Memphis Memory Care by the Numbers: Where the State Says the Secured Beds Are

Why the bed report is the best map of memory care

Search for memory care in Memphis and you will find dozens of buildings using the phrase. Tennessee law gives the phrase no meaning by itself. There is no memory care license in Tennessee; what exists is the secured unit, a distinct part of a licensed assisted-care living facility or nursing home where residents are intentionally kept from leaving except for life safety (rule 0720-26-.02(37)).

Every licensed building reports its secured beds to the Health Facilities Commission, which publishes them in a quarterly bed report. That report is the closest thing to an official map of memory care. A building that markets dementia care but reports zero secured beds may still offer good programming for early-stage residents, but it does not have a locked unit.

Secured beds by part of the metro

The table counts licensed buildings reporting secured beds (ACLFs) or secured and Alzheimer's beds (nursing homes) on the October 2026 reports, grouped the way this site groups Memphis areas and suburbs.

Two patterns stand out. First, 3 ACLFs are licensed entirely as secured residences, meaning every bed is in the locked unit; families looking for a dementia-only setting can start there. Second, nursing home units are fewer but larger, and one Cordova nursing home reports its entire licensed capacity as secured.

What a secured unit must have under Tennessee rules

The rule that governs ACLF secured units is short but specific (0720-26-.08(9)). Before a resident moves onto the unit, a team of at least a physician, a registered nurse and a family member or patient care advocate must evaluate them. The team reviews the placement every quarter. At least one attendant must be awake, on duty and physically on the unit 24 hours a day, every day. The facility records the unit's staffing pattern daily, keeps an activity calendar with attendance, logs incidents, deaths, hospitalizations, pressure ulcers and infections, and trains every unit worker each year on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

That list doubles as a tour checklist. Ask to see the staffing record for last Saturday night, the activity calendar and attendance for last month, and the date of your parent's first quarterly review if they move in.

What the numbers do not tell you

A bed count is not a quality measure. It does not tell you how many staff are on the unit beyond the required one, how residents spend their afternoons, or what the unit costs. CareScout does not survey memory care, and no Tennessee or Memphis memory care median is published, so prices must come from written quotes. Against a statewide assisted living median of about $5,595 a month, secured units are priced higher.

Pair the bed report with each building's HFC record (last survey date and disciplinary actions) and, for nursing homes, CMS's ratings. Every secured unit in the three counties appears on our memory care directory with those details.

Locked unit, dementia program or both?

Families often hear three terms used interchangeably: memory care, a dementia program, and a secured unit. In Tennessee they are not the same. A secured unit is a physical and legal fact recorded on the state's bed report. A dementia program is a set of activities and staff practices, which can exist with or without a locked unit. Memory care is a marketing umbrella that can mean either.

For a parent with early memory loss who is not trying to leave, an unsecured ACLF with good dementia programming may be the right fit and may cost less. For a parent who has started walking out at night or getting lost, the locked unit is the point. Asking which of the three a building actually offers saves a second move later.

When a secured unit is no longer enough

Tennessee's ACLF rules set the outer limits of what a secured unit can handle. A resident cannot stay if they need continuous nursing care, treatment for stage III or IV pressure ulcers, physical or chemical restraints, or if their behavior poses an imminent physical threat (rule 0720-26-.08(1)). Late-stage dementia often brings swallowing problems, immobility and skin breakdown, which push some residents past those limits.

That is where the nursing home units in the table matter. Several Memphis-area nursing homes report secured or Alzheimer's beds, and TennCare CHOICES Group 1 can pay for nursing home care for eligible residents. Families who plan the likely path, ACLF secured unit first and nursing home unit later, can choose buildings that are close to each other or on the same campus.

Questions that separate one unit from another

Beyond the required evaluation and staffing floor, units vary widely. Ask how many residents live on the unit and how many staff are there on each shift, whether staff on the unit are assigned there permanently or rotate, how the unit handles a resident who becomes upset in the late afternoon, what happens at mealtimes for residents who need cueing or help eating, and how often residents go outdoors.

Ask also how the unit communicates with families after incidents, and whether family members can attend the quarterly reviews the rule requires. A unit that welcomes those questions is usually a unit that runs well.

Does Tennessee license memory care?

No. Memory care happens in secured units inside licensed ACLFs and nursing homes, which report secured beds to the Health Facilities Commission.

How many staff must be on a secured unit at night?

At least one attendant awake and physically on the unit at all times. Tennessee sets no numeric ratio beyond that.

Is there a published memory care price for Memphis?

No. CareScout does not survey memory care, so ask each facility for a written quote.

Can a nursing home have a memory care unit?

Yes. Several Memphis-area nursing homes report secured or Alzheimer's beds on the state's bed report.