Florida Memory Care and Assisted Living for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: Costs, Regulations & Financial Help

Legal Definition of Memory Care/Assisted Living in Florida

The Agency for Health Care Administration, Bureau of Health Facility Regulation, licenses assisted living facilities (ALFs) in Florida. Standard ALFs in Florida must provide supervision, social and leisure activities and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting). Standard ALFs must also assist residents in making appointments and either provide or arrange for transportation.

ALFs can also have additional specialty licenses that allow them to provide extra services. These specialty licenses include:

• Extended congregate care (ECC) license, which allows facilities to provide additional assistance with the Activities of Daily Living and more extensive nursing services to frail residents.
• Limited nursing services (LNS) license, which allows nurses to provide services under their state practice act, as long as the resident continues to meet admission and residency criteria.
• Limited mental health (LMH) services, which allows facilities to serve low-income, chronically mentally ill patients.

Any Florida ALF that advertises special care for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias must have an awake staff member on duty at all hours if the facility has 17 or more residents. If it has fewer than 17 residents, it much have an awake staff member on duty at all hours OR it can have mechanisms in place to ensure the residents’ safety. In addition, the staff must meet the training requirements in Florida’s “Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Forms of Dementia Education and Training Act.”

Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Requirements & Process

In order to be admitted to an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) in Florida, seniors must meet several requirements, including:

• Not displaying symptoms of a contagious disease
• Being able to perform the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting) with supervision or assistance
• Being able to take medication (with or without assistance)
• Not requiring around-the-clock care from a mental health professional
• Not being confined to bed
• Not having pressure sores that are stage 3 or 4 in severity
• Not needing assistance with feeding tubes or drainage tubes following surgery.

In addition, residents must undergo an initial physical exam by a doctor (or nurse practitioner) who works for the ALF. The cost of this assessment is typically included in the price of admission. However, it is possible seniors will need to use their own doctor for this assessment and need to cover the cost themselves. This exam must be completed no earlier than 60 days prior to admission and no later than 30 days after admittance. After the initial exam, a physical must be performed every three years to ensure residents continue to meet the requirements of ALF residency in Florida.

Upon move-in, Florida ALFs must provide a “disclosure statement.” This document details what services and supports are offered, the facility’s policies including eviction, all potential fees and patient rights. It is unlikely a facility will provide their disclosure statement on their website. However, by law, the ALF must provide this documentation to residents upon admission. The facility should also have a record of it, should a family have misplaced their copy.

Additionally, when looking for more information about residences and their disclosure statements, one can search with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). This governing body licenses and regulates Florida’s healthcare residences such as assisted living and memory care communities.

Facility/Residence Requirements

In Florida, Special Care Units for people with dementia must be physically constructed for their safety and well-being. One example is that memory care facilities might have an enclosed outdoor area to prevent wandering. In addition, activities specifically geared towards patients with dementia are required, as well as the availability of around-the-clock staff. Private resident bedrooms must be at least 80 square feet for one person or 60 square feet per person if there is more than one. Four is the maximum number of roommates allowed in one unit. There must be one toilet and sink for every six residents, and one bath or shower for every eight.

Staff & Training Requirements

Prior to employment, all staff must undergo a background investigation, including a fingerprint check by the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Training of staff varies depending on the position and what services are provided. All employees who have not completed core training must attend an orientation prior to interacting with residents. This training must be a minimum of 2 hours and cover topics that pertain to the needs and safety of the residents. All assisted living facilities must have an administrator who has taken a 26-hour training course that covers a variety of subjects, including dementia. Upon completion of the course, the individual must pass a test.

Employees working with Alzheimer’s patients in Special Care Units must have dementia training. Staff who have interaction daily with individuals with Alzheimer’s, but aren’t responsible for directly caring for them, must undergo four hours of dementia training in the first three months of being employed at the facility. Staff who directly care for persons with dementia must undergo four more hours of training within nine months of being hired.

For assisted living residences that house a minimum of 17 residents, at least one staff member who is trained in CPR must be on duty at all times. If the assisted living facility offers administration of medications to its residents, an employee must be licensed to give it according to the physician’s order or the instructions on the medication’s label. Employees that aren’t licensed to give medications are still able to assist with self-administration of medications. However, some training is required in order to do so: an initial 6 hours of training on medication assistance and an additional 2 hours of training each year.

Florida uses a minimum staff-to-resident ratio staffing approach, which means the required number of staff hours is based on the number of residents in the facility. Regarding medication management in memory care, a facility must advise families who will administer prescriptions to their loved one. The staff member does not need to be a licensed healthcare professional, rather they simply have to complete four hours of training when they are hired and an additional two hours of continuing education annually. Once trained, staff can bring medication to a resident, help them read the label, and open the bottle, put the medication in a patient’s mouth or apply it topically. They cannot give injections or medications that are not regularly prescribed.

Evictions

Regulations in Florida say that a person must be discharged or evicted if the residence can no longer meet their care needs. Because dementia is progressive, dementia patients and their families need to be sure that the home is equipped to care for the individual as the disease advances from early to middle and later stages.

