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

Legal Definition of Assisted Living / Memory Care in South Carolina

Assisted living residences in South Carolina are called community residential care facilities. These homes provide room, board, and personal care services including healthcare (but not full-time nursing care). They must be designed to “maximize residents’ dignity, autonomy, privacy, independence, and safety, and encourage family and community involvement,” according to state regulations. For people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, the requirements go even further.

Communities for people with dementia are often called memory care, but in South Carolina they use the term Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit or Program. To have this designation, they must offer special living units with care and treatment that are different from regular assisted living. This usually means enhanced security measures like special locks on doors, architectural features including easy-to-navigate layouts, staff with specialized training, and social activities designed to stimulate memory.

South Carolina special care units must provide the following information to all potential residents, as of 2024:

• Criteria for admissions, transfer, and discharge
• The process for planning care for your loved one
• Information on staffing and training
• Information on the physical environment (its distinguishing features)
• List of activities for residents
• The role of family members
• Costs of care

South Carolina residential care communities, including memory care, are regulated by the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Division of Health Licensing. There are approximately 140 memory care homes in South Carolina. There are also roughly 180 board and care homes, which offer the same services as assisted living, sometimes including memory care, in smaller home-like settings for fewer than 12 residents. For free help finding memory care of any size to fit your family’s needs and budget, click here.

How Much Does Memory Care Cost in South Carolina?

The cost of assisted living and memory care can vary depending on where in South Carolina the residence is located. The table below lists the median monthly cost of both assisted living and memory care facilities in different areas 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 $5,350/month in South Carolina in 2025.

South Carolina Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Process & Requirements

To enter into a residential care facility in South Carolina, there must be an assessment of the patient done within 72 hours of admission. This helps determine the person’s specific needs and whether the residence is suitable for them. This is crucial, because an assisted living facility cannot house someone whose needs cannot be addressed there. Someone with dementia should not be admitted into a community residential care home if it doesn’t have a secured special care unit.

Someone with the following issues may not be admitted into South Carolina assisted living:

• Presents a danger to oneself or others
• Needs daily attention of a nurse, or requires regular hospital or nursing care
• Needs skilled monitoring or observation for a complex medical situation
• Requires frequent intravenous medication

Assessments are conducted by a medical professional working for the community, and the cost of assessing may be included in the base rate or it may be covered by a one-time community fee that pays for move-in expenses. Community fees usually run between $1,500 and $2,500. The purpose of the assessment is to determine unique needs, so the residence can create a written care plan. This care plan outlines your loved ones personal, emotional, and physical issues. Special diets, how a person likes to socialize, and what recreational activities will encourage participation are also included. The service plan should give staff a good idea of a resident’s general strengths and weaknesses.

Regulations say that memory care is for residents that are likely to have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Diagnosing dementia is difficult, however, often involving expensive tests like PET brain scans, and going that far is not necessary to move into memory care. Therefore, a person’s symptoms must indicate that they need the services provided in memory care.

While it is possible to move into memory care on short notice in South Carolina, this is not a good idea. You want to spend as much time as possible investigating options. The process should involve asking questions of staff and residents at different communities. Even eating a meal at a potential new home is a good idea. Ideally, you would begin your search before a move becomes necessary, when the person with dementia can provide more input.

Facility / Residence

Bedrooms must be at least 100 square feet for a single occupancy space, or 80 square feet per person if there are roommates. The most people allowed in one living unit is three. In the entire residence, for every bed there must be 20 square feet of living and recreational areas (not including the bedrooms, hallways, kitchen, dining rooms, bathrooms, and rooms that are only for staff).  One toilet and sink is required for every six residents, and one bathtub or shower for every eight.

South Carolina regulations do not specifically require dementia-friendly physical designs for memory care communities. Features like simple layouts, circular hallways (so strolling residents don’t encounter dead ends), bright lighting and paint colors, and secure outdoor areas have been demonstrated to help with dementia symptoms. For this reason, while you’re investigating options for your loved one’s new home, keep an eye on whether they’ll be comfortable within the space.

Staff & Training

The staff-to-resident ratio in South Carolina differs depending on the time of day. During normal waking hours, there must be one staff member for every eight residents. At nighttime, when most people are asleep, there must be one employee for every 30 residents. Multi-floor residences need an employee on every floor at all times. Assisted living in South Carolina is regulated by the state’s Board of Health and Environmental Control, which may determine that these minimal staff requirements aren’t actually suitable for certain residences, and that more staff are required during particular times.

