El Paso Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between assisted living and memory care in Texas?
Memory care in Texas is an Alzheimer's-certified unit inside a Type B assisted living facility, with a secured design, an approved outdoor area, dementia-trained staff and programming under 26 TAC 553.311, while standard assisted living has open exits and no dementia certification.
8 El Paso assisted living facilities hold an Alzheimer's certificate, covering 196 residents, from 16 places at the smallest to 38 at the largest. Both are licensed and inspected by HHSC. The certificate is what allows a facility to advertise specialized Alzheimer's care, so check our memory care roster for the certificate number before you tour.
When does a parent with dementia need memory care rather than assisted living?
A secured unit is usually needed when a person tries to leave, wanders at night, cannot find their way back to their room, or cannot follow directions in a fire drill; a diagnosis alone, without those behaviors, often does not require one.
Many El Paso residents with mild memory loss live well in standard Type B assisted living with reminders and medication help. Watch for exit-seeking, sundowning and getting lost on familiar routes; those are the signs facility staff will look for in their own assessment.
Does memory care cost more than assisted living in El Paso?
Usually yes, because certified units staff more heavily and offer structured programming, but no published Texas or El Paso memory care median exists; compare written quotes against the Texas assisted living median of about $5,666 a month.
Ask whether the memory care price is all-inclusive or uses care levels, and what happens to the price as dementia progresses. STAR+PLUS can pay care services in a certified unit that contracts with the member's health plan, but not room and board.
Can a couple stay together if one spouse needs memory care?
Sometimes: a facility with both a standard assisted living section and a certified Alzheimer's unit on one license lets a couple live on the same campus, though usually in different areas, while some families choose to place both spouses in the certified unit.
In El Paso, several of the larger Type B communities hold both. Ask how visits between sections work, whether meals can be shared, and how the facility prices a couple.
What should we ask an El Paso memory care unit on a tour?
Ask to see the certificate and the unit's certified capacity, how many staff are on the unit by day and at night, how they handle exit-seeking and agitation without restraints, how often families meet with staff, and what has been cited in recent TULIP inspections.
Visit in the late afternoon, when sundowning is common, and walk the secured outdoor area. Ask what language the evening staff speak if your parent is returning to Spanish as dementia progresses, which is common among bilingual El Pasoans.
Side by side
| Standard assisted living | Certified memory care | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Type A or Type B | Type B plus an Alzheimer's certificate |
| Exits | Open | Secured unit with an approved outdoor area |
| Staff | Trained in general care | Dementia-trained under 553.311 |
| Marketing | May not advertise specialized dementia care | May advertise Alzheimer's care |
Sources: Texas Health and Safety Code chapters 142, 242 and 247; 26 Texas Administrative Code chapters 553, 554, 558 and 559; HHSC program handbooks; CareScout, CMS and VA rate tables, as cited above. See our editorial standards.
