Special Care Units
What Is a “Special Care Unit” in a North Carolina Assisted Living Facility?
If you’re researching care options for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, you may have come across the term “Special Care Unit” (SCU). Here’s what that designation actually means under North Carolina law, and what facilities are required to provide when they use that label.
What a Special Care Unit Is
A Special Care Unit is a distinct area, wing, or program within an assisted living facility (licensed in North Carolina as an “adult care home”) that is specifically designed, staffed, and operated to serve residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. A facility cannot simply call a unit “special care” as a marketing label — under North Carolina law, once a facility advertises, markets, or otherwise represents that it offers this kind of specialized care, it takes on specific legal obligations regarding disclosure, higher staffing, and dementia training that ordinary assisted living units are not held to in the same way.
A Special Care Unit is different from a “memory care unit,” which typically is merely a wing of an assisted living facility with a locked door. A Special Care Unit should include the following:
- Dementia-specific staff training, beyond the general aide training required in ordinary assisted living units — covering topics like recognizing and responding to behavioral symptoms, communication techniques, and safety management for residents with cognitive impairment
- Ongoing/annual continuing education requirements for staff assigned to the unit, not just one-time training at hire
- Staffing ratios or staffing plans specific to the unit, reflecting the more intensive supervision dementia care often requires
- Physical environment standards, such as secured or alarmed exits, layout designed to reduce resident confusion and wandering risk, and safety features tailored to cognitive impairment