Short answer
Wisconsin does not require a separate memory-care certification (unlike Texas) or a dementia-specific disclosure form (unlike Ohio). What is marketed as memory care is a CBRF or RCAC that has designated dementia as an admissible client group in its DHS program statement, with client-group-specific staff training required under DHS 83.21(2).
What actually differs, physically
- Secured exits, door alarms, and often a dedicated courtyard designed to prevent wandering.
- Staff trained specifically on dementia care within 90 days of hire, per DHS 83.21(2).
- Typically a higher staffing ratio, though there is no state-mandated minimum specific to memory care -- ask for the overnight ratio inside the secured unit directly.
No state-published memory-care cost median exists anywhere, for Wisconsin or any other state. Get quotes in writing from each community rather than trusting an online average.
