Colorado Springs Senior AdvisorIs memory care licensed separately in Colorado Springs?
No. Memory care in Colorado is an assisted living residence, or a part of one, that restricts residents' free exit and therefore must meet Part 25 (Secure Environment) of 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 7, which took its current form on March 17, 2025.
Any ALR that uses locks, keypads or other devices to limit a resident's ability to leave the building or a wing has to comply with Part 25. The secure area can be the whole building or a distinct section, which is why many larger Colorado Springs communities run a memory care neighborhood down the hall from their assisted living apartments. CDPHE's public data, however, does not flag which ALRs operate a secure environment, so the only way to know is to ask for the Part 25 disclosure.
What must a Colorado secure environment tell families before move-in?
Part 25.4 requires the residence to disclose its admission criteria and the assessments it uses, where the secure area is and how exit is restricted, how residents' safety is monitored indoors and outdoors, and the specialty services and daily engagement it offers, on top of the general ALR disclosures.
Ask for it in writing before the tour, not after. A residence that hands over a clear disclosure is easier to compare: you can set two or three side by side and see which one describes a real daily program and which one describes a locked door. If the community markets “memory care” but cannot produce a Part 25 disclosure, ask whether its dementia area is actually secured.
Who can be admitted to a secure environment in Colorado?
Someone whose admission is the least restrictive option available and necessary for their well-being, after a pre-admission evaluation by a licensed practitioner within the previous 90 days; no one may be placed against their will without legal authority such as guardianship, a court order or a medical durable power of attorney.
A person may also choose a secure environment voluntarily, for example to stay with a spouse who has dementia, as long as the residence guarantees that person's freedom to come and go and records the choice in a signed agreement (Part 25.7). After admission, residents must be reassessed every six months and whenever their condition changes from baseline, with the practitioner and family involved (Part 25.9).
How must a Colorado memory care unit be staffed?
Part 25.18 requires staffing based on each resident's needs with a floor of one trained, awake staff member on duty in the secure environment at all times, and Part 25.15 requires every staff member to complete at least six hours of dementia training within 60 days.
That training must cover six listed topics, including non-drug approaches to distress and therapeutic activities. Before working alone in the unit, staff also need training on each resident's care plan, the free-passage and restricted zones, residents' evacuation needs and how to override or answer the security system (Parts 25.13 and 25.14). One awake person is a minimum, not a target; on a tour, ask how many people are inside the unit at 2 a.m. and who covers when one of them steps out.
What physical features does Colorado require in a secure unit?
A multipurpose room for dining, activities and visits, a resident-proof storage area for hazards, monthly documented tests of every alarm and lock, and a year-round secured outdoor area residents can use on their own, enclosed by a fence or barrier at least six feet high (Part 25.26).
The outdoor rule matters on the Front Range, where snow can sit on a north-facing patio for days. Ask whether the courtyard is cleared, shaded in summer at 6,000 feet of sunshine, and actually unlocked from the inside. Part 25.22 also requires family council meetings at least quarterly; ask when the next one is and whether you can attend before move-in.
Side by side
| Colorado's secure environment rules require | Colorado's secure environment rules do not require | |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | At least one trained, awake staff member in the unit at all times | A fixed staff-to-resident ratio |
| Training | Six hours of dementia training within 60 days | A nursing license for unit staff |
| Building | A secured outdoor area with a six-foot barrier | Private rooms or bathrooms |
| Public data | A written disclosure to each family | A flag in CDPHE's public facility list |
Drawn from 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 7, CDPHE and HCPF publications, CareScout, CMS, the VA and the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging; our editorial standards explain how we check them.
