Memory Care in New Jersey

Despite being known as the “Crossroads of the East,” New Jersey has a lot to offer seniors looking for a place to settle down. When it comes to finding care for seniors with Alzheimer’s, New Jersey has a lot of great options. A Place for Mom partners with over 370 memory care providers in New Jersey. Our Senior Living Advisors can help you find the best memory care facilities in NJ that meet your family’s needs. The median monthly cost for memory care in New Jersey is $7,000.

New Jersey memory care services are provided in combined assisted living communities or in stand-alone facilities called dementia care homes. To provide this level of specialized senior care, facilities must be licensed by the state’s Department of Health.

Most of our partner memory care communities are part of assisted living facilities. Check out New Jersey’s specific memory care requirements outlined below. You can also view our New Jersey assisted living laws and regulations for an in-depth look at any overlapping regulations.

Security and safety requirements

New Jersey communities that provide memory care prioritize seniors’ safety. Whether it’s a stand-alone dementia care home or a combined assisted living community, all facilities licensed to provide memory care must have the following security and safety elements:^[01]

• Security monitoring systems
• Safety procedures
• Secured indoor and outdoor common areas where seniors can move freely
• Items that mark individual seniors’ doors and make them easier to recognize
• Accessible and easily identifiable bathrooms

Memory care staff requirements

You can expect highly trained caregivers to work with your loved one in their New Jersey memory care community. All caregivers who consistently work with seniors with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia must be thoroughly trained in the following areas:^[01]

• The causes dementia
• How dementia progresses
• How to care for seniors with dementia
• How to communicate with seniors who have dementia

Every licensed community has its own criteria to assess caregivers’ skills and qualifications, so we recommend asking about this as you interview potential communities.

While New Jersey doesn’t have a required staff-to-resident ratio, the state does require memory care staff to include enough caregivers to care for all current residents. The staff must also include a full-time coordinator or director who is skilled in memory care. Finally, all memory care communities have to have a consult gerontologist. This is a psychiatrist, physician, or geriatric advanced practice nurse who has specialized medical and dementia-related training.^[01]

New Jersey memory care services

All memory care communities must provide the following services to help seniors cope with and manage their dementia symptoms:^[01]

• Mealtime support, such as offering adaptive utensils and specific dining areas
• Daily activities to support socialization, sense of self, and each senior’s abilities
• Counseling, education, and support groups for individuals and families
• Opportunities for families to take part in their senior loved one’s care

New Jersey Department of Health contact information

New Jersey Department of Health
55 North Willow St.
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: 1-800-367-6543

Inspection summaries

Assisted living facilities that provide memory care are licensed by New Jersey’s Department of Health. They’re inspected by the Department of Health before they’re licensed, when concerns or complaints arise, and every two years.^[02]

Inspection results, or summaries, can be found on the Department of Health’s health facilities search page. Some families find that reviewing this information gives them peace of mind, so we recommend doing a quick search for your prospective facility. Follow the directions below to learn more about the community you’re interested in:

1. Type the name of your city, or leave that space blank to search the entire state.
2. Under “Type of Facility,” select either “Assisted Living Residences” or “Dementia Care Homes.”
3. Click on “Start Search.”
4. Click on a facility’s name.
5. Choose the “Inspection Summaries” tab and click on “More Info” to view the inspection dates and to access PDFs of the summaries.