Caring for a loved one comes with the responsibility of finding the most suitable level of care for their health and well-being.
There may come a time when your loved one may need to transition from assisted living into a memory care community.
Some factors that suggest your loved one may benefit from living in memory care include their safety, level of confusion and disorientation, decline in memory and physical health, social withdrawal, and professional recommendations.
What Is Assisted Living?
Assisted living is a long-term care community designed for older adults who can live relatively independently but require some assistance with activities of daily living like bathing, grooming, dressing, or medication management.
These communities are most suitable for individuals who require some level of assistance but don’t need constant specialized medical supervision. They offer a balance between assistance and independence to support residents and enhance their quality of life.
What Is Memory Care?
Memory care is a specialized form of long-term care tailored for individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other forms of dementia or memory impairments. Memory care goes beyond the scope of care provided in assisted living as it’s specially designed for individuals experiencing cognitive decline.
Cognitive decline, particularly in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, progresses through stages due to the gradual nature of brain changes associated with these conditions. These stages can help families and caregivers understand the cognitive changes their loved one is experiencing and provide the most suitable level of care.
Memory care provides a variety of benefits designed to provide quality care for residents:
- Professional Staff: Staff are professionally trained to handle the unique challenges associated with cognitive impairments such as shifts in mood, behavior, medication management, and assistance with activities of daily living.
- Safe Environment: The nature of cognitive decline means that some residents are more prone to disorientation or injury due to falls. Memory care provides an environment that prevents this and confirms the safety of residents.
- Therapeutic Activities: Programs like music and art therapy are tailored to stimulate cognitive function, encourage socialization, and slow the progression of cognitive decline.
Memory care takes a personalized approach to care. Individualized care plans are created to address the unique needs and wants of residents, provided they receive the necessary support, assistance, and attention.
The Differences Between Assisted Living & Memory Care
There are some similarities between the care provided in assisted living and memory care. Some of their differences include:
- Level of Care: Memory care provides a higher level of specialized care tailored to individuals experiencing cognitive decline whereas assisted living provides general support for daily activities for residents who can live relatively independently.
- Staff Training: Staff in memory care communities are specially trained to handle the unique challenges associated with residents experiencing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia. Aside from medication management, staff in assisted living communities provide a generalized approach to care and assistance.
- Environment: Memory care environments are highly specialized to cope with disorientation and injury related to falls that may happen increasingly with individuals who are experiencing cognitive decline. Assisted living environments are safe, but don’t provide the same level of support offered in memory care.
When Is the Right Time for Memory Care?
The care requirements for individuals experiencing cognitive decline are unique which is why there’s no “set” time for memory care. Rather, the transition into memory care is strongly advised once a loved one’s safety is at risk.
Assessing Safety Concerns
- Accidents: Increased frequency of accidents or near-misses, such as falls, mishandling of medication, or leaving household appliances on.
- Lack of Self-Care: Difficulty maintaining personal hygiene, dressing appropriately, frequency incontinence, or taking medications correctly. Independence plays a significant role in determining the appropriate care level. If your loved one’s cognitive decline severely impacts their ability to perform daily tasks independently, memory care might be the better option.
Confusion & Disorientation
- Time and Place Disorientation: Confusion about time, dates, and places, leads to missed meals, appointments, wandering, or getting lost in familiar environments.
- Difficulty Recognizing People: Trouble recognizing family members or friends, leading to distress and confusion.
Decline in Physical Health
- Weight Loss: Unexplained weight loss or poor nutrition due to forgetfulness or lack of appetite.
- Decline in Mobility: A noticeable decline in mobility or physical health can complicate one’s ability to safely navigate the assisted living community. Memory care provides an open layout with structural support that helps to prevent falls.
Evaluating Memory Decline
- Frequent Forgetfulness: More frequent incidents of forgetting names, appointments, or important tasks that affect daily functioning such as forgetting to take medication, or taking too much medication. Increased memory decline can pose a risk to your loved one’s safety and others. This may mean increased events of disorientation.
- Difficulty with Familiar Tasks: Struggling to perform tasks that used to be routine, such as cooking, driving, managing finances, or forgetting to turn off household appliances.
Social Withdrawl
- Isolation: Withdrawing from social activities, hobbies, or interactions with others they previously enjoyed. Lack of social connection can negatively impact mental health and well-being as well as cognitive health.
- Depression or Anxiety: Signs of depression or anxiety may exacerbate cognitive symptoms. Cognitive decline often comes with behavioral changes like aggression, anxiety, or depression. Memory care staff are trained to manage these behaviors and provide appropriate interventions.
Professional Recommendations
- Medical Advice: Healthcare professionals, such as your loved one’s doctor, may recommend transitioning them into memory care based on their evaluations and observations.
- Staff Observations: Assisted living staff may report significant changes in your loved one’s behavior, safety, or health, indicating a need for more specialized care.
Schedule a Visit
Deciding when to transition your loved one from assisted living to memory care is an important decision. Assessing the safety, behavioral changes, memory decline, and physical health of your loved one can help you make an informed choice for their well-being.
Our team at The Legacy at Santa Fe can help guide families during this transitional period. Connect with our team to learn more and schedule a tour of our memory care community.