Maryland Residential Alzheimer’s Care (Memory Care): Laws, Costs & Financial Help

Legal Definition of Assisted Living / Memory Care in Maryland

In Maryland, communities that offer a place to live with full-time care and support services for people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, are called assisted living facilities with an Alzheimer’s special care unit. Another common term for these is memory care. Residents in assisted living are given housing, supervision, support, and health-related services including help with activities of daily living like eating and dressing.

Assisted living facilities in Maryland offer three levels of care: low, moderate, or high. Someone in the late stages of Alzheimer’s will obviously need to live in a high-level residence, while a person in the early or middle stages will live in low or moderate. Assisted living facilities may not legally house someone whose health needs cannot be met there. Because Alzheimer’s is progressive, meaning it gets worse over time, your loved one in low or moderate memory care will eventually need to move somewhere offering more care, like a high-level residence or a nursing home.

Any assisted living residence housing people with dementia must submit the following to the Office of Health Care Quality, which regulates assisted living under the direction of the Maryland Department of Health:

• Description of the unit (memory care facilities are typically built with special considerations, including secure outdoor areas and special locks on bedroom units)
• Statement of philosophy or mission
• Staff training and titles
• All procedures that go beyond the treatment provided in normal assisted living

There are approximately 240 memory care communities in Maryland. There are also 150 board and care homes, which offer the same services as assisted living (often including memory care) in a smaller house-like setting, typically with fewer than 12 residents. For free help finding the perfect memory care home to meet your family’s needs and budget, click here.

How Much Does Memory Care Cost in Maryland?

There can be differences in the cost of assisted living and memory care depending on what part of Maryland 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. 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.

For context, the median cost of assisted living across the country in 2025 was $6,200/month, while it was $7,173/month in Maryland in 2025.

Maryland Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Process & Requirements

Within 30 days before admission, a resident must be assessed using the Residential Assessment Tool to gauge health, function, and emotional and social well-being. This assessment is provided by the residence and performed by a medical professional. Based on the results, the memory care home will create a resident’s service plan that outlines what your loved one needs and how those needs will be met.

The cost of the assessment is typically included in a community fee charged when your loved one moves in. The community fee generally costs between $1,500 and $3,000, and covers move-in expenses as well as deep cleaning and painting a new resident’s room.

Assisted living homes in Maryland may not admit someone if they:

• Require full-time nursing care
• Have stage III or IV skin ulcers
• Require a ventilator
• Have an acute and fluctuating medical condition that requires monitoring, and frequent medication and treatment changes
• Have an illness that requires isolation from other residents
• Present a danger to self or others

A home may request a waiver (an exception to the above rules), so that your loved one would be allowed to move in or stay. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is not required to move into memory care in Maryland.

Facility / Residence

Bedroom units must be at least 80 square feet of space for a single-person room, and 120 square feet per person if there are multiple occupants. The maximum number of people allowed in a bedroom is two. There also must be one toilet for every four residents and one shower or bathtub for every eight. Smoke detectors are required in every bedroom and outside the rooms within their vicinity. A plan for fire evacuation must be posted on every floor, and fire drills are required four times per year.

Maryland memory care communities are not specifically required to have physical designs that are dementia-friendly. People with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are more comfortable in homes with easily navigated spaces, circular hallways that don’t run to dead ends, and outdoor spaces that allow for time in the open air. Be sure to thoroughly inspect any home you are considering for your loved one, checking whether they can be comfortable in the space.

Staff & Training

There are no staff-to-resident ratio requirements in Maryland, though regulations say staffing must at all times be adequate to serve the needs of every resident. Assisted living communities in Maryland must have a contract with a registered nurse. Managers must be at least 21 years old, with a high school diploma and sufficient training to fulfill the role of running an assisted living community. For a community offering high-level care, the manager must have a four-year college degree, two years’ experience in health care, and at least one year of experience in assisted living. An 80-hour assisted living training program must also be completed.

Staff must be at least 18 years old, and must complete five hours of training on cognitive impairment and mental illness within 90 days of starting work. An orientation and ongoing education are also required.

Evictions & Discharges

Unfair evictions can be a problem for families with a loved one in assisted living. Maryland does not have rules outlining why a patient may be evicted from memory care. Whether or not a resident can be discharged for nonpayment, aggressive behavior, or some other reason is up to the specific residence. When considering a memory care community, ask the specific reasons someone can be evicted and get the answers in writing. Click here for what to do if you receive an eviction notice.

Financial Assistance for Residential Alzheimer’s Memory Care

Community Options Medicaid Waiver

Maryland Medicaid’s Community Options (CO) Waiver will pay for long-term care services and supports for qualified individuals who reside in assisted living facilities, memory care, their own home or the home of a loved one. Benefits of the CO Waiver include adult day health care, behavior consultation services, case management, respite care, medication management, homemaker services and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting). To qualify for the CO Waiver, individuals must meet two financial eligibility requirements – an asset limit ($2,500) and an income limit ($2,982/month in 2026) – as well as the medical criteria of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC). It should be noted that a dementia diagnosis does not always equate to a NFLOC designation.

Increased Community Services

Maryland’s Increased Community Services Program, or ICS, assists nursing home residents move back to the assisted living residence or memory care facility. Benefits include paying for transitional services such as one-time security deposits and utility set-up fees, as well as long-term services and supports such as home delivered meals, medical day care, personal care assistance, homemaker services, and personal emergency response systems. To qualify for ICS, applicants must meet two financial requirements – having assets less than $2,500 and having an income more than $2,982/month – as well as the medical requirement of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC). It should be noted that a dementia diagnosis does not always equate to a NFLOC designation.

Senior Assisted Living Group Home Subsidy Program

This program provides money to recipients to help cover the costs of assisted living. The income requirements are different from Medicaid. This program is not available in all counties in Maryland, and there may be a waiting list. For more information, visit the Department of Aging website.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

Qualified Maryland veterans (or their surviving spouses) with dementia 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. 1, 2025 – Nov. 30, 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: $33,548
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A and one 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 Housebound and the other for A&A: $38,350

Veterans Homes

There is one veterans’ home in Maryland, a residential care facility that provides long-term care for veterans. The Charlotte Hall Veterans Home in Charlotte Hall offers assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care for more than 450 veterans at a time. Neighboring states have more veterans’ homes, so a loved one might consider looking there for more options as there are no requirements that one must live in the state. For example, Pennsylvania has 6 Veterans homes statewide and several are located relatively close to their shared border. Additionally, Virginia and West Virginia both have 2 facilities statewide. More info.

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 a VA pension to be approved 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.