For a wider view of local care options, start with the Los Angeles dementia care guide.
What dementia means during a hospital stay
Dementia is a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, including memory, thinking, and everyday tasks. The CDC overview of dementia describes how dementia can affect memory, thinking, and daily function.
Those changes can make a hospital stay confusing. A person may have trouble following instructions, recognizing staff, or managing bathing, dressing, or meals they still handled at home. Ask the care team to document how the person communicates, what calms them, and who should be called about discharge.
Hospitals serving Los Angeles
The hospitals below are CMS-listed acute care hospitals in Los Angeles, with the name, address, phone number, ownership type, and overall CMS star rating that CMS publishes. CMS does not say whether any of these hospitals has a dedicated memory, dementia, or geriatric unit. Confirm that directly with the hospital.
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 BEVERLY BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90048. Phone: (310) 423-5000. Acute care hospital, voluntary non-profit, other ownership, emergency services. CMS overall rating 5 out of 5.
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Los Angeles, 4867 SUNSET BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90027. Phone: (323) 783-4011. Acute care hospital, voluntary non-profit, other ownership. CMS overall rating 5 out of 5.
- Keck Hospital of USC, 1500 SAN PABLO STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90033. Phone: (323) 442-8656. Acute care hospital, voluntary non-profit, other ownership. CMS overall rating 5 out of 5.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, 1680 EAST 120TH STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90059. Phone: (424) 835-6808. Acute care hospital, voluntary non-profit, private ownership, emergency services. CMS overall rating 4 out of 5.
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, 757 WESTWOOD PLAZA, LOS ANGELES, CA 90095. Phone: (310) 825-6301. Acute care hospital, government, state ownership, emergency services. CMS overall rating 4 out of 5.
- Adventist Health White Memorial, 1720 CESAR E CHAVEZ AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90033. Phone: (323) 268-5000. Acute care hospital, voluntary non-profit, church ownership. CMS overall rating 3 out of 5.
- Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, 1300 N VERMONT AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90027. Phone: (213) 413-3000. Acute care hospital, proprietary ownership, emergency services. CMS overall rating 3 out of 5.
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital, West LA, 6041 CADILLAC AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90034. Phone: (213) 857-2201. Acute care hospital, voluntary non-profit, private ownership. CMS overall rating 3 out of 5.
Use the phone number above for the hospital you are considering, and ask to speak with admitting, case management, or the unit caring for your family member. If you need a different kind of clinic or specialist than these hospitals, look for a geriatrician, neurologist, or hospital-based case manager and confirm dementia-related experience with that office directly.
How to ask a Los Angeles hospital about memory-related support
CMS does not publish whether a Los Angeles hospital has a dedicated memory or geriatric unit, so families should ask each hospital before or during a stay. Call the hospital and ask whether there is a geriatric, memory, or behavioral health team, how staff are trained to support patients with dementia, and how discharge planning works when the patient will need help at home.
Useful questions include: Will the same staff see the patient when possible? Can a family member stay at the bedside? How will pain, sleep, and wandering be handled? Who writes the discharge plan, and when can we review it? Ask for the plan in writing, including medications, follow-up appointments, and who to call if confusion or safety problems increase after the patient leaves.