Memory Care Facilities in Florida

Florida is commonly one of the most sought-after locations for senior care, with arguably Texas and California the only other states that receive a higher demand. The appeal with Florida for many seniors is the pleasant, year-round weather, low taxes, high selection of different memory care facilities and more. What else can you expect with dementia care in Florida?

Florida Memory Care Regulations

Florida has stricter memory care regulations than many other US states. Here’s a breakdown of the main requirements for memory care facilities in the state of Florida.

Licensing

All memory care facilities in Florida are licensed and regulated as a type of specialty assisted living facility. They must be licensed at all times to continue running. In order to be licensed, these facilities must follow specific regulations laid out by the Bureau of Health Facility Regulation, the licensing body in Florida. Licenses can be revoked upon failure to adhere to appropriate regulations.

For any assisted living facility offering memory care services, the licensing body will also need to examine any advertisements about memory care services as well as documents relating to the care provided to residents with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other memory impairments. This examination process is done on the initial issuing of the license as well as upon renewals every 2 years.

Before a license is issued, the facility will be inspected. For any facilities offering additional care services, extra inspections will be done throughout the year to ensure residents are getting the correct level of care for their needs. These and other inspections unrelated to renewing a license are always unannounced.

General Regulations

Residents will receive and sign a resident agreement while entering a facility. This agreement will detail all the services and supplies that will be provided for the resident from the facility, as well as the resident’s responsibilities while staying at the facility. It will also give details about the accommodations, financial policies, additional paid services available, bed hold policies, discharge policies, and a statement disclosing any religious affiliations the facility may have.

Along with resident agreements, Florida’s memory care facilities must also have publicly available disclosures that potential residents and their loved ones can read to make an informed decision before applying to reside in a memory care facility. These disclosures must include:

• Whether or not a facility provides special care for residents with memory impairments, including Alzheimer’s or dementia
• If these services are advertised, the disclosure must include a copy of the advertisement and information about the exact services and care offered

Florida memory care facilities are able to provide many different services to assist in the daily activities of their residents. While standard facilities are limited to daily life assistance, facilities with specialty licenses, such as Limited Nursing Services or Extended Congregate Care facilities, can provide some nursing or other care services for residents as well. Each facility may have their own list of extra services they offer, so it’s good to check with a facility to see what they are licensed and qualified to do for residents.

Whatever services the resident will receive will be detailed in their service plan. This plan will be created within 30 days of admission into a facility, or up to 60 days before a resident moves into a facility. The resident will need to be examined by either a physician or an advanced RN practitioner, who will then present a report to the facility about the health and needs of the resident. Service plans will be updated regularly by a licensed nurse, especially if the resident is receiving any specialty nursing services.

If a resident is going to get additional services from an outside party, all arrangements should be made between the resident, the facility, and the third party together.

Medication Regulations

All staff are able to assist residents to self-administer their medications. This applies to routine medications that part of the residents’ service plan. They are scheduled medications taken by residents in a stable condition. Before assisting residents, staff are required to go through state-approved training. Self-administration means the staff member is not allowed to administer the medication in any way themselves, only assisting the resident to collect, open, and otherwise prepare the correct medication. The resident must take the medication themselves.

Licensed nurses may administer medications to residents.

Facility Regulations

Both standard and Limited Nursing Service facilities can provide either and apartment stye unit for residents or private rooms, while Extended Congregate Care facilities are required to provide a more private space.

For standard and LNS facilities, there are two sets of standards based on when the facility was licensed. Any facility that was licensed before 1999 must have at least 1 toilet and sink for every 6 residents in the facility, as well as at least 1 bath or shower per every 8 residents. In private rooms or apartments, there can be no more than 4 residents per room.

Facilities licensed after 1999 must have at least 1 bathroom per 4 residents. No more than 2 people can share a room.

Extended Congregate Care facilities are required to give residents a more private area, with either an individual private room or an apartment, or a shared room with the resident having the power to choose their roommate. There should be at least one full bathroom for every 4 residents.

