How South Carolina regulates memory care units

Does South Carolina license memory care separately?

No. South Carolina has no stand-alone memory care license; a licensed CRCF or nursing home that runs a secure dementia program is described in Regulation 60-84 as having an Alzheimer's Special Care Unit or Program, and DPH's licensing data carries a flag for it.

The regulation defines the unit as a facility, or an area within one, that provides a secure, special program for residents with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, prevents or limits residents' access outside the designated area, and advertises or promotes itself as offering specialized dementia care (Section 101.F). DPH's licensing data (as of October 31, 2026) flags an Alzheimer's special care unit at 35 of the 61 senior-serving CRCFs in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens and Laurens counties, and Alzheimer's care without a unit at 2 more; 6 of the 34 licensed nursing homes carry an Alzheimer's flag.

The flag is the most reliable way to tell a real secured program from a marketing phrase, because “memory care” on a brochure carries no legal meaning by itself.

What must a Greenville memory care unit disclose in writing?

Under South Carolina's Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act (S.C. Code 44-36-510 and following), a facility that offers or advertises special care for people with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia must disclose in writing what makes that care special, so families can compare programs.

In practice the disclosure covers the program's philosophy and mission, how residents are admitted, transferred and discharged, how care plans are built, staffing patterns and dementia training, the physical environment and security features, activities, and what the program costs beyond basic assisted living. Ask every Greenville unit for its disclosure before the tour, then use the tour to check whether what you see matches what is written.

The regulation also requires each CRCF's policies to address any specialized service it offers, including an Alzheimer's special care unit, in line with the disclosure law (Section 401).

How many staff must be on a South Carolina memory care unit at night?

South Carolina sets no separate ratio for dementia units; the general CRCF minimum applies: at least one staff member or direct-care volunteer for each eight residents during peak hours, one for each 30 residents during non-peak hours, and a staff member awake and dressed at all times (Regulation 60-84, Section 503.B).

Those are building-wide floors. A 24-bed secured wing in a larger building could meet the overnight minimum with one awake person who is also covering other areas, unless the facility chooses to staff the unit separately. Ask each community how many people are physically on the secured unit at 2 a.m., whether they are permanent staff or agency workers, and who covers when that person is helping a resident in the bathroom. In buildings of more than 10 beds on several floors, a staff member must be available on each floor whenever residents are there (Section 503.B.3).

What dementia training do South Carolina CRCF staff receive?

Regulation 60-84 requires training, before resident contact and at least annually, in caring for residents with the conditions the facility serves, including dementia, cognitive disability and aggressive or inappropriate behavior, with communication techniques such as cueing and mirroring, managing behaviors, safety and activities (Section 504.A.5).

The regulation does not set an hour count. Ask how many hours of dementia training the community actually provides, who teaches it, and whether night and weekend staff attend. Ask too how the unit handles exit-seeking, falls and sundowning, because those behaviors, not the diagnosis itself, usually decide whether a resident can stay.

When does a memory care resident have to move to a nursing home in South Carolina?

A CRCF may not keep a resident with serious aggressive or inappropriate behavior it cannot control, a resident totally dependent in all daily activities for more than 14 consecutive days, or a resident who needs the continuous daily attention of a licensed nurse, and it must arrange a transfer within 30 days when its care no longer meets the resident's needs (Regulation 60-84, Sections 801.D and 801.F).

Dementia itself is not a discharge reason. Many residents live in an Alzheimer's unit through the late stages with hospice care brought in. The 14-day rule is the one families most often meet: when a resident becomes totally dependent, the facility must develop a transfer plan on the 15th day if the resident is not improving. Several Upstate nursing homes also carry an Alzheimer's flag on DPH's data; see the memory care directory.