Winston-Salem Senior AdvisorDoes North Carolina have a memory care license?
No. Memory care is a special care unit, a set of beds DHSR approves on an adult care home or nursing home license for residents with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias.
In the five counties, 23 adult care homes hold special care unit beds (789 in total on DHSR's October 28, 2026 list), and 4 nursing homes hold another 104.
How do we know if a Winston-Salem home's memory care is licensed?
Check the state's special care unit list, which our memory care directory reproduces; a home with special care unit beds there has a licensed unit, and one without has no licensed dementia unit, whatever its marketing says.
Ask for the unit's written disclosure statement as well; every special care unit must have one under N.C.G.S. 131D-8.
What does memory care cost in Winston-Salem?
No one publishes a memory care median for North Carolina, so compare written quotes; units usually cost more than standard assisted living, whose 2025 statewide median is about $6,200 a month.
Special Assistance pays its Enhanced Rate, $1,792 a month in 2026, for eligible residents of special care units that accept it.
Can someone with dementia live in regular assisted living?
Yes, often in the early stages, as long as staff can keep the person safe under the care plan; a special care unit becomes necessary when wandering, exit-seeking or behavior outgrow an open setting.
Choosing a home that has its own unit can turn a later move into a walk down the hall.
Can a memory care unit discharge a resident?
Yes, under the conditions stated in its disclosure statement and the state's discharge rules, which generally require 30 days' written notice and give the resident a right to appeal.
If a notice arrives, call the regional long-term care ombudsman at the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, (336) 904-0300, right away.
Where can families find dementia support around Winston-Salem?
The Piedmont Triad Regional Council Area Agency on Aging offers family caregiver support, Senior Services Inc. runs the Williams Adult Day Center and a help line in Forsyth County, and support groups meet through hospitals, churches and the Alzheimer's Association.
Planning respite early, before exhaustion, makes a long dementia journey more sustainable for everyone.
Do nursing homes around Winston-Salem have dementia units?
A few do: the state's nursing home list shows special care unit beds at a handful of homes in the five counties, including the North Carolina State Veterans Home in Kernersville, for residents with dementia who also need daily skilled nursing.
Those homes are rated by CMS rather than the state, and their pages in our directory show CMS inspection, staffing and turnover figures. Ask how the unit's staff are trained and how many work inside it at night, exactly as you would in an adult care home.
