Memory Care Facilities in Missouri

Missouri practically sits in the square middle of the United States, not too far east or west, also not too far north or south. It is right in the center which serves as a fair representation of its memory care. Prices for Missouri dementia care homes are reasonable, moderate and comparable to many other states in the Midwest.

Memory Care in Missouri - Cheapest & Most Expensive Places

Missouri has a state population of just over 6 million residents as it continues to grow. Its major metropolitan areas are St. Louis and Kansas City, with several other mid-size to smaller rural towns. What can you expect to spend on a monthly rent for memory care in Missouri? We have broken down the five most expensive and five most affordable cities and counties.

The Top 5 Most Affordable Cities for Memory Care in Missouri based on Monthly Median Pricing are:

1. Moberly, MO - $4,080         
2. Grandview, MO - $4,165
3. Marshall, MO - $4,200
4. Monett, MO - $4,210
5. Neosho, MO - $4,260

The Top 5 Most Expensive Cities for Dementia Care in Missouri:

1. Saint Peters, MO - $5,360
2. Ellisville, MO - $5,360
3. Ballwin, MO - $5,360
4. Richmond Heights, MO - $5,140 
5. Kearney, MO - $5,055

The Top 5 Most Affordable Counties in Missouri for Memory Care based on Monthly Median Costs:

1. Randolph County - $4,075         
2. Barry County - $4,200
3. Saline County - $4,200
4. Audrain County - $4,245         
5. Newton County - $4,260

The Top 5 Most Expensive Counties in Missouri for Alzheimer’s Care:

1. Saint Louis County - $5,290
2. Saint Charles County - $5,275
3. Clay County - $5,095
4. Platte County - $4,875
5. Lincoln County - $4,830

Missouri Dementia & Alzheimer’s Care - Services

The top Alzheimer’s care homes in Missouri and the rest of the nation offer a fair balance of routine and variety to keep residents expecting of some services as well as organized, while also providing enough routine not to bore them. It means that meal-times are regularly scheduled and some events take place at the same time every day, or every week.

The routine helps provide some structure that residents can rely on, particularly because Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are known to provide an increased amount of disorientation and confusion.

The buildings at Missouri dementia care communities are designed to be easily navigational for residents, providing color cues or other easy to identify indicators to lead residents back to a central corridor or hall where their private room exists. Extra security measures are often in place like security pendants along with the 24/7 monitoring to help avoid any unfortunate cases of wandering and getting lost outside the building premise.

Along with the general routine, the way certified dementia caregiver staff likes to add a little variety and flair is through the daily activities. The range of activities in dementia care setting is usually extremely diverse. It often involves light group exercise combined with personal productivity tasks and leisure games or brain activities.

As a result, seniors that live in these settings may have a nice structure while also enjoying a range of activities that doesn’t make every day seem like “Groundhog Day”. And their experience here is further enhanced when friends and family visit often, which is a huge point of encouragement for residents that join Missouri memory care communities.

Missouri Memory Care Regulations

Memory care is provided through two types of facilities: assisted living facilities and residential care facilities. Both facilities offer similar levels of care to residents and fall under the same regulations. Here is a summary of those regulations.

Licensing

Both assisted living facilities and residential care facilities offering memory care in Missouri are licensed by the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services.

Check the current licensing status of an assisted living facility in Missouri here.

General Regulations

All facilities offering memory care services must provide a public disclosure to prospective residents of the facility. This disclosure should include information on the costs of services, what services are offered, coordinated services available, resident rights in the facility, resident and facility responsibilities, and any community-based services offered in Missouri state.

Apart from this disclosure, residents who are admitted into a facility must receive a resident agreement upon admission. The resident agreement should include all the information from the disclosure, and should be signed by both the facility representative and the resident and/or their legal representative.

To aid in the care of residents, assisted living facilities and residential care facilities must formulate service plans for each resident individually. The service plan includes an assessment by a physician to describe the medical condition of the resident and their needs, as well as an assessment by the facility staff using a state-approved assessment tool.

The purpose of this plan is to document the needs of the resident and how the facility will meet those needs. This document also communicates the preferences of the resident and how they prefer to receive care. An annual reassessment should be done to keep the plan updated regularly, while periodic updates are also done as the resident’s condition changes significantly.

Facility Regulations

Memory care facilities are not required to provide residents with apartment style units. While rooms can be single occupancy or multi-occupancy, no room may contain more than 4 residents. For every 20 residents there must be at least 1 bathing facility, and for every 6 residents there must be at least 1 toilet and sink.

In assisted living facilities, there is an extra requirement that facility design should be as homelike as possible. This includes providing the following for resident use:

• Living rooms and common rooms
• Kitchen spaces and common eating areas
• Laundry facilities
• A full bathroom for every resident room
• Outdoor space for recreation
• Private spaces for residents to access

Assisted living facilities may not compel residents to stay together if they are unwilling. Residents should be able to personalize their space to create a sense of familiarity and belonging.

Staffing Regulations

In assisted living facilities, the state requires a minimum number of staff members to be on duty at different times.

