If you're arranging dementia care for a parent in Washington, the state has a distinctive option you should know by name: the Specialized Dementia Care Program. It's a Medicaid program delivered inside an assisted living facility that holds a special contract with the state, and this guide walks through what it requires, what private-pay memory care costs alongside it, and how to vet a place against real standards.

In This Guide

What Memory Care in Washington Is

When you start calling places, you'll hear "memory care" used as if it's one fixed thing. In Washington, the term covers two different paths, and knowing which one you're looking at changes everything about cost and eligibility.

The first is the state's own program. Washington's most distinctive memory-care option is the Specialized Dementia Care Program, or SDCP. It's a DSHS program for people receiving or eligible for Medicaid, and it's delivered inside an assisted living facility that holds a specific contract with the state called an Enhanced Adult Residential Care Specialized Dementia Care contract, EARC-SDC for short. A facility can't simply advertise SDCP. It has to qualify for and sign that contract with the Washington DSHS Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, and the contract carries real conditions, which the next section lays out.

The second path is private pay. Plenty of memory care in Washington is paid for out of pocket, and it's offered in two settings the state licenses. An assisted living facility serves seven or more residents in a community setting. An adult family home is a regular neighborhood home licensed to serve two to six residents, often with a more home-like feel and a higher staff-to-resident ratio. Assisted living facilities provide dementia care, and some adult family homes offer specialized support for dementia; both are largely private-pay, though both can also serve Medicaid clients through Washington's COPES waiver, which pays for the care a resident receives while the resident pays room and board out of income.

So the first question to settle is which path fits your family: the Medicaid Specialized Dementia Care Program, if your parent is receiving or eligible for Medicaid, or private-pay memory care in an assisted living facility or adult family home. They lead to very different conversations about money.

The Standards Behind the Program

Here's what makes the Specialized Dementia Care Program worth understanding. A facility doesn't get to offer it just by saying it does memory care. To hold an EARC-SDC contract, it has to clear a specific bar set by the state, and that bar is something you can ask about directly.

The program requires What it means for your parent
A track record in dementia care At least 12 months as a licensed provider of specialized dementia care before applying, in a facility or a designated, separate unit or wing dedicated solely to residents with Alzheimer's or another dementia
WAC 388-110-220 standards The care, services, and physical-plant requirements set in Washington Administrative Code, the state's binding rules for the program
No significant enforcement actions The facility must be clear of significant enforcement actions when it signs the contract, a marker of its recent compliance record
Dementia-specific training and awake staff The service package includes dementia-specific training for staff and awake staff 24 hours a day, plus a safe outdoor space with walking paths

Two of those are worth dwelling on. The dementia track record isn't a marketing flourish. It means the facility has already spent at least a year caring for people with dementia in a setting dedicated solely to that care, rather than dementia residents absorbed into a general population. And the WAC 388-110-220 standards are binding state rules, not a facility's own policy, which is what gives you a yardstick that's the same from place to place.

Dementia-specific staff training is part of the program's service package. When you tour a private-pay place outside the program, ask what dementia training its staff have; that's a fair thing to confirm.

What It Costs

Cost is usually the thing families brace for, and we'll be straight with you: there's no clean single number for memory care in Washington. The state doesn't publish one, and because memory care isn't its own surveyed category, the industry surveys that track senior-care prices don't isolate it the way they isolate assisted living.

What we do have is a solid anchor for the base. Per the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, assisted living in Washington runs a median of about $7,600 a month (roughly $90,550 to $91,200 a year, depending on which CareScout publication you read), well above the national median of about $6,200 a month. Memory care costs more than that, here as everywhere, because dementia care means heavier staffing, dementia-specific staff training, a secured environment built to keep someone from wandering off, and specialized programming. How much more depends on the facility, its size, and the level of care. Treat memory care as a premium on top of the assisted-living base rather than a fixed figure, and be skeptical of any source that quotes one precise statewide number for it.

For context, the same survey put a semi-private nursing-home room in Washington at about $13,155 a month and a private room at about $15,969, both well above the national medians. Those are industry-survey figures, not government numbers, so use them to set expectations, then get a specific written quote from any place you're serious about. The advertised figure is almost always a base rate. Ask each facility what the base includes, how it charges as care needs grow, how it reassesses care as dementia progresses, and how often rates rise. Two places with the same headline price can land far apart once the dementia-care fees are in.

The cost picture is exactly why the Specialized Dementia Care Program matters. If your parent qualifies for Medicaid, the SDCP can cover dementia care inside a contracted assisted living facility, where private pay would otherwise run into the figures above. The trade-off is that the program is limited to facilities holding an EARC-SDC contract, and because funding is limited DSHS contracts with only a small number of them, so your choice of building is narrower than the full private-pay market and a space has to be available. DSHS keeps a list of facilities offering the program; ask the agency or your local Aging and Long-Term Support office for it.

How to Vet a Memory-Care Setting

You don't have to become an expert in dementia care to make a good decision. You have to confirm the right setting and ask the right questions, and Washington's standards give you sharp ones.

1
Step 1

Decide which path you're on

If your parent may qualify for Medicaid, ask specifically about the Specialized Dementia Care Program and whether the facility holds an EARC-SDC contract. If you're paying privately, you're looking at memory care in an assisted living facility or an adult family home, and the questions below still apply.

