Illinois memory care lives inside licensed assisted living — and any community marketing an Alzheimer's special care unit must make specific disclosures. Here's what Chicago families need to know before choosing a secured community.
By Patricia Nowak, CDP · April 16, 2026
In Illinois, memory care is generally delivered inside a licensed assisted living or shared housing establishment rather than under a separate 'memory care' license. Communities operate under the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (210 ILCS 9) and 77 Ill. Adm. Code 295, administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). A secured dementia neighborhood is a program built on top of that license — with locked or alarmed exits, specialized staffing, and dementia-specific activities — not a separate category of facility. Some higher-acuity dementia residents are instead served in nursing homes licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act (210 ILCS 45).
As a Certified Dementia Practitioner, I tell Chicago families that this structure means the 'memory care' label on a brochure isn't itself a distinct license — it's a description of a program layered onto an assisted living license. Two communities can both advertise memory care while offering meaningfully different levels of security, staffing, and dementia training underneath. The disclosures a community is required to make are your best tool for seeing past the marketing.
Illinois, like most states, requires any establishment that advertises or markets an Alzheimer's or dementia special care unit to disclose in writing how its care differs from the care provided in the rest of the community. That disclosure should cover the unit's philosophy and approach to dementia care; admission, transfer, and discharge criteria specific to the unit; staffing patterns and staff training in dementia care; the physical environment and security features; activities designed for residents with cognitive impairment; family involvement; and the cost of care and any additional fees for the secured unit.
Ask for this disclosure in writing and read it closely. It is the document that turns vague brochure language into concrete, comparable facts. If a community markets a memory care or 'special care' unit but is vague or slow to produce a written disclosure of how that care differs, treat that as a warning sign. The whole point of the disclosure requirement is to let families compare what they're actually buying.
Before touring, confirm the specific secured unit is covered under the community's IDPH license and ask for the written special-care-unit disclosure. Ask what dementia-specific training staff have completed and how recently, and ask about the overnight staff-to-resident ratio in the secured unit specifically, since that number often differs from the community's overall staffing.
Verify the community's IDPH license and any inspection findings before you commit — the IDPH Health Care Facilities and Programs directory at idph.illinois.gov lets you confirm licensure and review the record. Memory care across Chicagoland runs $5,500–$8,000 a month in 2026 — above the $4,500–$6,500 range for standard assisted living — and the price should reflect the additional staffing, training, and security, not just a locked door. A free advisor familiar with Cook, DuPage, and Lake County memory care options can help match a family's needs to the right community and verify the license and disclosure before a tour is scheduled.
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