• Day shift: Must maintain a ratio of 1 staff member for every 15 residents
• Evening shift: Must maintain a ratio of 1 staff member for every 20 residents
• Night shift: Must maintain a ratio of 1 staff member for every 25 residents

Staff on duty to fulfill the requirements must be on the premises, awake, and ready to provide services to residents as necessary during their shift. If there are residents on the premises who need assistance to evacuate in case of an emergency, there must be a minimum of 1 staff member for every 15 residents in the day and evening shifts and 1 staff member for every 20 residents in the night shift. In addition to care staff ratios, a licensed nurse must also be available for a certain number of hours each week, depending on the number of residents in a facility:

• 3-30 residents: 8 hours per week
• 31-60 residents: 16 hours per week
• 61-90 residents: 24 hours per week
• 90+ residents: 40 hours per week

Assisted living facilities must also employ a licensed administrator, a licensed nurse, and direct care staff to assist residents. If they administer medications, they must employ a Level 1 medication aide or certified medication technicians. Facilities should be supervised by a physician,

Residents care facilities must also employ an administrator and direct care staff, as well as qualified medication admission staff. These facilities must not have less than 1 staff member on duty for every 40 residents. If the facility has fewer than 12 residents and none of those residents are blind or in need of mobility assistance, no staff are required to be awake and on duty overnight.

Regardless of the facility type, all facilities offering memory care must provide employees with appropriate training for resident care and dealing with emergencies. Training should meet state requirements. All direct care staff who will work directly with memory care residents should have at least 3 hours of orientation training on specific topics related to memory care. Other staff who may periodically interact with memory care residents should still receive at least 1 hour of memory care training, as well as continuous education annually.

Assisted living facility staff will also receive an additional 26 hours of orientation training approved by the Department of Health and Human Services in order to care for the needs of all residents at the facility.

Missouri Medicaid Memory Care Programs

Missouri’s state Medicaid program is known as Missouri HealthNet. While many states offer community-based waiver programs, Missouri HealthNet does not. Instead, the state has an entitlement program that can be put towards care in an assisted living facility.

Supplemental Nursing Care

The Supplemental Nursing Care program is a Medicaid program that provides a cash benefit to those receiving service in a memory care facility. It is available to those aged 21 or above living in an assisted living facility or residential care facility. Because this is an entitlement program, applicants won’t encounter a waiting list and can begin to receive benefits as soon as the application is processed and accepted.

Recipients cannot receive coverage from the Supplement Nursing Care program alongside a secondary state-sponsored healthcare program.

Eligibility for Medicaid in Missouri

To be eligible for Missouri HealthNet’s Supplemental Nursing Care coverage, recipients must qualify for care under the income limits set by Medicaid for 2023. These income limits are as follows:

• Individuals cannot earn more than $1,598 per month and can possess no more than $5,726 in countable assets.
• Married couples who are both applying must each stay under the income limits separately while holding no more than a combined total of $11,452 in countable assets.
• Married individuals who are applying without their spouse must meet the same requirements as individuals, but their non-applicant spouse can hold as much as $148,620 in assets.

Admissions Requirements for Memory Care in Missouri

Both assisted living facilities and residential care facilities have nearly the same criteria for resident admissions, with one exception. Residential care facilities cannot admit or retain anyone who is not independently mobile, unless the immobility is due to a temporary condition that can be treated within 45 days. To be eligible for admission or retention, they must be able to evacuate without need of assistance during an emergency.

Memory care facilities in Missouri can admit residents who need help with daily tasks and personal care, as well as assistance with basic medical care. They cannot admit or retain residents who are:

• Fully bedridden
• Presenting an imminent threat to themselves or others
• In need of restraints, either physical or chemical
• In need of constant care by skilled nurses
• Unable to move on their own without the assistance of 2 or more people

If the facility cannot meet the needs of a resident, and no suitable arrangement can be made with a third party to fill in the gaps, a person cannot remain in an assisted living facility. Individuals receiving hospice care and other specialized care can be exempt from discharge if a physician can certify that they’re receiving the care they need where they are. Short-term illnesses that impact a resident’s ability to care for themselves or move independently will not exclude them from admission or retention, as long as the incapacity is not expected to last for longer than 45 days.

Memory Care in Missouri Compared to Assisted Living

In Missouri, memory care usually refers to services and care offered in a secure setting within an assisted living facility or residential care facility. What’s the difference between memory care and assisted living, and how does resident care differ?

Memory Care vs Assisted Living in Missouri

Assisted living facilities that offer memory care can do it in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Separate memory care units

Memory care units are often separated from wider assisted living facilities because of the unique needs of memory care residents. Access in and out of this unit is often controlled to help prevent inappropriate resident egress. Memory care units have different requirements compared to regular assisted living facilities, so the separate space will be built in a way that accommodates these requirements without affecting other residents.

2. Non-differentiated memory care

Where an entire facility is designated for memory care, the entire campus must be secured in a way that meets the regulations for memory care facilities in Missouri. This allows patients all over the facility to receive memory care services, while all staff in the facility must be trained to care for memory care residents as well as the general population there.

Memory care is essentially an escalated form of assisted living that caters specifically to those with memory impairments, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Care Quality in Memory Care Facilities

Staff who will be working directly with memory care residents must receive specific training on how to care for those with memory impairments. While assisted living staff must undergo training on personal care, emergency management, and other vital care skills, memory care staff will be more prepared to handle the needs of those who have impaired memory.