2
Step 2

Confirm the dementia track record and the standards

For an SDCP facility, ask how long it has provided specialized dementia care, ask to see the dedicated dementia unit or wing if it has one, and ask how the facility meets the WAC 388-110-220 requirements. Ask about its enforcement history too; the program bars facilities with significant enforcement actions, and you can request a facility's inspection record from DSHS.

3
Step 3

Ask about dementia training

Dementia-specific staff training is part of the SDCP service package. Ask who on the staff has it, how recently, and how the place handles the day-to-day reality of dementia: what it does when a resident becomes agitated, tries to leave, or stops eating.

4
Step 4

Match the pitch to what you see

On a tour, go once around a mealtime, when staffing and the mood of a place are hardest to stage. Watch how aides speak to residents who are confused or upset, and ask how the unit keeps someone from wandering out and how it handles a medical change at 2 a.m.

5
Step 5

Get the costs in writing, and read the discharge terms

Ask for a written breakdown of the base rate, what dementia care adds, how care levels get reassessed, and what triggers an increase. Then bring the admission agreement home to read the refund and discharge terms without a salesperson in the room. Discharge terms matter more in dementia care, where needs change and a place may decide it can no longer meet them.

Tour at least a couple of places. The goal isn't a perfect one. It's a place whose limits you understand going in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Specialized Dementia Care Program in Washington?

It's Washington's distinctive memory-care option: a DSHS program for people receiving or eligible for Medicaid, delivered inside an assisted living facility that holds an Enhanced Adult Residential Care Specialized Dementia Care (EARC-SDC) contract with the Washington DSHS Aging and Long-Term Support Administration. To offer it, a facility must have provided licensed specialized dementia care for at least the 12 months before applying, in a facility or a designated, separate unit dedicated solely to dementia care, meet the standards in WAC 388-110-220, and have no significant enforcement actions when it signs the contract. It's the path that can cover dementia care for an eligible parent who couldn't pay privately.

Does Medicaid pay for memory care in Washington?

Yes, through two routes. The Specialized Dementia Care Program covers dementia care for people receiving or eligible for Medicaid inside a contracted assisted living facility. Separately, Washington's COPES waiver can pay for the care a Medicaid client receives in an assisted living facility or adult family home, while the resident pays room and board out of income. Either way, confirm a specific facility's situation with it and with DSHS before you count on coverage.

How much does memory care cost in Washington?

There's no reliable single statewide figure for memory care alone. Use the assisted-living base as your anchor, about $7,600 a month per the CareScout 2025 survey, and expect memory care to run higher because of the heavier staffing, dementia training, and secured setting. The advertised rate is usually a base that rises as care needs grow, so get a written breakdown from any place you're considering. If your parent qualifies for the Specialized Dementia Care Program, Medicaid can cover the care instead.

What's the difference between an assisted living facility and an adult family home?

It's mostly size and feel. An assisted living facility serves seven or more residents in a community setting; an adult family home is a neighborhood home licensed to serve two to six residents, often with a more home-like atmosphere. Both are licensed by DSHS, assisted living facilities provide dementia care and some adult family homes offer specialized support for dementia, and both can serve Medicaid clients through the COPES waiver. Which fits your parent depends on the level of care needed and whether they'll do better in a larger community or a small home.

Are memory-care staff in Washington trained for dementia?

Inside the Specialized Dementia Care Program, yes: dementia-specific training for staff is part of the program's service package. Outside the program, training varies by place, so when you tour any facility, ask which direct-care staff have completed that training and how recently, and ask how the facility puts it into practice when a resident is agitated, tries to leave, or stops eating.

Learn More

Care TypesMemory Care by StateMemory care is specialized assisted living for dementia. What it costs, who pays (Medicare doesn't), and how the rules change by state, with a guide to yours. Care TypesAssisted Living in WashingtonAssisted living in Washington has a median of about $7,600/month. How it differs from an adult family home, whether COPES pays, and how to vet a place. Care TypesNursing Homes in WashingtonNursing homes in Washington in 2026 cost far above the national median. What a facility costs, how to check quality, and how Apple Health Medicaid pays. Care TypesHome Care vs. Home Health in WashingtonHome care vs. home health in Washington: home health is skilled care a Home Health Agency provides and Medicare covers; home care is non-medical help it won't. CaregiverCaregiver Burnout: Signs and SupportHow to recognize caregiver burnout, why it happens, and what actually helps, from respite care to evidence-based programs like REACH II and Powerful Tools. MedicaidMedicaid Planning StrategiesSee which assets you keep, how the 5-year look-back works, and the legal moves that qualify you for Medicaid long-term care without losing the house. Care TypesAssisted Living vs. Memory Care in WashingtonAssisted living vs. memory care in Washington: safety and cognition drive the choice. Assisted living runs about $7,600 a month; memory care costs more. Care TypesMemory Care vs. Nursing Home in WashingtonMemory care vs. a nursing home in Washington: the skilled-nursing line, cost, and who pays. Apple Health covers nursing homes, not memory-care room and board.

Find personalized help comparing memory care in Washington at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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