Registers differ

This directory reads five public registers, in two countries. Each register belongs to a different body. Each uses its own words.

The registers and their dementia terms

The site's source list gives these:

• Washington State DSHS, adult family homes. The dementia speciality code is SPDE.
• England, CQC provider directory. The record carries a Dementia specialism.
• Wisconsin DHS, Division of Quality Assurance. The record marks the Irreversible Dementia/Alzheimer's client group.
• Scotland, Care Inspectorate datastore. The record lists Older people - dementia as an area of provision.
• Northern Ireland, RQIA register. The categories of care include a dementia code for the kind of home: NH-DE for a nursing home and RC-DE for a residential home.

The terms do not match

A speciality, a specialism, a client group, an area of provision and a category of care are not the same thing. Each register defines its own. Do not assume that two homes with a dementia entry meet the same standard. Read what the entry means on that register.

The numbers do not match

The licence number on a listing is a different kind of number on each register. It is the DSHS licence number in Washington, the CQC location ID in England, the DQA Facility ID in Wisconsin, the CS number in Scotland and the RQIA service ID in Northern Ireland. Search a number only on the register that issued it.

The types of home differ

A Washington adult family home, a Wisconsin community-based residential facility and an English care home with nursing are different types of home, under different rules. In England the CQC regulates both care homes and care homes with nursing. Compare a type with the same type. Check the current rules on the official site of the regulator.

Coverage is limited

The sources do not cover every place. In the UK they cover England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For a home in any other place, check the official register for that state or country.

Sources

• MemoryCareHomes source list and publisher statement (site configuration)
• MemoryCareHomes guide: Washington adult family homes: RCW 70.128 and licences (updated 2026-10-02)
• MemoryCareHomes guide: Dementia care homes in England: how CQC registration works (updated 2026-10-02)

This course is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.