Where El Paso's Alzheimer's-Certified Memory Care Units Are, Area by Area

Why the certificate is the map

In Texas, a facility may advertise or market specialized Alzheimer's or dementia care only if HHSC has certified it, and only a Type B facility can be certified. That makes the certificate list the one reliable map of memory care in El Paso. Websites and directories that call a building a memory care community without a certificate are describing something else, often care for mild memory loss.

Certified units must meet extra standards under 26 TAC 553.311, including a secured, approved outdoor area and dementia training for staff. The certificate also sets a maximum number of residents for the unit, which can be smaller than the building's total license.

The units, part of town by part of town

The largest certified units belong to the bigger Type B communities, while two 16-resident homes in the Northeast are certified throughout. Nursing facilities can also list Alzheimer's beds; the Texas State Veterans Home on Kenworthy Street lists 60 for eligible veterans and family members.

What the geography means for families

The Franklin Mountains split the city, and memory care visits are frequent and emotional, so distance matters more than for almost any other kind of care. A daughter in Horizon City visiting a parent on the West Side faces a long drive each way through traffic on I-10 or Loop 375.

If no certified unit is near the family member who visits most, weigh a slightly farther unit with a strong record against a closer one with repeated findings. Our facility pages list the closest certified units to every licensed building.

Questions to ask a certified unit

Ask how many residents the unit holds today against its certified capacity, how many staff are on the unit at night, how staff handle a resident who tries to leave, and how often residents use the outdoor area in summer. Ask what languages evening staff speak, because many bilingual El Pasoans return to Spanish as dementia advances.

Then read the unit's TULIP record. One El Paso facility was fined in 2026 for failing to provide an approved outdoor area for its segregated unit, a reminder that the extra standards are enforced.

How certified capacity works

The certificate lists the number of residents the Alzheimer's unit may serve. In a building licensed for more than 100 residents, the certified unit might hold 16 or 30, which means most residents live in the standard assisted living section. In a 16-resident home that is certified throughout, every resident lives in the secured setting.

That difference shapes daily life. A large community can move a resident from the standard section to the certified unit without a change of address, while a small certified home offers a quieter, more predictable environment. Ask how full the unit is today and how the facility decides when someone should move into it.

Nursing facilities with Alzheimer's beds

Some people with dementia also need nursing care for wounds, feeding or other medical needs. HHSC's directory lists Alzheimer's beds for nursing facilities separately, and those homes are rated by CMS like any other. For a veteran or eligible family member, the Texas State Veterans Home's dementia beds are worth asking about early, since admission depends on eligibility and availability.

Our memory care roster lists both kinds of settings together so families can compare them in one place.

When there is no opening

With so few certified places, waiting lists happen. Put your name on two or three lists, ask how the facility decides who moves in, and use an adult day center with dementia experience and home attendant hours as a bridge. Do not accept a placement in an uncertified building on the promise that it can manage wandering; under Texas rules, it cannot market that care.