Staffing Regulations

At every Florida assisted living facility, there should always be enough staff on duty to manage resident needs appropriately and ensure the safety of the residents. There must always be enough staff to implement emergency plans, as well as always having at least one person on duty with training in CPR and first aid.

Rather than requiring a certain ratio of employees to residents, Florida requires a certain number of staffing hours per resident at the facility. Here is the breakdown for assisted living facilities:

Regardless of the hour requirements, all assisted living facilities are required to maintain the level of service as written in service agreements with residents. If a facility is not living up to their service agreements, they will be required to increase their staff or hire more qualified staff in order to fulfill their obligations.

Beyond staff working hours, all memory care facilities must also maintain a few specific types of employees, including:

• An administrator who is responsible to ensuring residents get their required care
• Direct care staff to interact with residents
• Staff members with CPR and first aid training

For Limited Nursing Services facilities or Extended Congregate Care facilities, a qualified nurse must also be working directly with the facility, either as an employee or a contractor. There must be a supervisor in these facilities who is responsible for ensuring all ECC residents are getting their appropriate care, as per the service plan. This role can be done by the facility’s administrator.

Memory care facilities have an extra layer of requirement beyond other assisted living facilities. They must:

• Have the capability to staff employees 24 hours a day
• Keep at least 1 staff member awake and on duty daily, if more than 17 residents
• Put mechanisms in place to monitor and protect residents 24 hours a day or have 1 awake staff member on duty 24 hours a day, if fewer than 17 residents

All staff in an assisted living facility, regardless of their position, must go through training that’s approved by the Department of Elder Affairs. This is part of the job orientation, and will conclude with a competency test that the staff members must pass. The initial training and testing needs to be completed within 90 days of being employed.

Additional training is also required for specific job roles, as well as continuous training every year on caring for residents in assisted living. Any employees who will be working with memory care patients must also receive additional training on caring for those with memory impairments, including continuous education every year.

Florida Medicaid Memory Care Programs

In Florida, Medicaid offers waivers to pay for the medical portions of assisted living facility costs. While room and board are not included in the waiver program, other expenses related to care can be covered with a waiver.

Florida’s Medicaid program previously offered multiple different waivers, but they are not all combined under the umbrella of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care Program, which includes waivers for assisted living facilities, such as memory care facilities. Waivers through this program can cover expenses for transport, behavioral management, personal care, therapy, doctor’s appointments, medication, and more.

Florida Medicaid Eligibility

Eligibility for this Medicaid waiver program in Florida relies on personal factors like age, residency, and required care as well as individual income levels. To be eligible, a person must be:

• A Legal US resident or citizen
• A current resident of the state of Florida
• 65 years old or above
• In need of nursing home levels of care

Beyond these requirements, there are income eligibility criteria for Medicaid waiver programs. Individuals cannot have an income higher than $2,742 per month with countable assets above $2,000.

If two people who are married are both applying for Medicaid, income caps apply to both spouses separately, but they cannot have a combined total of more than $3,000 in countable assets.

If a married person is applying for Medicaid without their spouse, income level caps remain the same but the non-applicant spouse can have countable assets of up to $148,620. The applying spouse has the same $2,000 countable limit as an individual applicant.

Admissions Requirements for Memory Care in Florida

While memory care facilities can create their own admissions guidelines, Florida does not allow individuals to be admitted as residents in any assisted living facility if they:

• Are incapable of performing daily living activities unassisted
• Need 24-hour supervision from a trained nurse
• Have stage 2, 3, or 4 bedsores
• Cannot participate in any social or leisure activities
• Are immobile
• Bedridden for more than 7 days, or 14 days in some specialty facilities
• Present a threat to themselves or others

Although being terminally ill would likely prevent most people from being admitted to a memory care facility, residents who are already in a facility can stay if both the facility and the resident agree and the resident’s needs are fully met by a qualified physician.

