Dedham is a small, family-friendly suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, a state with over 130,000 people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease or another memory illness. Out of Dedham's population of 25,000, 20 percent are seniors aged 65 and older, a number of whom may be vulnerable to dementia and similar conditions. To treat these folks and provide around-the-clock supervision, there are twenty memory care facilities in the Dedham area.Â
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health regulates and licenses Alzheimer's-only treatment centers, referred to as dementia special care units (DSCUs), as well as memory care facilities attached to assisted living communities, called special care residences (SCR).