New York does not require a separate memory-care license distinct from assisted living. Dementia-specific care is delivered through a Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification, an add-on to an existing ALR license under 10 NYCRR Part 1001 -- not a standalone category.
What physically differs
SNALR-certified neighborhoods are secured -- controlled or alarmed exits -- and staff receive dementia-specific training the base ALR license does not require. Ask specifically about wandering response: how exits are secured, what happens when a resident tries a door, and when an elopement last occurred at that specific community.
No state-published memory-care cost median exists in New York or any other state -- CareScout does not survey it as a category. Get quotes in writing at your parent's actual assessed care level rather than relying on an advertised “starting at” price.
