Greenville Senior AdvisorBy Greenville Senior Advisor Care Team · September 9, 2026
South Carolina has no memory care license, but DPH's roster flags 35 of the 61 senior-serving CRCFs in our four counties for an Alzheimer's special care unit. They cluster on Greenville's Eastside, along Woodruff Road, in Simpsonville and Five Forks, and in Anderson; Laurens County has the fewest.
How do we know which buildings have a memory care unit?
Regulation 60-84 defines an Alzheimer's special care unit or program as a secure, special program or area for residents with probable Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia that limits their access outside it and is marketed as specialized care. DPH's licensing data carries a yes-or-no flag for that unit on each CRCF and nursing home record, plus a second flag for whether the facility reports providing Alzheimer's care at all.
The flag is the closest thing South Carolina has to an official memory care list. A brochure can say memory care whether or not the building has a secured area; the flag reflects what the facility reported to its licensing agency. It does not say how many beds sit inside the unit, so that is always a question to ask.
Where are the flagged units?
Counting only senior-serving CRCFs, the flagged Alzheimer's units are distributed like this:
| Postal city | CRCFs with a flagged Alzheimer's unit |
|---|---|
| Greenville | 15 |
| Simpsonville | 4 |
| Anderson | 4 |
| Clemson | 3 |
| Clinton | 2 |
| Easley | 2 |
| Greer | 2 |
| Laurens | 1 |
| Fountain Inn | 1 |
| Travelers Rest | 1 |
Source: S.C. DPH Find a Facility data as of October 31, 2026. Greenville addresses include unincorporated areas with Greenville mailing addresses, such as the Woodruff Road corridor and parts of the Eastside.
Which are the largest?
Size alone does not tell you about quality, but it shapes the experience: a building of more than 100 licensed beds with a secured wing feels very different from a 50-bed building where the unit may be a single hallway. The largest flagged buildings on the current roster are:
| Facility | City | Licensed beds (whole building) |
|---|---|---|
| Waterstone on Augusta Senior Living | Greenville | 126 |
| Gables on Pelham Assisted Living and Memory Care | Greenville | 119 |
| Kauhale Pettigru | Greenville | 115 |
| Blake at Hollingsworth Park | Greenville | 114 |
| Legacy at Southpointe Drive | Greenville | 110 |
| Residences at Greer | Greer | 110 |
| Terrabella Thornblade | Greer | 100 |
| Clemson Heritage | Clemson | 96 |
| Cascades Verdae Assisted Living | Greenville | 92 |
| Harmony at Five Forks | Simpsonville | 92 |
Each facility page shows its full license record, any DPH enforcement order since January 2025, and the nearest alternatives.
What about counties with fewer options?
Laurens County has 3 flagged CRCF units and Pickens County 5, compared with 23 in Greenville County. Families in Clinton, Laurens or Six Mile often weigh a local building against a larger choice in Simpsonville, Easley or Anderson. The deciding factor is usually distance from the person who visits most; a parent with dementia benefits from frequent, familiar visitors more than from any particular amenity.
6 of the four counties' nursing homes also carry an Alzheimer's flag on DPH's data, which matters for residents who need both dementia care and daily nursing.
What if the flag and the brochure disagree?
Occasionally a building markets memory care but DPH's data shows no Alzheimer's special care unit, or shows Alzheimer's care without a unit. That can mean the facility serves residents with dementia in its general population without a secured area, that it is in the middle of opening a unit, or that its record has not been updated. Ask the administrator directly which it is, and ask to see the secured area if one is claimed.
The reverse also happens: a building flagged for a unit may describe it under a brand name rather than the words memory care. The Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act requires a written description either way, so the disclosure document is the tie-breaker. If a facility cannot produce one, treat its dementia claims with care.
What should families ask a flagged unit?
Start with the written disclosure that South Carolina's Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act requires of any facility that markets dementia care. Then ask how many staff are physically on the secured area at night, since the state's ratio of one staff member per 30 residents off-peak applies to the building as a whole. Ask how many of the building's beds are inside the unit, whether there is a wait, what the all-inclusive monthly cost is, and what changes would require a move to a nursing home.
Visit in the late afternoon. Sundowning, the increase in confusion and agitation many people with dementia experience toward evening, is when staffing and training show.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a memory care license in South Carolina?
No. Memory care is an Alzheimer's special care unit or program inside a licensed CRCF or nursing home, and DPH's data flags the facilities that report one.
Does DPH publish how many memory care beds a building has?
No. The roster shows total licensed beds and the Alzheimer's unit flag, not a separate count of secured beds, so ask the facility.
What staffing does South Carolina require on a memory care unit?
No separate ratio; the CRCF minimum of one staff member per eight residents at peak hours and one per 30 off-peak, with someone awake at all times, applies to the building.
What is the Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act?
A South Carolina law (S.C. Code 44-36-510 and following) requiring facilities that offer or advertise special dementia care to disclose in writing what makes that care special.
