Memory Care in Indiana

Indiana is a charming, Midwestern state located off the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Its nickname of “The Hoosier State” is one of the country’s oldest state nicknames, and although there are many theories as to where it came from, there is no definitive answer. What is known is that residents of the state embrace the “Hoosier” title with a strong sense of local pride. Indiana’s central location – just a short distance from Chicago and many other major cities of the Midwest – combined with the all-American appeal of its own cities like Indianapolis and Bloomington and its vast expanses of rural farmland, make Indiana a convenient place to live and a beautiful state to retire in.

Currently, A Place for Mom partners with more than 110 senior living communities in Indiana that provide memory care. The median monthly cost of memory care in Indiana is about $5,100.

The Indiana Department of Health, Division of Long-Term Care, and the Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Aging, have licensing jurisdiction over memory care facilities in Indiana. Memory care facilities are licensed as Residential Care Facilities in Indiana. They are a specialized form of assisted living with an Alzheimer’s and dementia special care unit. This residential care license enables the facility to provide on-site nursing care services and medication administration, which is common with dementia care facilities.

A memory care facility licensed as a Residential Care Facility in Indiana must be able to provide the following to residents:

• Personal care and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Three well-planned meals per day, seven days a week
• Activity programming and an on-site activity director
• Scheduled transportation
• On-site health care services, like home health or hospice

Staff considerations

There must be a minimum of one awake staff person on-site at all times. This person must be currently certified in CPR and first aid. For every 50 residents that receive regular on-site nursing care services, at least one staff member must be a licensed nurse at all times. So if a memory care community has at least 100 residents that regularly receive nursing care services on-site, there must be at least two licensed nurses on-site at any given time.

Any unlicensed employee providing more than limited assistance with ADLs must either be a certified nurse aide or a home health aide. Nursing aides can administer physician-ordered medications but only under a licensed nurse’s supervision. Any staff that has contact with residents in the dementia units must have at least six hours of dementia-care training, with three hours of additional training per year thereafter.

The director of the Residential Care Facility with a dementia special care unit must have a minimum of one year of work experience with people with dementia within the last five years. They should also have a minimum of 12 hours of dementia-specific training within three months of their first day of employment. Then they should have 6 hours annually thereafter to remain up to date with dementia-care best practices.

Facility requirements

The following are some important facility requirements for Residential Care Facilities with dementia care units in Indiana:

• The state fire marshal’s office inspects these facilities for fire safety precautions.
• For facilities licensed after April 1, 1997, each unit must have a private toilet and tub or shower.
• Private resident units must be a minimum of 100 square feet, and shared units must provide a minimum of 80 square feet per resident.
• For facilities constructed after July 1, 1984, resident rooms can’t contain more than four residents’ beds.

Admission requirements for residents

Prospective residents of memory care facilities must also meet certain admission requirements, like:

• They must be medically stable.
• They can’t be a danger to themselves or others.
• They should not require 24/7 nursing care.
• They should not need total assistance with eating, toileting, or transferring.

Indiana Department of Health contact information

2 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Phone: 317-233-1325

Toll-Free: 1-800-382-9480

Hours: M-F 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Inspection reports and violations

The Indiana Department of Health maintains a consumer report database for health care providers in the state. Since Residential Care Facilities are considered health care provider facilities, you can search this database to find reports on facilities in your area. These reports outline any violations or complaints against the facility, which are important to review if you or your loved one is a prospective resident. You can also find the names of the current administrators and nursing directors on these reports, which is also helpful if you would like to research their past experience.

Indiana Health Care Provider Consumer Report Database

To use the above database:

• Scroll down on the “Provider List by Type” on the right, and click the “Residential Care Facilities” drop-down menu.
• Then click on your county name drop-down menu to search for the name of your prospective facility.
• Click on your prospective facility and then click “View Consumer Report.”

For help with researching licensed senior care facilities or other health care providers in your area, you can also reach out to a Long-Term Care Ombudsman. You can also reach out directly to the Indiana Department of Health.