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When a senior in your life has Alzheimer’s disease or a similar form of dementia, it can be a struggle to keep them safe at home. As their condition progresses, helping them maintain their best quality of life also becomes more difficult.Â
When the search for a memory care community begins, it will be important to determine whether the best setting would be memory care in an assisted living community or in a skilled nursing facility. Memory care in an assisted living community is focused on offering nonclinical support. By contrast, residents of a skilled nursing facility’s memory care program often have more complex medical needs, such as diabetes or a stroke. Their dementia is likely to be in the most advanced stages, too, which requires more advanced clinical care.
In a nursing facility, skilled nurses provide care and support around-the-clock. Most have a Medical Director who oversees all the clinical care a resident requires. The community may also have physical, speech and occupational therapists on staff. These services are often necessary for people with more advanced dementia.Â
Like residents in memory care in an assisted living community, people in memory care in a skilled nursing center also need help with activities of daily living. Those likely include bathing, dressing, eating and medication management. The community’s staff generally handles laundry and housekeeping services. Residents usually have a private or semiprivate suite with a bathroom.Â
The memory care area frequently has a dedicated dining room that is designed to provide a supportive meal environment. The dining staff develops menus that are easier to eat for people who are struggling with manual dexterity, which is common with many forms of dementia.Â
When it comes time to tour memory care in a skilled nursing setting, some questions you should definitely ask and things you should look out for include:Â