Memory care units in Hampton Roads

Which Hampton Roads assisted living facilities have secure memory care units?

50 of the 84 licensed assisted living facilities in our coverage area list a safe, secure environment -- Virginia's term for a special care unit for people with serious cognitive impairment from dementia -- on their VDSS record as of October 28, 2026.

Together they are licensed for 4515 beds, but that is the whole facility's capacity; VDSS's search does not publish how many of those beds sit inside the secured unit. Ask each facility how many residents the unit holds today.

How is memory care regulated differently from regular assisted living in Virginia?

A safe, secure environment sits inside an ordinary assisted living license but adds rules: written approval for placement, reviews at six months and yearly, 21 hours of weekly activities, minimum awake staffing inside the unit, secured doors and windows and outdoor access.

Because the unit is part of the facility's license, its inspection history is the facility's history -- standards numbered in the 1000s of 22VAC40-73 are the ones written for residents with serious cognitive impairments. See the full rules.

Source: Virginia Department of Social Services facility search (Special Care Unit qualification) -- data as of October 28, 2026.