An Act instructing the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to study the feasibility of absorbing oversight of all “memory care” assisted living facilities and units in the Commonwealth

This bill directs Massachusetts' Department of Public Health to study whether it should take over oversight of all 151 memory care units (facilities focused solely on Alzheimer's, dementia, and memory loss care) currently managed by the Department of Elder Affairs. Currently, these units aren't classified as medical facilities, limiting residents' access to proper medical care and oversight (with only two state ombudsmen covering 224 assisted living facilities housing over 14,000 residents). The study requires the Department of Elder Affairs to share all relevant information within 90 days, and the Department of Public Health must report its findings to state officials and the public within two years. The goal is to determine if transferring oversight would allow these units to be regulated as medical facilities, improving care standards for residents with memory loss.