Legal Definition of Assisted Living / Memory Care in Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, assisted living residences provide care and support for people with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. These facilities are required to be certified by the state as having an Alzheimer’s Dementia Special Care Unit / Program.  In addition, these residences, often called memory care, must meet other special requirements.

Assisted living homes offer room and board, meals, housekeeping, and help with activities of daily living like eating and bathing. A residence with an Alzheimer’s Dementia Special Care Unit has additional requirements including a physical layout that is dementia-friendly (like circular hallways and simple layouts), activities that are specifically good for people with dementia, and training for staff that covers how to communicate with and care for people with the distinct challenges posed by dementia. Memory care homes must also employ a full-time registered nurse.

Assisted living in Rhode Island is regulated by the state’s Department of Health, Center for Health Facility Regulation. There are approximately 38 memory care homes in Rhode Island. There are also board and care homes, which offer the same services as assisted living, in a smaller home-like setting, usually for fewer than 12 residents. For free help finding memory care of any size to meet your family’s budget and needs, click here.

 

How Much Does Memory Care Cost in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island, like the other New England states, has some of the most expensive assisted living and memory costs in the country. The median cost of assisted living in Rhode Island in 2025 was $7,781/month, while the national median was $6,200/month. In Providence, the median cost for assisted living in 2025 was is $8,045/month, and the median cost for memory care was $10,861/month.

 

Rhode Island Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Process & Requirements

All new residents in Rhode Island assisted living homes must be evaluated using the state Department of Health’s Assisted Living Resident Assessment. This assesses health needs, eating ability, ability to communicate, mobility, and more. This is normally done by a registered nurse who works for the memory care community. The cost of the evaluation is included in a one-time community fee that covers move-in costs like the assessment and also deep cleaning and painting a new resident’s room. Any potential resident is entitled to the following information before moving into an assisted living home in Rhode Island:

• Residence’s owner and operator
• Level of licensure, with an explanation of what the levels mean
• Rules for admissions and evictions
• All services available
• Costs including all fees and deposits
• Details of residency agreements, including residents’ rights and admissions standards
• Contact information for the state’s Department of Health (which regulates assisted living), the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit, the state ombudsperson, and local police

Importantly for people in memory care, the residence must also disclose the following to people moving into Alzheimer’s Dementia Special Care Units:

• Staffing patterns
• Ratio of staff to residents
• Training for staff
• Description of the physical layout
• Dementia-friendly activities

Unlike many other states, regulations in Rhode Island say a person needs to have been diagnosed with dementia to move into memory care. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s and related diseases are difficult to diagnose; the process usually requires expensive tests including PET brain scans. For this reason, it is possible to move in without a literal diagnosis if a person exhibits all the signs of dementia. The residence may be able to help with diagnosing, as well, during the assessment process without those additional costs that would come with the tests.

While it might be possible for someone to move into memory care in Rhode Island on short notice, this is not a good idea. Finding the right home takes months of investigating residences and asking questions of staff and others who live there. Ideally, you would begin searching for memory care before a move becomes necessary. The sooner you begin investigating options, the more input the person with dementia can have on the decision.

 

Facility / Residence

In Rhode Island, a room for one person must be at least 100 square feet and eight feet wide, and for two people the spaces must be at least 160 square feet and 10 feet wide. That does not include the bathrooms and closets. The maximum number of people allowed in one room is two. Residences need one tub or shower for every 10 people and one toilet for every eight.

Regulations require memory care communities to be “physically adapted to accommodate the particular needs and behaviors of those with dementia.” This means using design elements that are dementia friendly and have been shown to benefit people with memory loss. This usually means a simple layout with clear sight lines and landmarks that make it easy to navigate, quiet rooms with minimal distractions, special locks to prevent wandering, secure outdoor areas for time outside, bright lighting, and soft paint colors.

 

Staff & Training

A Department of Health-certified administrator must be hired to be responsible for operations and safety at all times. There are no staff-to-resident ratios, there must always be enough employees to meet the needs of every resident, and an employee with CPR training must be on-site at all times. All staff who have contact with residents must have a background check, and a registered nurse must visit the assisted living home at least once every 30 days, to make a review of the residence. Staff working with residents with dementia must have at least 12 hours of dementia-specific training annually.

