Both are licensed assisted living in Florida — the difference is security, staffing, and dementia training. Here's how Orlando families know when it's time for memory care.
By Orlando Senior Advisor Care Team · June 20, 2026
In Florida, memory care and standard assisted living are both licensed assisted living. Memory care operates a secured unit with dementia-trained staff, structured routines, and additional staffing under the facility's Extended Congregate Care or Limited Nursing license. The move from one to the other is driven by safety, not by stage alone.
The clearest signals are wandering or exit-seeking, getting lost in familiar places, agitation that standard assisted living can't safely manage, and care needs that exceed what an unsecured setting allows. A parent in early-stage dementia may thrive in standard assisted living with a strong activities program for a year or more.
Ask the secured-unit staffing ratio (especially overnight), the staff's dementia-training hours, how the community handles sundowning and behaviors, and what would trigger a move to a higher level of care. Memory care runs about $1,000–$1,500 a month above standard assisted living in the Orlando area because of that staffing and security.
A free dementia-focused advisor can tour secured units with you and ask the questions that reveal real quality.
A free call with zero sales pressure. Whether you're new to Central Florida or new to senior care, we answer to your family — not to the communities we recommend.