Assisted Living vs. Memory Care
If your family member requires a supportive environment for daily living, you can choose among several types of residential settings. Two of the most popular options assisted living and memory care, share a number of services and amenities. They also have significant differences that are important to understand.
What do you need to know to make an informed decision as you consider assisted living and memory care communities?
Assisted Living: Housing, Health Care, and Personalized Support
For individuals who remain active but can no longer live independently, assisted living provides an option for long-term care that includes supportive services and health care in a homelike environment.
Read More: 8 Things to Know About Assisted Living
Within assisted living communities, trained staff members also provide help as needed with personal care tasks like bathing, dressing, eating, and taking medications. Assisted living communities also offer services such as housekeeping, transportation, and maintenance.
Residents can enjoy a variety of shared spaces, along with provided meals and snacks. A calendar of events — including fitness pursuits and opportunities for socializing with others — is also offered.
Assisted Living Resource Guide
Memory Care: Specialized Supervision, Activities
Many people with dementia require a higher level of care than most assisted living communities can offer. For individuals with cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, memory care provides personalized services and 24-hour supervision.
If you choose a memory care community, your family member will receive care from professional staff members with special training to meet the needs of people with cognitive challenges.
Memory care communities provide many of the same services and amenities as in assisted living, including meals, personal care services, transportation, housekeeping, and maintenance. In addition, they offer activities and programming that focus on creating meaningful interactions and connections with others.
Contrasting Assisted Living with Memory Care
Assisted living and memory care both provide a variety of services and amenities to support individuals in achieving their maximum level of independence and vitality. However, memory care provides an extra level of individualized, specially designed programming and services to meet the specific needs of people with cognitive challenges.
Some individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can become confused or agitated at times. Memory care communities offer serene, secure environments that promote a relaxing atmosphere. Architectural features — including inviting colors and plenty of natural light — are designed with the pleasure and comfort of residents in mind.
What Services Are Offered?
In both assisted living and memory care, you’ll find an array of services to meet the needs of your family member. Both types of supportive living offer medical monitoring and supervised care, along with help with daily personal care activities such as dressing, bathing, eating, and mobility.
In addition, both options offer emergency call systems and access to medical care through nursing staff, medication technicians, and other trained team members. Memory care and assisted living also offer daily meals and snacks, transportation to appointments and planned activities, laundry and housekeeping, wellness programming, and social and entertainment activities.
Staffing and Training
Our approach at our NJ senior living community is to create an optimal quality of life that combines life enrichment activities, person-centered care and the joys of feeling connected to the people around us. We support residents after retirement, and as their health needs change, our services can change with them.
Homestead Assisted Living
In assisted living communities, staff members are trained to provide assistance with activities necessary for daily living. In memory care communities, residents receive the same type of assistance along with help with specific needs that arise because of cognitive challenges.
Homestead Memory Care
Memory care team members receive specialized training in Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, including understanding the ways in which the diseases manifest. Team members also gain insight about the reasons that individuals with cognitive challenges may become agitated and learn appropriate response methods. They also are trained in modes of communicating with people with dementia.
Choosing Appropriate Care for Your Family Member
If your relative remains somewhat independent and does not have dementia, assisted living provides an ideal environment. The low-maintenance lifestyle offered in assisted living — including provided meals, housekeeping and laundry, transportation, scheduled activities, and the use of a variety of welcoming common spaces — enables many individuals to continue to thrive.
For those who need a higher level of care because of cognitive challenges, memory care offers all the services and amenities of assisted living along with specially designed living space and programs. Staff members in memory care communities also receive extra training for meeting the specific needs of individuals with memory impairments.
At Homestead at Hamilton, you can choose between assisted living and our memory care neighborhood. Both environments offer an array of supportive services and amenities, along with creative programming designed to keep your family member engaged and enjoying life. To find out more, please contact us.