Memphis Senior Care Homes

FAQ

Assisted living and memory care in the Memphis area: 25 questions families ask

Short answers, each linked to the guide that goes deeper. Educational, not medical, legal or financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between assisted living, memory care and a care home?

Assisted living helps with bathing, dressing, meals and medications in a private apartment. Memory care is a secured unit with dementia-trained staff for people who may wander or cannot be left alone safely. Care home is the everyday name for either one. Read more: Levels of care explained.

How do I choose a senior care home in Memphis?

Settle four things in order: the care your parent needs today, whether memory loss needs a secured unit, what the family can pay for years, and fit. Tour only the communities that pass the first three. Read more: How to choose.

How many licensed assisted living communities are there in the Memphis area?

Tennessee's July 2026 bed report lists 31 licensed Assisted Care Living Facilities in Shelby County, 23 with secured memory care beds. Mississippi's October 2026 directory lists 6 licensed Personal Care Homes in DeSoto County, 2 with dementia care units. Read more: How to choose.

What does Tennessee license assisted living as?

Tennessee licenses assisted living as an Assisted Care Living Facility through the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission. Memory care units sit inside those facilities and are counted as secured beds. Nursing homes and homes for the aged hold separate licences. Read more: Levels of care explained.

When is it time for memory care?

When dementia makes your parent unsafe: wandering or trying to leave, getting lost in familiar places, or not being safe alone. A diagnosis by itself is not the trigger; safety is. Read more: Memory care.

Is memory support the same as memory care?

No. Memory support usually means a programme of activities inside ordinary assisted living with no secured unit. Ask whether the community has secured beds on its licence. Read more: Memory care.

How much does assisted living cost in Tennessee?

CareScout's 2025 survey put the annual median cost of assisted living in Tennessee at $67,140, against $74,400 nationally. Memphis-area communities price above and below that depending on apartment, location and care level, so ask for an all-in quote in writing. Read more: What assisted living costs.

What does the monthly rate include?

Usually the apartment, three meals a day, utilities, housekeeping, activities and scheduled transport. Care is often charged on top by level, along with fees for medication management, incontinence supplies and escorts. Read more: What assisted living costs.

Why did the quote go up after the assessment?

The advertised price is usually the base rate. The assessment sets your parent's care level, and each level adds a monthly care charge. Ask which tasks set the level and what would move it up. Read more: Activities of daily living and care levels.

What are activities of daily living?

Bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, staying continent, and moving from bed to chair. Communities assess help with each, plus medications and memory, to set a care level and price. Read more: Activities of daily living and care levels.

Does Medicare pay for assisted living?

No. Medicare pays for doctors, hospital care, therapy, prescriptions and short skilled nursing stays after a qualifying hospital stay. It does not pay rent, meals or personal care in assisted living or memory care. Read more: How families pay.

Does TennCare pay for assisted living?

TennCare CHOICES can pay for care services in an Assisted Care Living Facility for people who qualify, up to $1,497.77 a month in 2026. It does not pay room and board, which the resident pays from income, capped at $2,385.60 a month for CHOICES members. Read more: How families pay.

What are the TennCare CHOICES financial limits?

For 2026, TennCare lists income of no more than $2,982 a month and countable resources of no more than $2,000, with the home your parent lives in not counted. Transfers below value in the last five years are reviewed. Read more: When the money runs out.

Can a veteran get help paying for assisted living?

Wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities may qualify for VA pension with Aid and Attendance. The VA's maximum with Aid and Attendance from December 1, 2025 is $29,093 a year for a veteran with no dependents and $34,488 with a spouse. Read more: How families pay.

What happens when my parent's money runs out?

Your parent may qualify for TennCare CHOICES, but only at a community that accepts it, and CHOICES does not pay room and board. Ask every community early whether it accepts CHOICES and whether a private-pay resident can convert and stay. Read more: When the money runs out.

What questions should I ask on a tour?

Ask whether the community can meet your parent's needs, how many care staff are on duty by shift, the all-in monthly price at your parent's care level, the last two rate increases, and the discharge rules. Our checklist has 40 questions in six groups. Read more: 40 questions to ask on a tour.

How do I check a community's inspection record?

Search the community in the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission's Facility Listings for licence status and disciplinary actions, and ask the community for its most recent survey and plan of correction. Deficiencies are common; repeats and findings about harm are what matter. Read more: Reading inspection records.

What should I look for in a residency agreement?

Read what the fees cover, how and when rates rise, when the community can ask your parent to leave, what is refunded, and whether you are signing as agent or personal guarantor. Take it home before signing. Read more: The residency agreement.

Can an assisted living community make my parent leave?

Yes, for the reasons in the agreement, commonly needs beyond its licence, non-payment or dangerous behaviour. Check that reasons are specific and that written notice and a family meeting come first. Read more: The residency agreement.

Do I have to sign an arbitration agreement?

Ask whether it is a condition of admission. Many communities make it a separate, optional signature, and you can consider declining. Read more: The residency agreement.

Can my parent go straight from hospital to assisted living?

Yes, if a community has an opening and can meet their needs. Tell the hospital case manager on day one, and have the discharge summary, medication list, physician orders and TB screening ready. Read more: From hospital to assisted living.

What is observation status and why does it matter?

A patient under observation is technically an outpatient even in a hospital bed. Observation days do not count toward the three-day inpatient stay Medicare needs before it covers skilled nursing rehab. Read more: From hospital to assisted living.

What if my parent refuses to move?

Find out what the refusal is about, give real choices, start small with a lunch visit or respite stay, and bring in people your parent trusts such as their doctor. If dementia has taken their capacity, a health care power of attorney or conservator decides. Read more: When a parent refuses to move.

What is a respite stay?

A short furnished stay at an assisted living community, often a week to a month. Families use it after a hospital stay, for a carer's break, or as a trial, and many become permanent moves. Read more: When a parent refuses to move.

Is this site free for families, and how is it paid for?

Yes. Our guide is free to families. Senior living communities pay us a referral fee or a flat fee when they accept a family we introduce, and some buy sponsored placements; the directory lists every licensed community regardless. Read more: How to choose.

Licensed communities near you

Memphis, TN · East Memphis, TN · Germantown, TN · Collierville, TN · Bartlett, TN · Cordova, TN · Arlington, TN · Lakeland, TN · Millington, TN · Southaven, MS · Olive Branch, MS · Horn Lake, MS · Hernando, MS · West Memphis, AR · Marion, AR · near Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis · near Methodist University Hospital · near Saint Francis Hospital-Park Avenue · near Regional One Health

All guides: guides hub. How we research: methodology.

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