Both can be licensed as Residential Care Facilities, but a memory care unit must also file Indiana's Alzheimer's and Dementia Special Care Disclosure under IC 12-10-5.5 and meet dementia-specific staff training requirements. There is no separate state cost median for memory care, unlike assisted living.
The distinction that matters
The physical and staffing differences matter more than the label. Ask specifically how exits are secured, what happens when a resident tries a door, and what the overnight staffing ratio is inside the secured unit itself, not the building-wide daytime figure most brochures lead with. Because no state or national median price exists for memory care, get the all-in monthly quote in writing from every community you consider, and ask what specifically triggers a rate increase or a required move to a higher level of care.