If the memory care facility is licensed as a Limited Nursing Services or Extended Congregate Care facility, they may admit or retain residents with stage 2 bedsores if the facility has the right qualifications, or if the resident is able to get appropriate care from an outside provider.

Food and Dining in Florida Memory Care Facilities

When you’re deciding whether or not to help your loved one move into a memory care facility, quality of life is a big consideration. Will they get the care they need to thrive? If your loved one does not regularly cook for themselves anymore, the dining options at a Florida memory care facility matter.

While every facility has their own menus and food standards, it’s comforting to know that the state of Florida also has very specific requirements for food served at memory care facilities. These facilities are required to allow access to a means to prepare and store food, in case a resident or family member of a resident wants to make their own food. They also have to provide a regular meal plan of nutritious foods and snacks for all residents, including meeting specific dietary restrictions.

Memory care facilities need to adapt their food offerings to meet the needs and preferences of their residents, within reason. Meals have to be based on the most current dietary guidelines from the USDA. Where a specific diet is needed because of a health condition, guidelines from a resident’s nutritionist or physician should also be taken into account and reviewed annually.

While you can’t guarantee your loved one will always have delicious foods or their favorite things to eat, you can rest assured that memory care facilities in Florida have standards in place that require them to provide your loved one with nutritious meals and snacks every day.

Memory Care in Florida - Cheapest & Most Expensive Places

Florida is not only inviting to seniors because of the beautiful weather and abundance of living communities reserved for seniors, but also for its prices. Surprisingly, with a state that has such a high demand for senior living, specialized facilities like memory care in Florida are not extraordinarily expensive.

The Top 5 Most Affordable Cities for Memory Care in Florida based on Monthly Average Rents are:

1. Hialeah, FL                       $3,861         
2. Homestead, FL                 $3,861         
3. Lake Wales, FL                 $3,894         
4. Port Richey, FL                 $3,905
5. New Port Richey, FL          $3,914

The Top 5 Most Expensive Cities for Dementia Care in Florida based on Monthly Average Rent are:

1. Tequesta, FL                    $4,947
2. Loxahatchee, FL               $4,955
3. Jupiter, FL                        $4,961
4. Fleming Island, FL             $5,062
5. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL     $5,202

The Top 5 Most Affordable Counties in Florida for Memory Care based on Monthly Average Median

1. Highlands County, FL        $3,925
2. Hernando County, FL        $3,968
3. Pinellas County, FL           $4,078
4. Citrus County, FL              $4,083
5. Pasco County, FL              $4,087

The Top 5 Most Expensive Counties in Florida for Alzheimer’s Care based on Monthly Average Median

1. Palm Beach County, FL     $4,723
2. Collier County, FL             $4,733
3. Clay County, FL                $4,748
4. Santa Rosa County, FL     $4,773
5. Saint Johns County, FL     $4,878

Florida Dementia & Alzheimer’s Care - Services

When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia it is not only monumentally tragic for the loved one, but also for the family. Everything is bound to change drastically as family members are forced into a caregiver role. It’s not that they don’t want to help, but the demanding symptoms of the cognitive diseases can force daily and around the clock care and maintenance. Florida dementia care homes are provided as a place of refuge for seniors dealing with awful diseases like Alzheimer’s.

The 24/7 monitoring and care provided at memory care communities in Florida is very hands-on, and staff can also assist with a variety of daily functions (hygiene, individual appearance, self-esteem, etc.) while also providing correct management of the medications the resident is taking. Additionally, the housekeeping and meal services take a lot of workload off a family that would otherwise have to handle the chores in most cases of moderate to severe dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Florida dementia care homes know that looking after a family member with dementia is not only challenging but emotionally draining and stressful. It is their primary goal to provide that safe and loving living environment while also making the family feel comfortable and pleased with where their loved one is housed.

Florida Alzheimer’s care services provide a great combination of standard amenities (daily meals, housekeeping, activity rooms, religious services) along with added luxuries like a variety of games and activities in group and individual one-on-one settings.