A parent has just been diagnosed with dementia

What should a family do first after a dementia diagnosis in New Orleans?

Handle the legal documents while your parent can still take part: a durable power of attorney for finances, health care directions and a designated decision-maker, and a will, prepared with a Louisiana attorney because Louisiana's civil law system uses its own terms and forms.

Then ask the doctor about the stage and type of dementia, medications, driving and what changes to expect next. Many families also ask for a referral to a neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist. Write down the questions before the appointment; dementia visits go quickly.

Can a parent with dementia stay home in Louisiana?

Many can for years with the right support: adult day health care during the day, help with bathing and medications, home safety changes, and a caregiver who gets regular breaks, some of which Louisiana Medicaid's programs can pay for if your parent qualifies.

LDH's October 2026 report lists 10 licensed adult day health care centers in the six parishes, 6 of them in Orleans Parish. Adult day health care gives structure and supervision and lets a working caregiver keep a job; the ADHC Waiver and Community Choices Waiver can pay for it. Wandering, nighttime confusion and caregiver exhaustion are the usual reasons home stops working.

When is memory care the right step?

Memory care fits when a parent needs supervision most of the day, is at risk of leaving unsafely, or the caregiver can no longer keep up, but does not need continuous nursing; in Louisiana that usually means a specialized dementia care program inside an ARCP.

• An ARCP may run a separate and distinct program for residents with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, with individualized care based on an assessment of each resident's cognitive and functional abilities (§6851.A).
• The ARCP must disclose the program to LDH when it starts it and when it ends it (§6851.B).
• An ARCP that markets a specialized dementia care program must keep written policies for it that are available to staff, residents and members of the public (§6851.C).
• It must have written criteria for who is included, and give those guidelines to the resident, family and legal representative (§6851.C).
• Door locking to create a secured area is allowed only where residents' clinical needs require it and the arrangement is approved by the Office of State Fire Marshal (§6851.C).
• Staff who give direct face-to-face care in the program need at least eight hours of dementia-specific training within 90 days of hire and eight hours every year after (§6867).

LDH does not publish which ARCPs run dementia programs, so ask each provider for its written program policies and criteria. Families pay privately for ARCP memory care.

How do hurricanes affect a parent with dementia?

Evacuation is hard on people with dementia, because new places, noise and disrupted routines can trigger confusion and agitation, so a family's plan should include familiar objects, medications, a written care summary and a destination chosen in advance.

If your parent lives in an ARCP, ask how the dementia program evacuates, how residents are identified, and who travels with them; Louisiana requires identification attached to each resident's person. See Louisiana's emergency planning rules.

Where can New Orleans dementia caregivers get help?

Your parish council on aging offers information and assistance and caregiver support, Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146 handles Medicaid long-term care requests, and the long-term care ombudsman at (800) 833-9883 helps if your parent is already in a facility.