Ten hours of training on topics including age-related behaviors, helping with activities of daily living, and transferring (such as from a bed to a chair) are required when hired and then done again annually. Also upon hiring, all assisted-living staff in Rhode Island must have an orientation that includes these topics:

• Fire prevention
• Recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect
• Assisted living philosophy (goals or values like dignity, choice, etc.)
• Residents’ rights
• Confidentiality
• Emergency procedures
• Infection control
• Wandering

 

Evictions & Discharges

Thirty days’ notice is required before a person can be evicted from assisted living. The only exception is if there is a life-threatening emergency. The reasons a patient could be evicted are:

• The residents’ personal or healthcare needs cannot be met there.
• Resident is dangerous to themselves or others
• Failure to pay bills 30 days after they are dues

A person being evicted from assisted living in Rhode Island must receive written notice containing the following information from the evicting residence:

• Date of termination
• Reason for eviction
• How to appeal
• State ombudsperson’s contact information

The ombudsman advocates for residents in long-term care and can assist with appeals or investigations regarding an eviction.
If the resident is being asked to leave because of nonpayment, Rhode Island regulations require that a good-faith effort be made to work out the finances.

Residences may have other, more specific criteria for how they decide whether a person can be asked to leave after moving in. Before signing the contract, ask for a written eviction policy and save that document. This means the home must explain, in writing, the reasons someone can be evicted. Be sure you understand this document and that it is as specific as possible because unfair evictions can be a problem in memory care nationwide. File it in case the issue comes up later. For guidance on what to do next if you receive an eviction notice, click here.

 

Financial Assistance for Residential Alzheimer’s Memory Care

Long-Term Services and Supports

Rhode Island Medicaid’s Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) program will pay for long-term care for qualified individuals, including dementia patients, who are in assisted living or memory care (or in their own home, the home of a loved one, adult foster care or a group home). Benefits are based on the needs of the individual and they can include adult day care, nursing services, Personal Emergency Response Systems, homemaker services (cooking cleaning, laundry, etc.), transportation, meal delivery, medication management and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting). LTSS will not pay for room and board expenses in assisted living or memory care.

To qualify for LTSS, applicants must meet two financial requirements – an asset limit ($4,000 for an individual as of 2026) and an income limit ($2,982/month for an individual as of 2026) – 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 guarantee a NFLOC designation. Those with less severe needs can qualify for the Medicaid Preventative Services program and receive many of the same benefits.

SSI Enhanced Assisted Living Program

Unlike Medicaid programs, money from Rhode Island’s Supplemental Security Income Assisted Living Program can go directly toward the costs of room and board in an assisted living home, including one with memory care. Applicants must meet requirements including monthly income less than approximately $1,300 for a single person. Patients with needs that require nursing-home-level care are not eligible. The amount of money provided by the program depends on the level of care needed, but the current maximum amount is more than $1,000 per month. To apply, contact Rhode Island’s Aging and Disabilities Resource Center, “The Point,” at 401-462-4444. More information can be found on the program’s website by clicking here.

 

Home and Community Care Co-Pay Program

Assisted living is among the benefits covered in the Rhode Island Home and Community Care Co-Pay Program. This program is designed for those who do not qualify for Medicaid, supporting patients who cannot leave their houses or assisted living communities without significant help or need assistance with activities of daily living like dressing and bathing. There are more covered benefits under the Co-Pay Program than standard Medicaid and fewer financial restrictions. For more information, click here. You can apply through the Health Source Rhode Island website.

 

Veterans Affairs (VA)

Qualified Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island. It is a residential care home that provides long-term care for veterans. The Rhode Island Veterans’ Home in Bristol is located about thirty minutes southeast of Providence. They have a special care unit that has 36 beds. In addition to nursing home care and assisted living, memory care is provided. This is a facility that provides long-term residential care for veterans. In addition to nursing home care, assisted living and memory care are provided. Neighboring states also have veterans’ homes. Your loved one might consider looking there for more options as there are no requirements that one must live in the state. For example, Massachusetts has two veterans’ homes statewide. Additionally, Connecticut has one facility. 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) Eldercare 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.