Who is memory care for?
Memory Care is for adults who have symptoms of dementia or have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, these seniors will need help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), or one’s daily self-care activities. These activities can range from assistance with bathing and dressing, to housework and medication reminders. Seniors living in a memory care community can require a small amount of assistance to a larger amount of time and assistance needed.
Memory Care is also for individuals seeking more socialization, as memory care communities are full of a senior’s peers and offer many opportunities for conversations and friendships. A family seeking their loved one’s day filled with more activity; to include exercise, mentally-stimulating games, outings to local attractions and more.
When does someone need memory care?
Someone is in need of memory care services when living on their own is no longer safe. A loved one forgetting to turn the stove off, or leaving the house in the middle of the night are situations that often send families to search for a memory care community. Someone with the disease or symptoms can also require round-the-clock care, often provided by a relative or an in-home nurse. This can put a strain on relationships, working careers, and finances. Families are able to visit their loved one and rest assured their needs are being met, and go back to being a daughter or a son or a spouse.
What is the difference between a memory care community and a nursing home?
A misconception about a memory care community is that it’s the same as a nursing home. Many memory care communities pride themselves in being a social-model rather than a medical-model. An assisted living community can provide much more independence, socialization, and stimulating activities and therapies than a nursing home, where a nursing home can provide more healthcare.
What’s the difference of living at home vs. at a memory care community?
Living at a memory care community can provide more social opportunities, where living at home, many individuals feel isolated.
Living at a memory care community can provide better nutrition to a senior, where living at home the senior may not have access to healthy ingredients or the ability to make a well-rounded meal. Often, relatives are needed to make or provide meals for the senior, in addition to providing for their own family.
Living at a memory care community can provide transportation for seniors to local health appointments, shopping, dining, and more. Living at home, many seniors are reliant on town transportation or a relative, otherwise the senior may drive their own car, which may not be safe.
Living at a memory care community can provide all the maintenance and housework duties for the senior. Maintenance teams work year-round on tasks like lawn maintenance and snow removal. Housekeeping teams can visit a senior’s apartment daily or weekly to vacuum, dust, clean the bathroom, and more.
Living at home, a senior would need to upkeep their living space, or pay for a housekeeper to visit, which in the case of dementia symptoms, upkeep can be forgotten or dangerous.