There is no specific state policy about the process for eviction. The facility will have its own policy, which it is legally required to share with the resident. Before moving into an ALF, seniors and their families should know the facility’s eviction policy. For tips on evictions, including what to do if you receive an eviction notice, click here.

Reporting Complaints and Concerns

If you have concerns or complaints about a memory care community or a resident’s treatment, you can contact Florida’s long term care ombudsman office. This is a governmental entity that protects the elderly living in long-term care communities and that the communities are complying with their move-in contract. They also help to resolve problems, investigate injustices, and act as oversight to different state and federal programs that have to do with the health and welfare of elderly residents in long-term care facilities.

Florida Memory Care/Assisted Living Costs

Because of Florida’s large size, there can be significant differences in the cost of assisted living and memory care depending on what part of the state you are in. The table below lists the median monthly cost of both assisted living and memory care facilities in different regions of the state as of 2025, and it includes the statewide median as well as the median for non-metropolitan areas. Individuals who are in the early to mid stages of dementia may be best suited for assisted living facilities, which are less expensive than memory care, while those with more severe symptoms or who are in the late stages of dementia will likely need memory care.

If those costs are too high, Florida residents could consider assisted living in a neighboring state. The cost of assisted living and memory care in both Georgia and Alabama was, on average, more affordable than it was in Florida in 2025.

Financial and Care Assistance for Memory Care in Florida

There are several sources of financial assistance and care support for qualified Florida seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias who reside in assisted living facilities or specialty care assisted living facilities. They include the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) Long-Term Care (LTC) Program, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Veterans Affairs (VA) pensions and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), as well as elder loans, tax credits and reverse mortgages.

Medicaid Long-Term Care

Florida Medicaid will not cover room and board costs at assisted living facilities (ALFs), but it will pay for some long-term care services and supports for eligible seniors who live in ALFs through the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care Program, and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) Long-Term Care (LTC) Program
Florida’s SMMC LTC Program will cover some long-term care benefits for eligible seniors who live in ALFs, including facilities licensed to care for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias (as well as in their own home, the home of a loved one or an adult family care home). To be eligible, applicants must meet the medical requirement of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC), and they have to meet the financial requirements of an asset limit ($2,000 for individuals in 2026) and an income limit ($2,982/month for an individual in 2026).

SMMC LTC benefits include in-home skilled nursing, medical equipment, transportation, homemaker services and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting). These benefits will be provided through a single plan from a managed care organization and its network of providers. However, some of the benefits, such as personal care and homemaker services, can be consumer-directed, which means the program participant can hire caregivers of their choice, including spouses.

It’s important to note that the SMMC LTC Program has a limited number of enrollment spots (about 116,000), and once those spots are full, additional applicants will be placed on a waitlist. The SMMC waitlist is prioritized based on the applicants’ health needs and frailty, and it is managed by the Department of Elder Affairs and Aging and Disability Resource Centers.

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly
Florida residents age 55 and over who require a NFLOC can have all of their healthcare coverage, including Medicaid and Medicare, streamlined into one plan with the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). PACE also offers vision, dental and hearing care, and PACE day centers provide day-time supervision, meals, social activities and regular health checkups for program participants. Being enrolled in Medicaid and/or Medicare is not a requirement for PACE, but it is free for Florida Medicaid for Aged and Disabled (MEDS-AD) beneficiaries.

Florida’s PACE programs are located in Fort Meyers (Hope PACE), Hialeah (Mount Sinai Eldercare), West Palm Beach (Palm Beach PACE), Jacksonville (The PACE Place), Miami (Florida PACE Centers, Inc.), Orlando (InnovAge Florida PACE – Orlando), Tampa (Empath LIFE and InnovAge Florida PACE – Tampa), Pensacola (Trinity Health PACE of Pensacola), Pinellas Park (Suncoast PACE, Inc.) and West Palm Beach (Palm Beach PACE).

Nursing Home Medicaid
Florida’s Nursing Home Medicaid will cover all nursing home expenses, including room and board, for all eligible applicants. To qualify, applicants must meet an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($2,982/month for an individual in 2026). They also have to meet the medical requirement of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC), which means they need the type of full-time supervision and care associated with nursing homes. It’s important to note that a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia does not guarantee a NFLOC designation. However, many people with dementia will meet the requirements.

Veterans Affairs

Qualified Florida veterans (or their surviving spouses) can also receive financial assistance through a Veterans Affairs (VA) Pension that they could use to pay for assisted living or memory care. There are three levels of VA Pensions – Basic, Aid & Attendance (A&A) and Housebound. To qualify for any of them, veterans or their surviving spouses need to meet a net worth limit of $163,699 (effective Dec. 2025 – Nov. 2026), which is calculated by adding the total of their assets to their annual income. Some assets are exempt, like a primary home, primary vehicle and household furniture and appliances. VA Pension applicants also have to meet an income limit to be eligible – their income must be less than the VA Pension they are applying for in order for them to qualify. And veterans must meet a military service requirement, which includes not having received a dishonorable discharge.

