, ideally around dinner. Notice whether residents are engaged, whether staff know their names and histories, and how a resident who becomes upset is handled. Those moments are the program; the documents only describe it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Louisiana Medicaid pay for memory care?
Not in an ARCP. Medicaid can pay for nursing home care, or help at home through LT-PCS, the Community Choices Waiver, the ADHC Waiver or PACE.
Is there a memory care cost median for Louisiana?
No. CareScout does not publish one; ask each program for a written rate.
Can any ARCP lock its doors?
Only with State Fire Marshal approval and where residents' clinical needs require it.
