What are the requirements for assisted living staff vs. memory care staff?

In my experience, basically none
Mom's memory care hires staff with no experience and shows them some training videos and then calls them dementia care specialists

In my area there is no memory care, the nearest is about an hour away. Hopefully there should be a percentage of staff who have extra dementia training (a very small %) , but given their few numbers there may be many shifts where no one with any expertise is working.
Look at their activities calendar with a critical eye. And I think places that offer adult day care usually also have good programs for their residents.

martfromtexas, in Idaho, staff training and staff/resident ratios are no different between normal assisted living and memory care assisted living. State regulatory requirements lump them both in the assisted living category and Medicaid's reimbursement rates to facilities are the same. I don't know if other state legislatures are as behind the times as is Idaho's. But when I looked for a memory care facility for my dad last year, I found that not all facilities adhere to Idaho's minimum staff ratios and training requirements. The one I chose for him exceeds those minimum requirements and it is probably not coincidental that it does not accept Medicaid payments.

Here are three websites or pdfs that you can review that might give you some of the information that you are looking for:

https://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/2013-3-4-assisted-living-vs-memory-care/
"In addition to the general state-level licensing of care facilities, memory care is further regulated in 23 states by special care unit disclosure laws requiring care providers to disclose the special services they offer. However, because these laws are not yet universal, it is critical for caregivers to research facilities well before making a decision."

www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/JCP0114_Memory_Care_NCC.pdf
"Effective July 1, 2014, The Joint Commission will implement new memory care requirements designed to help accredited nursing care centers enable patients and residents with dementia to remain engaged in their environment at the level of their cognitive ability—and to function at the highest level possible for as long as possible."

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marguerite-manteaurao/memory-care-communities_b_1155043.html
THE BLOG 12/21/2011 11:54 am ET Updated Dec 06, 2017
“3 Questions to Ask About Assisted Living Memory Care Communities"

Thanks for the answers. I believe in Texas if a facility claims memory care, a minimal amount of additional training is required by the staff. However, it seems to be minimal (like less than 12 hours per year). I don’t know what staff to patient ratio is allowed for AL bs MC. Or, how many of the staff are actually required to take the the additional training for MC.

In AZ memory care means they are behind locked doors, in wheel chairs and drugged to zombie status.

AL provides different levels of care and assistance. Higher functioning individuals.

Isthisrealyreal, apparently there's a big difference between Idaho and Arizona memory care. In the several memory care facilities I've visited in Idaho, I've seen relatively few residents in wheel chairs and most are sufficiently alert and mobile so that they frequently test the alarm-delayed exit doors and once in a while a few manage to slip out as visitors come and go. My 96-year-old dad, who takes no drugs and is not in a wheelchair, is one of those "door-testers," albeit nearly the slowest in his 24-bed facility that always has at least 4 staff on duty -- thus no escapees have gotten far.

Bicycle, that is good to know. Yea, I was just horrified, how does anyone make the decision to place a loved one in a MC facility. So if I am ever faced with that I will know to look beyond borders.

Thank you for sharing that info.

I'm glad that your dad can still try to go on a walkabout. At least you know he is active.