What’s the Difference: Memory Care VS. Assisted Living

Assisted living and memory care facilities are two popular and fast-growing types of senior living, but what’s the difference between these two options? Before choosing between assisted living and memory care, it is essential to learn about the unique benefits each care level deals is.

Assisted living vs. memory care: Comprehending the difference

Assisted living and memory care senior living communities supply many of the very same services– including real estate, meals, and aid with activities of day-to-day living (ADLs) like bathing, grooming, and using the toilet. Nevertheless, memory care also specializes in caring for seniors with memory loss, Alzheimer’s illness, and other types of dementia. Discover more of the differences between assisted living and memory care to make the very best choice for your aging loved one.

Security

Assisted living communities might use safety functions like in-room emergency alert systems and day-to-day check-ins. But for seniors with amnesia, increased security is a significant concern, as wandering, hostility, and falls prevail, however dangerous dementia habits. Environmental security is a crucial style feature of memory care facilities. This suggests that locked entrances and exits, along with other wandering-preventative tools like keypad entries, obscured doors, and doorbells, indicate going into and leaving. To avoid injuries from falls, facility designs include design aspects that decrease confusion. In addition, memory care communities provide calming therapies within calming spaces to minimize agitation and confusion that might lead to aggressiveness or self-injury.

Activities and therapies

Assisted living staff arrange communities around active seniors who may need some help with everyday tasks. With this market in mind, assisted living deals with lots of social opportunities. Even better, an extensive range of organized activities– including workout classes, book clubs, video games, bingo, karaoke, getaways, and more– is typically available to interest different interests. Memory care uses both group and specific activities and treatments created explicitly for seniors with amnesia. Staff style activities to help maintain cognitive skills and schedule calendars thoroughly to provide a sense of convenience and regimen for homeowners. Many memory care facilities offer individualized care, activities customized to citizens’ interests, and programs that frequently encompass all aspects of health: the physical, psychological, and spiritual.

Who can benefit from assisted living?

Older adults who are active but might need healthy meals and help with ADLs– such as bathing, dressing, or utilizing the toilet– can benefit from assisted living Seniors who want a practical and maintenance-free way of life, with chances to remain engaged and get in touch with a community of similar peers, can also take pleasure in the lifestyle provided at an assisted living community.

Who can take advantage of memory care?

Some seniors with early- to middle-stage dementia might succeed at an assisted living facility, but as the disease advances and signs get worse, many families opt for memory care. The security and physical layout of memory care facilities offer a pleasant, safe environment that is simple to browse, which helps in reducing confusion and agitation. Memory-enhancing therapies and the specialized care offered at these communities assist seniors with amnesia keep their cognitive abilities for as long as possible. Seniors with amnesia also gain from day-and-night care and supervision, boosted security procedures, and protected entrances and exits to prevent roaming.

Integrating memory care and assisted living.

It’s also possible to find memory care within a nursing home. In addition, many assisted living communities have specialized care units for citizens with dementia or Alzheimer’s. These systems generally provide 24-hour monitored care in a different wing or floor of a residential community, along with all the therapies and facilities of memory care. So, a senior with early-stage dementia may be able to move to an assisted living house first and then shift to the memory care level later if needed. This option might ease the relocation to memory care and enable seniors to maintain friendships and staff relationships from their previous assisted living environment.