Finding the most suitable care community for your loved one matters. It can influence one’s overall well-being and quality of life. Different levels of care are provided based on residents’ unique needs.
Assisted living focuses on promoting independence and socialization, while memory care prioritizes safety, specialized support for cognitive challenges, and social connections.
Signs to look out for that suggest your loved one may benefit from memory care include:
- Cognitive and social needs being unmet
- Declining physical and cognitive health
- Safety concerns
- Recommendations for memory care
The decision to transition your loved one into memory care is rooted in prioritizing the health and safety of your loved one.
Difference Between Assisted Living & Memory Care
Understanding the distinctions between assisted living and memory care is vital when choosing the best living arrangement for your loved one.
Assisted living caters to older adults who require support with activities of daily living (ADLs) but wish to preserve their independence. It is also suitable for individuals who require relatively little assistance and don’t require full-time supervised care.
Residents are often independent, mobile, and relatively self-sufficient but benefit from services such as medication management, housekeeping, and meal preparation.
On the other hand, memory care is a specialized form of long-term care designed to meet the unique needs of individuals facing various stages of cognitive decline. In memory care, residents can access:
- Full-time supervised care with staff trained
- A safe layout plan to help prevent wandering or injury
- Activities that help stimulate cognitive function
- Opportunities for social connections
Conditions that impact cognitive function are progressive, meaning that as the disease progresses, the symptoms worsen. In the early stages of cognitive decline, your loved one may continue to safely live independently. As the disease progresses, the severity of the symptoms will increase, and their level of care will evolve with these changes.
When considering a transition from assisted living to memory care, evaluating your loved one’s current cognitive and physical state is crucial. Consider whether this transition will benefit their overall well-being.
Signs to Look for when Considering Memory Care
Knowing when to move a loved one to memory care is a personal decision with no one-size-fits-all answer.
The right time to transition varies for each individual, depending on the progression of their cognitive decline and their specific needs.
Cognitive & Social Needs Are Unmet
An indicator that memory care may be beneficial for your loved one is if their cognitive and social needs aren’t being met in assisted living.
The social activities offered in assisted living can become challenging for your loved one to engage in due to their memory decline. They may have difficulty following instructions, have trouble communicating or understanding others, and can even begin to lose interest in social activities. This frustrating experience may cause your loved one to slowly isolate themselves from others.
Maintaining relationships and social connections with others is beneficial for preserving your loved one’s emotional and cognitive well-being. Memory care helps fulfill this need by encouraging social connections through group activities tailored to stimulate cognitive engagement, helping residents feel connected and supported in a community setting.
Declining Physical & Cognitive Health
Recognizing signs of declining physical and cognitive health is important to monitor when exploring the transition from assisted living to memory care.
Physical changes to notice in your loved one might include:
- Changes in their appearance or body weight
- Loss of balance
- Stiff muscles
- Body fatigue
- Increasing body tremors
- Overall lack of mobility
Memory care addresses these needs by providing prepared meals and mealtimes, where residents can connect. Overall body fatigue, lack of mobility, and increasing body tremors suggest they may have trouble completing their ADLs. Our supportive care staff is here to help.
Signs of declining cognitive wellness can include:
- Changes in memory
- Difficulty focusing
- Changes in behavior and mood
Programs in memory care are designed to address these changes through personalized activity plans that aim to preserve and enhance their cognitive abilities.
Ultimately, these changes demonstrate declining physical and cognitive health and indicate a diminished ability for your loved one to safely care for themselves independently. Failing to address these signs can potentially lead to an unsafe living environment for your loved one.
Safety Concerns
Concerns for your loved one’s safety play a huge role when exploring the potential transition into memory care. These signs closely intertwine with your loved one’s cognitive and physical wellness.
The increasing forgetfulness of your loved one means your loved one may forget to take their medication or take the wrong dose or wrong medication, putting their health at risk. Consistency in medication intake is vital. Mediation management in memory care helps make sure residents receive their correct medicine and dose at the appropriate time.
Forgetfulness can potentially create a safety hazard for your loved one and others. They may forget to turn off appliances like the iron or leave the oven or stove on. Your loved one may have unexplained bruises or cuts on their body or begin wandering.
Memory care provides a safe environment that aims to prevent wandering. The open floor plan with mobility supports helps reduce the risk of falls or injury. Our staff continuously monitors residents, prioritizing their health and safety.
When your loved one’s physical and cognitive abilities begin to decline, their ability to maintain personal hygiene can suffer, leading to health concerns like infections. This suggests a need for full-time supervised care.
Recommendations for Memory Care
Your loved one’s care staff in assisted living has the best interest at heart for their residents. Care staff have the privilege of spending frequent time with your loved one, meaning they can observe any changes in their well-being.
Professionals and care staff are trained to recognize the signs of physical and cognitive health decline, increasing isolation, and regular safety concerns.
If assisted living staff have suggested a transition to memory care, consider their recommendation to preserve the health and wellness of your loved one.
Schedule a Tour
While many older adults may require assistance as they age, memory care is most suitable for those who are experiencing progressive memory loss and require a higher level of care than what assisted living facilities provide.We’d like to make the transition from assisted living to memory care easier for families and their loved ones. Connect with our team at Bella Mar at Delray Beach to schedule a tour of our memory care community.
