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Memory Care in your area

Secured, dementia-specific care. Minnesota requires a distinct MDH license -- Assisted Living Facility with Dementia Care -- not merely a disclosure, for any community operating a secured dementia unit.

Quick answer

Minnesota regulates memory care under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 144G (or Chapter 144A for nursing homes).

HomeServicesMemory Care

Memory care is secured, dementia-specific assisted living. In Minnesota, memory care requires a distinct MDH license — "assisted living facility with dementia care" — not merely a disclosure or voluntary certification; any community operating a secured dementia unit must hold this specific license under Minn. Stat. 144G.10, subd. 2(b).

Short answer

We list 43 verified memory care providers across your metro. Memory care is secured, dementia-specific assisted living.

Three things worth knowing first

  • Ask to see the community's MDH "assisted living facility with dementia care" license directly, by name.
  • Ask specifically about wandering and exit-seeking. Secured courtyards, door alarms and staffing patterns vary far more than brochures suggest.
  • There is usually no published median price for memory care. Get quotes in writing from each community.
Memory care regulation in Minnesota. Minnesota requires a distinct MDH license -- assisted living facility with dementia care -- for any community with a secured memory care unit, not just a disclosure. Read the full explanation →

Verified memory care across the region

We list 43 verified memory care providers across your metro. The full table with addresses and counties lives in the directory.

See all 43 in the directory →

Memory Care by city

Questions families ask

What's the difference between a short-term rehab stay and moving straight into assisted living after a hospital stay?

Short-term rehab (skilled nursing care, often Medicare-covered for a limited period after a qualifying hospital stay) focuses on recovering function — physical therapy, wound care, medication stabilization — with an expected return home or to a lower level of care. Assisted living, licensed under Chapter 144G, is a longer-term housing-plus-care setting for someone who needs ongoing daily support rather than short-term recovery.

Can a hospital discharge my parent to a nursing home against our wishes?

A hospital cannot force a specific placement, but it can determine a patient is medically ready for discharge and is not obligated to keep someone hospitalized once acute care is no longer needed; families can request the hospital's list of options and, for Medicare patients, invoke formal discharge appeal rights if they believe the discharge itself is unsafe or premature.

Who pays for a nursing home stay right after a hospitalization in Minnesota?

Medicare Part A can cover a limited number of days of medically necessary skilled nursing facility care following a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days, subject to coinsurance after day 20. After Medicare coverage ends, the resident is privately responsible unless they qualify for Medical Assistance, at which point Minnesota's long-term-care Medicaid eligibility and spend-down rules apply.

What is a MnCHOICES assessment and why does it matter for hospital discharge planning?

MnCHOICES is Minnesota's standardized long-term-care needs assessment used to determine whether someone needs a nursing-facility level of care and is functionally eligible for programs like the Elderly Waiver or Alternative Care. Starting this assessment as early as possible during a hospital stay — rather than waiting until after discharge — can shorten the gap before waiver services begin.

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