To qualify for A&A, veterans or their surviving spouses must also meet a medical requirement, which is one of the following must be true:

• They need help to perform the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting) OR
• They have to stay in bed for at least a large portion of the day due to illness OR
• They are in a nursing home due to loss of mental or physical abilities OR
• Their eyesight is extremely limited (5/200 or less in both eyes even with glasses or contacts; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or fewer)

To qualify for Housebound, veterans must spend most of their time in their home due to a permanent disability.

There is no medical requirement for VA Basic Pensions.

Qualified veterans or their surviving spouses are entitled to their Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) minus their annual income. The following MAPRs are effective from Dec. 1, 2025, to Nov. 30, 2026.

VA Basic Pension MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $17,441
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $22,839
• Surviving spouses without dependent children: $11,699
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $15,311
• Two veterans married to each other: $22,839

VA Aid & Attendance MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $29,093
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $34,488
• Surviving spouses without dependent children a maximum of $18,697
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $22,304
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A: $34,488
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A and the other for Housebound: $38,350
• Two veterans married to each other and both qualify for A&A: $46,143

VA Housebound MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $21,313
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $26,710
• Surviving spouses without dependent children: $14,298
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $17,902
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for Housebound: $26,710
• Two veterans married to each other and both qualify for Housebound: $30,580
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A and the other for Housebound: $38,350

Veterans’ Homes
There are nine state-run Veterans’ Homes in Florida – eight skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living facility – that are operated by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs and licensed by the Agency of Health Care Administration. The homes are staffed around-the-clock by registered and licensed nurses. They offer a range of services that support veterans who can no longer reside in their homes. These homes are designed to give veterans the quality of care they need while costing less than a privately owned long-term care facility.

Since the Veterans Homes are managed by the state, there is no uniform nationwide cost. Many factors affect the price one has to pay after qualifying to be admitted. There is the cost of the VA home, a person’s service-connected disability rating, their assets, and monthly income. There are limits set as to how much a VA facility can charge (again these vary state by state) and they cost approximately 50 to 70% of a typical privately owned assisted living facility or nursing home.

To be admitted to a VA Home in Florida, applicants must have an honorable discharge. State residency prior to admission and a certified need for assisted living or skilled nursing care as determined by a VA physician. Eligible spouses can also reside in Florida VA homes. Links to application packages for all nine of the homes can be found on this Florida Department of Veterans Affairs webpage.

The Florida VA Home that is an assisted living facility is the Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Domiciliary Home in Lake City, which can be reached at (386) 758-0600. Below are the eight (8) Florida VA Homes that offer skilled nursing care and are the equivalent of a nursing home:

• Daytona Beach, Emory L. Bennet State Veterans’ Nursing Home, (386) 274-3460
• Land O’ Lakes, Baldomero Lopez State Veteran’s Nursing Home, (813) 558-5000
• Pembroke Pines, Alexander “Sandy” Nininger Veterans’ Nursing Home, (954) 985-4824
• Panama City, Clifford C. Sims State Veterans’ Nursing Home, (850) 747-5401
• Port Charlotte, Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans’ Nursing Home, (941) 613-0919
• St. Augustine, Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans’ Nursing Home, (904) 940-2193
• Port St. Lucie, Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home, (772) 241-6132
• Orlando, Alwyn C. Cashe State Veterans’ Nursing Home, (407) 741-4614

Supplemental Security Income

Dementia patients age 65 and over with limited income and assets may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These funds can be used to pay for the cost of assisted living or memory care. As of 2026, the maximum SSI benefit for an individual is $994/month and for a married couple it’s $1,491/month.

To qualify for SSI, applicants must be age 65 and over or have a significant disability, and they must meet an income limit and an asset limit. As of 2026, individuals may meet the SSI income limit if they earn less than $2,073/month OR they get less than $1,014/month from non-work sources, like Social Security benefits or pension payments. They may meet the SSI asset limit if they have $2,000 or less in countable assets. For couples, the income limit is $3,067/month in work income or $1,511/month in non-work income, and the asset limit is $3,000.

Other Options

1) Elder care loans exist for families to cover the costs of moving into memory care while waiting for other financial resources to become available. For example, if one is waiting for Medicaid approval or waiting to sell a home. More on bridge loans for memory care.

2) Some tax credits and deductions can provide financial relief for seniors with dementia and their families. Seniors with limited financial resources can claim the Credit for the Elderly and/or the Disabled, as long as no one can claim them as a dependent. If someone (like an adult child) can claim the senior as a dependent, they can utilize the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and they can deduct any medical or dental expenses they paid for the senior.

3) A reverse mortgage loan can be a viable option for some senior homeowners who are in need of extra income to help pay dementia care. However, reverse mortgages are not recommended for every senior homeowner who needs extra income, so it’s important to consult with a professional before taking out one of these loans.