Deciding on a senior living option for a loved one can be daunting, especially if your loved one is living with medical conditions that require an immediate move. Both assisted living and memory care offer supportive care to people with various health problems, including memory-related conditions. However, a memory care program is designed to cater specifically to those with Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia. Find out more about the differences between assisted living vs. memory care to determine which senior living option best suits the care needs of your loved one.
Team Member Training
Assisted living and memory care communities both share similar team members that comprise registered nurses and nursing assistants. However, memory care communities require their team to go through additional training and possess a higher level of experience in handling the needs of people with dementia. People with dementia are known to wander, experience anxiety, and have swallowing difficulties. These are the issues that memory care professionals need to be able to handle. They also need to learn different strategies for supporting residents and mitigating distress.
Specialized Activities
Certain activities like music therapy can help those with dementia access different parts of their brain. Assisted living communities focus on entertaining residents whereas memory care communities provide residents with specific activities that are tailored to their unique cognitive needs. Memory care residents often exhibit their distress with challenging behaviors that can be prevented with the right properly timed intervention.
Fine Dining
Assisted living communities provide residents with three nutritious meals a day within a restaurant-style setting with friendly tableside service. For residents of memory care communities, they enjoy their meals in an environment that is more conducive to their cognitive health that is less distracting. They also have access to ready meal assistance and are given specialized diets that help ensure their calorie intake suits their current needs and preferences.
Specialized Environment
The environment in a memory care community is especially suited to the needs and safety concerns of residents with judgment and memory issues. On the other hand, these additional measures are not offered in an assisted living community where residents are in relatively good health. Dementia can change not just cognition and memory, but all five senses. Thus, safety precautions are implemented across memory care communities to allow residents to lead a much safer retirement.
Assisted Living Vs. Memory Care
Those with an early onset of dementia who are independent or require a little bit of daily help can thrive in an assisted living community as a memory care community may seem too restrictive. If your older loved one needs support most of the time, struggles with daily functioning, or seems lonely or afraid to live at home, memory care is the recommended senior living option to choose. Regardless of the senior care program that you decide for your loved one, always choose a retirement community that is made up of experienced senior living professionals with extensive experience. This will enable you to have the assurance that your loved one’s well-being is in good hands.
