Billerica is a safe, affluent suburb of Boston, the capital city of Massachusetts, a state with over 130,000 diagnosed Alzheimer's and dementia patients. Billerica's population of 43,000 includes an over-65 population of 6,300, many of whom will need accommodations in one of the town's five memory care facilities.
In Billerica, and all of Massachusetts, memory care facilities are regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Regulations include security measures for residents, staff to patient ratios and 24-hour supervision and accountability. In order to work in an Alzheimer's or dementia care facility, employees are required by state law to undergo specific training for these conditions. Memory care facilities in Massachusetts can either be separate wings of an assisted living campus or a facility devoted entirely to memory care. Stand-alone memory care facilities are referred to as “Dementia Special Care Units” (DSCUs). Other memory care facilities attached to assisted living communities are called “Special Care Residence” (SCR).