Memory Care in South Dakota

In South Dakota, dementia care services are provided through assisted living facilities, so memory care is considered a type of assisted living facility. As such, the South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Health Care Facilities Licensure and Certification licenses and regulates memory care units.

Assisted living facilities don’t need any extra licenses to offer memory care services. However, the Department of Health must confirm a facility meets state requirements to care for residents with dementia, and properly trains its staff. This is done through an inspection to ensure they meet the following provisions:^[01]

• Creating plans of care for each resident that are tailored to their needs
• Providing therapeutic programming and documenting it in the resident’s plan of care
• Complying with the life safety code for locked doors
• Memory care must be located on the ground floor with access to a secure outside area enclosed by a fence

Though confinement isn’t often used, rules concerning it must also be clearly outlined for everyone’s safety in the memory care unit. These include:

• Basing the necessity of confinement on a comprehensive assessment of a resident’s physical, cognitive, and psychosocial needs
• Communicating the risks and benefits of confinement to a resident’s family
• Obtaining a physician’s order for confinement and regularly reviewing the resident’s condition
• Prohibiting the use of confinement as punishment for residents or for the convenience of staff

Assisted living facilities must also evaluate a potential resident’s cognitive status at admission. After admission, cognitive assessments are conducted annually, or sooner if a senior’s condition significantly changes. When deciding if someone with cognitive impairment should stay, their physician, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner will determine if the facility is still a good fit for them. If a facility can’t keep up with a resident’s needs, they will evict them and help find a place that offers more specialized care.

Memory care staff education and training requirements

There isn’t a specific staff-to-resident ratio for memory care units in South Dakota, but staffing must be able to meet residents’ needs, with at least one caregiver always present. Regulations state that every resident must be offered a minimum of 48 minutes of direct care each day.

Each memory care facility must also hire a licensed administrator with experience and education that meets the Department of Health requirements for overall management. Ongoing education for memory care staff must include learning about residents’ rights, keeping residents’ information confidential, healthy meal planning, and caring for those with dementia.

South Dakota Department of Health contact information

South Dakota Department of Health
600 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501-2536

Phone: (605) 773-3361
Email: DOH.info@state.sd.us

How to look up the latest inspection and complaint reports

The South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Health Care Facilities Licensure and Certification, conducts recertification surveys of assisted living facilities once a year on average. Occurring in 9- to 15-month intervals, these surveys are officially called a Statement of Deficiencies (Form 2567). Form 2567 includes both a health and life safety code survey, as well as plans to correct any problems found during inspections. Complaint surveys can also occur if the Department of Health determines a complaint filed online or in writing is serious enough to warrant an investigation. Once a professional surveyor investigates the issue(s), the person who filed the complaint and the facility will receive a copy of the report.

Health surveys include interviews with residents, family members, caregivers, and administrative staff, as well as reviews of clinical records. The life safety code survey confirms that a facility follows the minimum building requirements to protect residents from fire, smoke, and toxic fumes. It also requires clearly marked routes for exiting new and existing buildings.^[02]

You can find survey reports using the South Dakota Department of Health’s online database of assisted living center survey reports. Recertification and complaint surveys are available there for past three years. If you’re curious about a certain assisted living community, you can contact the local long-term care ombudsman for more information. To look up your local ombusdman, contact the South Dakota Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program by email at DakotaAtHome@state.sd.us or by calling 833-663-9673.