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

Legal Definition of Assisted Living / Memory Care in Utah

Utah defines assisted living homes as providing 24-hour personal and healthcare services. They support residents by providing meals, housekeeping, an activities program, and assistance with medication management. Intermittent nursing care is also available, but anyone who needs full-time nursing care cannot live in assisted living.

Memory care units for people with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia must be certified as viable and safe by the state’s Department of Health. The features that make a home safe are related to dementia-specific training for staff and programs based on what’s best for residents with Alzheimer’s. All residents, even those with dementia, must be able to evacuate in an emergency with little help.

How Much Does Memory Care Cost in Utah?

The cost of assisted living and memory care can vary depending on where in Utah 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 $5,475/month in Utah in 2025.

Utah Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Process & Requirements

Before being admitted into an assisted living facility in Utah, as of 2024, a state-mandated form is used for all resident assessments that evaluates personal and health needs. This must be updated every six months. Assessments are made by a medical professional who works for the residence. The cost of assessing is usually part of the base rate to live in a memory care home. Some homes charge a one-time community fee that usually runs between $1,500 and $2,500. This fee is meant to cover expenses like deep cleaning, painting their room and the first assessment which creates a personalized care plan. This process breaks down your loved one’s personal and medical needs. For example, the plan would define the stage of dementia and which therapies are effective to encourage exercise or socializing.

New residents must be provided with the following information in writing:

– Residents’ legal rights
– How the residence protects personal funds
– Procedure for filing a complaint

Someone with any of the following conditions may not be admitted into Utah assisted living:

– Cannot evacuate in an emergency with minimal assistance
– Is dangerous to themselves or others
– Requires inpatient hospital or nursing care

Memory care residences can evict someone whose care needs cannot be met there, or who fails to pay for services in their admission agreement.

Rules say that someone must be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementia to move into memory care in Utah. Exceptions may be made, however, for people with all the symptoms of dementia who have not received an official diagnosis. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s is a difficult process that includes expensive tests like PET brain scans. The home will assess whether your loved one is a good fit based on interviews and an evaluation.

It is possible to move into assisted living in Utah on short notice, but this is not a good idea. Finding the right memory care community for your loved one is important. You should investigate as many potential homes as possible before making a decision taking tours and asking residents and staff questions. Additionally, your loved one will have more input into the decision the earlier you start looking.

Facility / Residence

One-person living units must be at least 120 square feet, and a two-person room must be at least 200 square feet. Two is the maximum number of people allowed in a room is two. There must be one toilet for every four residents and a shower or bath for every 10.

Unlike other states, Utah does not require memory care communities to be built with dementia-friendly design features. Examples of this include easy-to-navigate layouts, secure outdoor areas so residents can spend time outdoors, and bright lighting and paint colors. Closely inspect any home you are considering focusing on whether your loved one will be comfortable within the space.

Staff & Training

There are no minimum staffing ratios in Utah. In memory care, at least one person with dementia-specific training must be on-duty at all times. Administrators must be at least 21 years old, have adequate training and clear a background check. All staff must complete an orientation that includes:

– Job descriptions
– Ethics and resident rights
– Reporting abuse, neglect and exploitation

Additionally, staff working with residents with dementia must have training that includes:

– Communicating techniques
– Types and stages of dementia
– Person-centered care principles
– Maintaining safety in memory care

Evictions & Discharges

In Utah memory care homes, a resident can be evicted because:

– Staff cannot meet the needs of the resident
– Resident fails to pay bills according to the agreed-upon contract
– Resident fails to follow community rules and policies

You will want to be very clear on specific policies about why and how someone can be evicted before agreeing to a move-in contract. Will your loved one’s needs continue to be met as the dementia advances into later stages? Which specific rules if broken are a violation that will get your loved one evicted? You also need to know how much advance notice you’ll receive before the eviction is enforced (it’s usually 30 days), and whether there’s a process to appeal. Get the answers to these questions in writing and save them, because unfair evictions can be a problem in assisted living nationwide. If your loved one has received an eviction notice and you need to know next steps, click here.

Financial Assistance for Residential Alzheimer’s Memory Care

Medicaid New Choices Waiver

Utah Medicaid’s New Choices Waiver pays for long-term care services and supports for qualified individuals who reside in assisted living or memory care (or in their own home, small health care facilities, community residential treatment facilities, independent living facilities or adult foster care). Benefits include case management, personal budget assistance, meal deliver, chore services, housekeeping services and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting). The Medicaid New Choices Waiver will also cover some of the transition costs of moving out of a nursing home and into assisted living or memory care. To qualify for the New Choices Waiver, applicants must meet two financial eligibility 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 should be noted that a dementia diagnosis does not guarantee a NFLOC designation.

State Plan Personal Care Services

The Utah State Plan Personal Care Services is available to Utah seniors who are enrolled in the state’s regular Medicaid program, also known as Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) Medicaid, and it will pay for long-term care services and supports for dementia patients who reside in assisted living or memory care, as well as their own home, the home of a loved one or adult foster care. Benefits include medication management, transportation, household tasks and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting). To qualify for the State Plan Personal Care Services, applicants must meet two financial eligibility requirements – an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($1,330/month for an individual in 2026). They must also meet the medical eligibility requirement of needing help with at least two of the following: remembering to take their medications, transportation, mobility, bathing, skin care, preparing meals, eating and toileting.

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 Utah 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 four veterans’ homes in Utah. They are residential care facilities that provide long-term care for veterans. In addition to nursing home care and assisted living, three of these residences offer memory care:

1) The Central Utah Veterans Home in Payson. Located minutes from Utah Lake and at the bottom of the southern Wasatch Range.

2) The Utah State Veterans Nursing Home in Salt Lake City. Located in the state’s capital and the largest populated city. There is a 20 bed memory care unit.

3) The George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home in Ogden. Located in Northern Utah to the east of the Great Salt Lake. There is a 30 bed memory care unit.

Neighboring states also have veterans’ homes, so your loved one might consider looking there for more options as there are no requirements that one must live in the state. For example, Colorado has five veterans’ homes statewide. Additionally, Arizona and Nevada both have two facilities. 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.