Advertising Alzheimer’s Care? Make Sure It’s in Your Admission Package
If your facility claims to offer special care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders, there’s one area that’s often overlooked — and it can easily lead to a deficiency.
It’s not enough to just say you provide Alzheimer’s or memory care.
If you advertise that service, the law requires you to clearly disclose what makes your care “special.”
What the Regulation Says
According to 59A-36.006(3)(13), every facility that advertises Alzheimer’s or dementia care must include in its admission package:
“A written description of those special services as required in Section 429.177, F.S.”
And Section 429.177 further explains:
Any facility that claims to provide special care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders must disclose, in advertisements or in a separate document, what services distinguish your care as being especially applicable to those residents.
In other words — if you advertise Alzheimer’s or dementia care, you must provide families with a written description of what that care includes.
What AHCA Is Looking For
When AHCA reviews your admission package, they’re looking for a specific written disclosure describing the services your facility provides for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders.
This disclosure should be accurate, current, and reflect the care you truly provide — not generic or copied language.
How to Describe Your Services (Suggestions Only)
Your written disclosure should clearly explain what makes your care different, but remember — the following are examples and suggestions only.
Each facility should describe its own actual services that are provided to residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Possible examples include:
- Staff who have received Alzheimer’s or dementia-specific training
- Secured units or wander management systems
- Structured activities or memory-support programming
- Modified dietary options or mealtime supervision
- Specialized communication or redirection approaches
Again — you are not required to provide these specific services.
Your disclosure must simply explain what your facility actually does to support residents with Alzheimer’s or related conditions.
The Common Mistake
Here’s what I see too often:
Facilities advertise Alzheimer’s or dementia care on their website or brochure, but their admission package doesn’t include any written description of those services.
That’s an easy citation under 59A-36.006(3)(13) and 429.177, F.S.
AHCA isn’t just reviewing your care — they’re reviewing whether what you advertise matches what you’ve documented.
What You Should Do
✅ Review your marketing materials.
If you use phrases like “memory care,” “Alzheimer’s support,” or “secured dementia care,” make sure your admission package includes the written disclosure.
✅ Update your admission packet.
Include a description of your specialized services that matches your real operations — not a borrowed policy from another facility.
✅ Keep copies of your Alzheimer’s-related ads.
The law requires you to maintain copies of all Alzheimer’s-related marketing materials and written disclosures in your records.
✅ Train your staff.
Your team should understand what specialized services your facility actually offers — and be able to explain them confidently if asked.
Final Thought
Advertising Alzheimer’s or dementia care comes with responsibility.
Families trust you based on what you promise — and AHCA expects you to back those promises up in writing.
Take time to review your admission packet and make sure your disclosure clearly explains what your facility actually provides.
Because in compliance, what’s written matters just as much as what’s done.