There are many senior living options available today from assisted living and nursing homes to specialized memory care centers.
Choosing the right type of facility can seem overwhelming as you need to consider not only cost but also the level of care, specialized services, and quality of care. If your loved one is struggling with memory loss, a memory care facility may be a good option to give your loved one the specialized care they need. This type of comprehensive and long-term care differs from regular assisted living in many ways.
Here is what you should know about senior memory care, how memory care vs assisted living compare, and signs that this type of care is best for your loved one.
What Is Memory Care?
Senior living memory care is a special form of long-term care that’s designed specifically for patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other memory issues.
Seniors with dementia have unique needs and require attentive care in a safe, secure environment that a memory care unit is designed to provide. Facilities that offer memory care are designed by dementia experts to reduce stress and wandering while helping with behavioral problems in a safe, therapeutic setting.
While nothing can cure or slow dementia, a memory care unit improves the safety and quality of life for people with dementia. These programs usually come with reduced dependence on medication, fewer falls and injuries, improved wellness and nutrition, and a greater level of independence and social interaction. With a secure environment, dedicated care, and specialized therapeutic and social programs, memory care helps patients stay happy, safe, and engaged.
Memory Care vs Assisted Living: What’s the Difference?
Assisted living memory care may be offered in a stand-alone memory care facility or in a special memory care wing of a traditional assisted living facility.
Regardless of the option you choose, there are several important differences between regular assisted living and memory care.
Memory care living is designed to meet the unique needs of patients with dementia. Safety and security is a major priority to prevent wandering and staff members receive special training in understanding dementia and how to respond to patient behavior. Depending on the facility, there may be other differences as well such as a higher staff-to-patient ratio, unique architecture designed to reduce stress levels, and structured activities.
Specialized Staff Training
Staff members at a memory care community receive special training to help them understand what to expect from residents with dementia and provide the specific type of care they will need. While this will include the same services provided at an assisted living community like help with medication and bathing, these services must be provided with the special challenges and concerns that come with dementia. Staff will be training to understand how dementia manifests and progresses, why residents may display aggressive or disruptive behavior, how to respond to this behavior, and the best ways to communicate with residents to maintain their dignity, safety, and peace of mind.
Memory care also comes with a higher staff-to-patient ratio than other facilities to provide the level of supervision and care necessary for patients with dementia.
Stronger Security
Because patients with dementia are prone to wandering and agitation, senior memory care centers have much more stringent security measures in place to protect residents from wandering away from the property. A memory care unit makes it difficult for anyone without permission to leave with a variety of techniques.
A long term memory care unit isn’t designed like a prison. In the past, wandering was discouraged but now it’s viewed as positive behavior that gives residents more energy and an appetite — two common concerns with dementia. It also helps maintain the resident’s choice and mobility. Wandering behavior must be allowed in a safe and secure setting that doesn’t allow the resident to become distressed, however.
In some facilities, doors may require a code or an escort from a staff member to prevent residents from leaving. Because residents with dementia may become confused and agitated when they encounter a door they can’t go through, a growing number of facilities employ exit diversion strategies and door disguises. As safety code allows, exit doors can be disguised with murals or door handles can be covered. As dementia advances, patients have difficulty with depth perception and distinguishing visual information.
Specialized Services
An assisted living memory care unit designs services and activities with the needs of dementia patients in mind. Specialized activities can help residents feel calm, remember old interests and hobbies, and avoid confusion while living with as much independence as possible.
Some facilities set up special stations that residents can encounter as they wander. Stations may be themed with familiar activities like gardening, child care, and reading. As people with dementia tend to do best with a strict schedule, many facilities have regularly scheduled activities like art, pet therapy, reminiscing, and baking.
Along with a range of leisure programs to improve quality of life and help patients feel happy, senior living memory care communities also offer therapeutic programs to address common dementia behaviors like agitation, memory impairment, and wandering.
Unique Design
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 60% of people with dementia wander and are at risk of becoming disoriented. In a senior living community, disorientation can cause anxiety, hostility, and fatigue as patients look for an exit.
