New Orleans Senior AdvisorDoes Louisiana license memory care facilities?
No: Louisiana has no memory care license; an ARCP may run a specialized dementia care program, which it must disclose to LDH, and nursing homes care for residents with dementia under their own license.
Only 2 licensed ARCPs in the six parishes carry memory care in the licensed name itself (Laketown Village, Residential Care & Memory Care, Anderson Memory Care LLC), but many more market dementia programs, which is why the written program policies matter.
How do I know if an ARCP really has a dementia program?
Ask for the written program policies and inclusion criteria, which a Louisiana ARCP that markets dementia care must make available to the public.
LDH receives the program disclosures but does not publish a list.
Can a Louisiana memory care unit lock its doors?
Only where residents' clinical needs require it and the Office of State Fire Marshal approves the locking arrangement.
Ask when the approval was granted and how staff respond to door alarms.
How much dementia training do staff need in Louisiana?
Hands-on staff in a specialized dementia care program need eight hours of dementia-specific training within 90 days of hire and eight hours a year after; other direct care staff need at least two hours.
Ask to see training records for night and weekend staff.
Does Louisiana Medicaid pay for memory care?
Not in an ARCP; Medicaid can pay for nursing home care for a person with dementia who qualifies, and for help at home through LT-PCS, the Community Choices Waiver, the ADHC Waiver or PACE.
Adult day health care is often the most useful Medicaid service for a family caring for a parent with dementia at home.
When does a person with dementia need a nursing home?
When needs include continuous nursing, restraints, or an inability to evacuate with the help an ARCP provides, or when the ARCP's written program criteria are no longer met.
A resident can appeal an involuntary discharge within 30 days.
What helps a person with dementia during a hurricane?
Familiar objects, a written care summary, medications, a calm companion and a destination chosen in advance; evacuation disrupts routine, which can worsen confusion.
If your parent is in an ARCP, ask how the dementia program evacuates and who travels with residents.
Is adult day health care a good fit for someone with dementia?
Often, yes: a licensed adult day health care center offers structure, supervision, meals and activities, and gives family caregivers time to work or rest.
LDH's October 2026 report lists 10 licensed adult day health care centers in the six parishes, 6 of them in Orleans Parish.
