Seeking long-term care for a loved one is no easy feat. According to the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, more than 800,000 Americans reside in assisted living communities. Many of these residents are living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Assisted living and memory care offer similar services. However, it’s important to note that they are not the same. Let’s take a closer look at the difference between assisted living vs memory care—and what the best option is for your aging loved one.
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What Is Assisted Living?
Assisted living communities provide seniors with personal care and support in a residential setting. Many older adults need help with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing and using the bathroom, which they can get through assisted living.
What Is Memory Care Assisted Living?
There are many overlapping similarities between assisted living and memory care. The differentiating factor is specialized care and safety measures. Seniors with memory loss can experience wandering, falls, or even aggression. Memory care facilities take extra precautions to manage behaviors and prevent elopement with keypad entries and locked entrances and exits.
Who Can Benefit from Memory Care?
Seniors who do not suffer from memory loss will do fine in an assisted living facility. Some seniors in the early stages of cognitive decline can also do well in an assisted living facility, but keep in mind that memory loss is progressive.
If your aging loved one is becoming increasingly forgetful, aggressive, wandering, or dependent on supervision, a memory care facility will be in their favor. Memory-enhancing activities and therapies can help boost and stimulate their cognitive skills.
Read More: When Is the Right Time to Move Your Loved One Into Memory Care?
What Are the Differences Between Assisted Living and Memory Care?
Specialized Staff Training
Assisted living and memory care members are both experienced in supporting seniors with ADLs. However, staff members at memory care facilities are trained to provide 24-hour personalized care to seniors with memory disorders. These caregivers are experts in preventing dangerous situations such as wandering or aggression.
Activities and Amenities
Many assisted living communities are like small cities. They often have a wide variety of amenities like gyms, beauty salons, libraries, transportation services, and more. Memory care facilities offer similar amenities, but the areas must be designed specifically for residents with memory loss or confusion. You can typically find color-coded walls and defined common areas.
Services Offered
Assisted living facilities offer:
- Help with daily activities
- Meal services
- Care coordination
- Medication management
- Exercise classes
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Transportation
Memory care facilities offer the same services in addition to:
- 24-hour supervision
- Memory-enhanced activities
- Specialized care for Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Secured entrances, exits, and unique layouts
Choosing Between Assisted Living and Memory Care
There will likely come a time when you and your family are no longer able to provide a level of assistance and security your loved one with dementia needs. The decision to move them into a long-term healthcare facility is a tough one. Unfortunately, many people wait too long to make a decision, resulting in an elopement, accident, or worse. Planning for a move in advance will ease the stress for you, your family and most importantly, your loved one.
As mentioned above, often people wait until an incident occurs before seeking a caring community. By this time, they are often desperate to find a place and make a quick, unguided choice. This can be avoided by first creating a list of your loved one’s unique needs. If they have other, serious health issues, they may require “skilled care” in addition to “long-term care.” Before choosing a facility, it’s recommended that you:
- Learn about what care options are available.
- Determine which will best be able to meet the needs of the individual with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.
- Anticipate the costs of care and find resources to help pay for them.
What to Look for in a Dementia Care Facility
In today’s world, most research begins on the internet. Locate your options and visit the facilities with questions and concerns. Take a tour of each facility and talk to residents, if possible, as well as staff members. If they host a dementia support group, attend a meeting. More often than not, there will be people in the group who have a loved one living at that facility. Talk to them and get their opinions/views on the quality of life.
Finding a community that provides the care and the security that is necessary is, of course, essential, but it is also important to find a place that offers a high quality of life as well. Personalized care, stimulating activities and socialization are vital elements in caring for those living with dementia. Walking into a place that is lively and friendly will also ease your mind. All too often, people choose a place that seems “clean and safe,” but the mood inside is sullen and sterile. Family and friends may find this atmosphere sad and depressing, possibly causing them to visit less. Visiting your loved one can help staff better care for them. The more they know about your loved one, the more personalized the care can be. This creates a safe and secure feeling for the resident.
Read More: A Complete Checklist for Moving Into a Dementia Assisted Living Community
Once you have made a decision, and your loved one has moved into the community, we suggest following these steps:
- Work with the managing nurse and/or physician and agree on a time when you can call to get updates on the individual’s condition and progress.
- Call family, friends and/or other visitors and ask for their observations.
- When you visit, meet with the staff members who have primary responsibility for your loved one’s care.
From the initial diagnosis to the long-term care community, caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be a daunting and challenging ordeal. With the support of family, friends, communities and local/federal organizations, this trial can be made easier and less stressful for everyone involved.
Compassionate Memory Care at Terra Vista of Oakbrook Terrace
Let your aging loved ones live without barriers. Terra Vista is a barrier-free, 24-hour Alzheimer’s and dementia care community dedicated to enriching the lives of the elderly. Residents of Terra Vista can engage with their surroundings in a safe, secure, and liberating way.
Do you have an aging loved one who can benefit from memory care? Get in touch with an expert today.