It is only right to want the absolute best for your elderly family members after they have passed the point at which they can care for themselves. Memory care is a somewhat unknown but very important way to enrich the quality of life of the individual who may need a bit of help in his or her day to day life.
Memory Care
Memory care is a specialized form of assisted living that allows for special care to people with memory-debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or general dementia. Because diseases that attack the memory can do so in different ways, the memory care facility is prepared specifically to handle all kinds of these conditions.
The Types of Patients that Require Memory Care
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are the two biggest diagnoses that require a special kind of memory care. In both cases, there are levels of the disease that can impair an individual physically, disallowing them to care for themselves independently. When they are unable to function independently because of their mental condition, it is time to involve memory care specialists.
An individual with memory loss may forget who he or she is, complicating economic and personal matters. A person in need of memory care may not be able to perform a relatively complex physical activity such as driving a motor vehicle, limiting his ability to gather resources for himself.
In deeper stages of memory disease, a person will forget how to physically care for him or herself, reducing the ability to maintain a decent hygiene. At this point, memory care should definitely be seriously considered for your loved one.
What can a memory care patient expect?
A memory care patient can expect daily treatment from staff members who are specially trained for the specific condition of the patient. Staff will be prepared to handle the gradually increasing need for care that these patients will need, eventually resulting in fully supervised care that is around the clock most of the time.
The facilities that house patients of memory disease will also be specially formulated. Patients with the same condition will be housed separately from patients with other conditions in order to better accommodate the different needs of the two groups. The housing structure itself will be formed to handle the specific condition of the patients that live there. For instance, the Alzheimer’s wing of an assisted living facility will be secured in order to prevent wandering.
Staff will be trained to provide assistance in all areas of a patient’s life including bathing, eating, bathroom hygiene, dressing up in the morning and administering medications.
What is the cost of a facility that is created for memory care?
Because of the special training of the staff and the amenities that go into a memory care assisted living facility, the cost will usually be higher than that of a normal assisted living facility. These costs may vary depending on the amount of special care that your loved one needs as well as the size of the living space that he or she will require.
Costs may also vary based upon the state in which a facility resides. In some cases, state fees will increase the base cost of running a memory care facility. This cost will be passed on to the resident and the family.