Memory care patients enjoy a greater quality of life and lower stress in an environment that is comforting and familiar. Many memory care living communities are designed to look like private homes with soothing colors and floor plans that are easy to navigate. A growing trend in memory care is interior design that resembles a nostalgic town center or marketplace with seating areas, calming sounds, natural light, storefronts, and residence entrances that resemble homes.
The unique needs of seniors with dementia are taken into account in even the smallest details. For example, dead end hallways have been shown to confuse and agitate patients with dementia. To prevent this, strategic decor like off-center photos that are only partially visible while walking down a hall can be used to subtly let residents know they should turn and continue down the hallway.
This unique interior design goes a step above mere security to make residents feel at ease — not trapped.
Signs Memory Care Is Needed
Deciding when your loved one is ready for senior memory care can be difficult.
As a general rule, assisted living may be a good choice if your loved one can still live fairly independently and dementia is not an immediate concern. When someone is struggling with dementia, however, the time will come when it’s necessary to transition from assisted living to memory care. Your loved one will exhibit several signs memory care is needed when the time comes.
Watch for the following signs that may help you make a decision about memory care:
- Their world seems to be shrinking. Your loved one may seem lonely and agitated at home yet erratic or fearful when taken out, even to places he or she enjoyed.
- Their physical condition and personal care are worsening. You may notice unexplained weight loss or gain, uncombed hair, body odor, or soiled clothing.
- Your loved one has lost track of their finances. Difficulty managing finances is a common sign of dementia. You may notice unopened or unpaid bills or suspicious, irregular, or duplicate payments on bank statements.
- Your loved one has gotten lost. This isn’t just memory loss; people with dementia are prone to wandering and may become lost even in a familiar area while running errands or walking in the neighborhood.
- You are concerned for their safety. There may be many red flags that your loved one may not be safe where they are living, such as leaving the door unlocked, forgetting to turn off the stove, or decreasing mobility.
- You notice changes in personality. As dementia progresses, your loved one may become uncharacteristically scared or suspicious of others. They may also become agitated easily.
You can also ask yourself the following questions to decide if long term memory care is the right decision:
- Are you confident your loved one could safely handle a fire?
- Do you believe your loved one could give their address and phone number if they need help?
- If you are serving as a caregiver, do you feel you are risking your own health and responsibilities?
- Does your loved one require more help than you can provide at home or that they can get in a regular assisted living setting?
Tips to Find Memory Care
It’s important to do your due diligence when choosing a memory care community for your loved one. Your final decision should be based not only on cost but also your loved one’s unique needs, on-site staffing levels and training, the facility’s security, and the features and services available. The following tips can help you find memory care that’s right for your loved one and family.
Research what they have to offer
Every memory care community is different. Learn what makes the facility unique and what they have to offer residents and decide whether their services are in line with what your loved one needs and wants. Structured daily activities are usually recommended to help reduce symptoms and even slow the progression of dementia. Many facilities also have on-staff or visiting specialists who can help with residents’ psychological needs with therapy and medication monitoring. Each patient should also have a customized care plan. Ask if residents are grouped based on their cognitive level to give your loved one the best quality of life possible.
Verify the facility’s security and safety
One of the primary benefits of memory care is protecting residents from risky exit-seeking behavior. Find out what the facility does to keep residents safe. This may include monitored and locked entrances, disguised doors, and bracelets with sensors.
Read reviews
Your friends, family members, and your loved one’s doctors can give you recommendations to help you build a list of potential facilities. Online reviews can also help you narrow down your options. Keep in mind that people are much more likely to post negative opinions than positive impressions but these reviews can help you identify troubling patterns, poor staff training, and other issues you want to avoid.
Visit the facility
Don’t choose a facility for your loved one without visiting it in person. Think about how your loved one would feel living in the community and how comfortable, safe, and clean it appears. You can check the security of the facility first-hand and see how residents are treated by staff. This also gives you an opportunity to meet staff members who will help care for your loved one.