Memory Care and Assisted Living Which is a Better Option for Dementia Patients

1. Memory Care and Assisted Living: Which is a Better Option for Dementia Patients?

2. A disorder like dementia can make a patient require extensive care. Especially when the final stages of the disorder arrive, greater care is needed. Prabhi Sodhi is of the suggestion that every caregiver or family may not be able to provide this care, owing to various reasons. In these instances, dementia patients can be moved to memory care units. Otherwise, assisted living places can be ideal for them. Both places can be functional in different ways. When better care is needed, the option should be carefully selected, after going through a number of factors. • What is Memory Care for Dementia Patients? • Memory care can be understood as a place that offers assistance for the long term. Patients with dementia who undergo memory problems can find this place to be useful for them. It comes with measures that foster care for their condition. • Moreover, units and neighborhoods are developed in relation to memory care places. Together, their functioning can focus on the well-being of patients, explains Mr. Sodhi. • What does Assisted Living Mean? • One can comprehend assisted living as a place of residence. It is similar to a community wherein dementia patients can live together. They are provided care, particularly for memory-related problems. But their other requirements are also taken care of. These requirements can be medical as well as personal.

3. When is Memory Care or Assisted Living Needed during Dementia? • Memory care or assisted living places are both useful for patients with dementia. But the requirement for these falls at a certain stage of this brain disorder. This stage can be identified by observing some signs, says the dementia specialist, Prabhi Sodhi. • Importantly, a patient may begin to feel extremely disoriented as well as confused. Aside from this sign, there are several others too. These are listed below: • There can be behavioral changes that cannot be managed in a normal setting. • For the patient, the current environment is not safe or healthy enough. • It may become extremely challenging to care for a person having this disorder. • Major memory issues come to the surface. • Better safety is needed, both physically and mentally. • In some cases, dementia specialists can also indicate when a patient should be moved to such a place. Based on their suggestion too, the requirement for the same can emerge.

4. How to Choose between a Memory Care and Assisted Living Place? • One can note that an assisted living place and memory care focus on the well-being of dementia patients. Both places, however, can come with some differences. According to Mr. Sodhi, these differences should be identified. Based on the same, the ideal place can be selected for giving better care to patients. • There are 4 ways in which memory care facilities can be differentiated from assisted living units. These are given as follows: • Availability of Amenities • Both memory care and assisted living units can have different amenities. Speaking of assisted living, it can resemble a small city. Hence, several amenities available in a city can be accessed here. Prabhi Sodhi puts forth that such facilities can comprise libraries, gyms, etc.

5. In a memory care unit as well, some amenities can be availed. Unlike a city, this unit is similar to a place that is designed for dementia patients. Hence, keeping in mind the challenges they face, these places become functional too. Through the following, one can understand how functional the place is: • Walls are coded through the use of different colors. • The areas are defined for easy identification by patients. • To avoid confusion, more codes are used while designing memory care places. • Services Provided • Different services are available for dementia patients in memory care and assisted living. At a memory care place, a patient can access activities or measures that enhance his or her memory. The other facilities can comprise: • A secure environment for living • The availability of supervision for 24 hours • Providing special care, especially for those who have Alzheimer’s disease

6. The dementia specialist, Mr. Sodhi opines that such facilities can be available at assisted living places as well. Even then, some variations can be found since these facilities are more care-oriented. A few examples of these are: • Food provisions • Assistance for activities on a daily basis • Medical services • Facilities for transportation • Fitness sessions • Essential services such as housekeeping • Trained Staff Members • One of the key factors that differentiate assisted living from memory care is the training of the staff members. Prabhi Sodhi guides that at a unit for memory care, the members can offer assistance for 24 hours. Personalized help can be provided to them, depending on the issues faced by the patients with dementia. • Prior to choosing an assisted living place, you should know that it is also provided with trained staff members. However, they can assist patients and support them in living in a better way. Depending on the extent to which people with dementia need assistance, the ideal facility can be opted for.

7. Costs Associated with Services • Dementia specialists essentially suggest that when choosing a memory care or assisted living facility, the cost can be an important factor. It may be difficult to state which facility can be more expensive. • On the basis of the location, the services available, and the quality of facilities, the charges can vary. Mr. Sodhi says that a factor like the cost should guide the decision to choose either a memory care or a place offering assisted living. More than this, the final service should be chosen only when it is required by a patient with dementia. • Taking Everything into Account • Assisted living comes with some provisions for dementia patients. Memory care places also have facilities that can be apt for them. However, both places can differ with respect to multiple factors. The dementia specialist, Prabhi Sodhi, adds that these places can be beneficial in their own ways. By selecting one as per the factors involved, the best care can be attained.