Administrators must be licensed and have at least one year of relevant experience. Administrators must also complete 18 hours of continuing education annually.

Training for all staff must include in-service programs on:

– Basic first aid
– Checking vital signs
– Communicable diseases
– Medication management
– Care of persons with dementia (in memory care)
– CPR
– Confidentiality
– Residents’ rights
– Fire response and
– Emergency procedures (completed within 24 hours of starting the job)
– Activity training

Annually staff must complete continuing education.

Evictions & Discharges

A person can be evicted from residential care (including memory care) for the following reasons:

– They have become dangerous to themselves or others
– They need treatment from a licensed nurse daily
– They develops an unstable or complex medical condition
– They take medication requiring frequent dosage adjustment

Generally, someone whose medical condition cannot be treated at a residence cannot live there. If a home requires residents to be ambulatory, for instance, then someone who loses the ability to walk cannot live there.

Normally, homes are required to give 30 days’ notice before evicting someone, but this is not defined in state regulations. It’s very important to know specific details about a residence’s eviction policy before agreeing to move in, because unfair evictions can be a problem in assisted living throughout the country. Can aggressive or inappropriate behavior get someone kicked out of memory care? What about nonpayment of bills? How do you appeal? Be sure to ask why a person can be evicted, and what the process is, before signing a contract. Get the answers in writing. If your loved one in memory care has received an eviction notice, and you need to know next steps, click here.

Financial Assistance for Residential Alzheimer’s Memory Care

South Carolina Community Choices Waiver

Medicaid, called Healthy Connections in South Carolina, will pay for long-term care services and supports for qualified dementia patients who live in a community residential care facility (assisted living) or Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit (memory care), as well as their own home, the home of a loved one or an adult foster home, through the Community Choices Waiver. The covered supports and services include three levels of personal care: companion care (non-medical supervision and socialization); personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting) and other essential chores, like cleaning, cooking and shopping; and attendant care that includes personal care assistance and medication management and nursing care. Other Community Choices Waiver benefits include adult day care, meal delivery, Personal Emergency Response Systems, respite care and specialized medical equipment and supplies. It should be noted that the Community Choices Waiver will not cover room and board expenses.

To qualify for the Community Choices Waiver, applicants must meet two financial requirements – an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($2,982/month for an individual in 2026) – as well as the medical requirement of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC). It’s important to know that a dementia diagnosis does not guarantee a NFLOC designation.

Healthy Connections Prime

South Carolina’s Healthy Connections Prime (HCP) Program will provide a variety of benefits to eligible seniors with dementia who live in a community residential care facility (assisted living) or Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit (memory care) and are enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare (known as dual eligible). Benefits include , such as is a voluntary statewide managed care program for seniors (65+ years old) who are “dual eligible” (eligible and enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare). Program participants can receive a variety of benefits, based on their needs, that include medical care, hospitalization, prescription drugs and long-term services and supports such as adult day health care, Personal Emergency Response Systems, respite care, and  personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting) in order to delay and prevent nursing home admission. All HCP Program participants will have all of their Medicaid and Medicare benefits delivered through a single plan provided by a Coordinate & Integrated Care Organization (CICO).

Seniors can enroll in HCP if they have qualified for the Community Choices Waiver described above, which has two financial requirements – an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($2,982/month for an individual in 2026) – as well as the medical requirement of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC). They can also enroll in HCP if they have qualified for the state Medicaid program, also known as Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) Medicaid, which has an asset limit of $9,950 for an individual and income limit of $1,330/month, as of 2026. The only medical requirement for ABD Medicaid is showing a need for the long-term services and supports one is applying for.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

Veterans are statistically more likely to develop dementia. Among the reasons for this is that traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder lead to a higher probability of developing the condition. The VA offers many benefits for Alzheimer’s and dementia as well as different pension types.

VA Pensions

Qualified South Carolina 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 are also five veterans homes in South Carolina, which are residential care facilities that provide long-term care for veterans:

1) E. Roy Stone Veterans Pavilion in Columbia
2) Veterans Victory House in Walterboro (in the Lowcountry, west of Charleston)
3) Richard Michael Campbell Veterans Nursing Home in Anderson (Upstate)
4) Veteran Village in Florence
5) Palmetto Patriots Home in Gaffney

In addition to nursing home care, assisted living and memory care may be provided. Neighboring states have 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, North Carolina has four veterans homes statewide and some are located relatively close to their shared border. Additionally, Georgia has two 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.