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Memory Care in your area

Secured, dementia-specific care delivered through a Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification -- New York's add-on certification for memory care, layered onto an ALR license.

Quick answer

New York's Department of Health regulates memory care through the state's Adult Care Facility and Assisted Living Residence system.

HomeServicesMemory Care

Memory care is secured, dementia-specific assisted living. New York requires a Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification — an add-on to an ALR license under 10 NYCRR Part 1001 — rather than a wholly separate memory-care license.

Short answer

We list 33 verified memory care providers across your metro. Memory care is secured, dementia-specific assisted living.

Three things worth knowing first

  • Ask to see the SNALR certification by name.
  • Ask specifically about wandering and exit-seeking. Secured courtyards, door alarms and staffing patterns vary far more than brochures suggest.
  • There is usually no published median price for memory care. Get quotes in writing from each community.
Memory care regulation in New York. New York requires SNALR certification, an add-on to an ALR license, for dementia-specific memory care. Read the full explanation →

Verified memory care across the region

We list 33 verified memory care providers across your metro. The full table with addresses and counties lives in the directory.

See all 33 in the directory →

Memory Care by city

Questions families ask

How do I check if a Long Island assisted living facility has a clean inspection record?

New York State publishes licensing status and inspection history for every Adult Care Facility, including Assisted Living Residences, on the NYS Health Profiles website (profiles.health.ny.gov/acf), searchable by county, name, or facility type. Each facility's profile page includes an Inspections tab showing survey results. NYSDOH also publishes a statewide Consumer Information Guide: Assisted Living Residence that explains how to read these records.

Is memory care a licensed category in New York, or just a marketing term?

New York does not have a separate memory care license. Dementia and cognitive-impairment care is addressed through the Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification, an additional certification layered onto an existing Assisted Living Residence license under 10 NYCRR Part 1001. Families should verify a facility's actual SNALR certification on NYS Health Profiles rather than relying on a memory care sign or brochure.

What state regulations govern nursing homes on Long Island?

Nursing homes in New York are licensed and regulated by NYSDOH under 10 NYCRR Part 415, Nursing Homes - Minimum Standards, a completely separate rule set from the Adult Care Facility regulations that govern assisted living. Families can search and compare Nassau and Suffolk nursing homes through the NYS Health Profiles Nursing Home Profiles tool. Note that as of mid-2025, CMS's migration to a new federal inspection database (iQIES) temporarily affected how current some posted inspection data is, so it's worth confirming a record's date.

What is an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) and when would my parent need one?

An Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) is an additional certification an Assisted Living Residence can obtain to let residents age in place despite higher physical needs, specifically those who chronically need physical help walking or using stairs, depend on medical equipment requiring frequent professional assistance, or have chronic, unmanaged bowel or bladder incontinence. EALR care is delivered per an Individualized Service Plan and is regulated under the same 10 NYCRR Part 1001 rules as standard ALR and SNALR certifications.

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