What is a Memory Care Facility and How to Find the Right One?

Memory care facilities have been around for a while now, but they have both increased in number and popularity over the last decade. Since you are reading this, it is likely that there is an aged family member in your own home, and you already have a vague idea about memory care facilities. Since we should never take such big decisions without understanding all the facts, read on to get a proper understanding of what they are and how to choose the right one.

What is a Memory Care Facility?

Any nursing home, senior community, or assisted living facility can claim that they are also a memory care facility, but that’s not always a legitimate claim. For any of the several different types of elder care facilities to qualify as a genuine memory care facility as well, they must have the genuine Memory Care Program incorporated in their curriculum.

The Memory Care Program is not just a vague term, but an actual program created by several medical and patient care professionals over the years. The long-term care program defines how to provide the specialized care that patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and other similarly neurodegenerative diseases require. Only facilities with professionals trained in advanced memory care can provide them.

How to Know Which is the Right One?

There are two aspects to choosing the right facility for your loved one. First and foremost, the place itself should feel like a loving, caring community of professionals. Pay an unexpected visit and see how things look. If the setting or the staff seem dubious, avoid it.

Next up, we have the actual standards of the memory care program, all of which the facility must meet. A good example of one is this memory care facility Webster Groves. As for the exact standards, we have a checklist for you to verify next:

• Medication administration and supervision
• Prevention systems to keep dementia patients from wandering around and getting lost or hurt.
• Higher than average presence of trained staff, in proportion to the residents.
• Special accommodation and facility design to mitigate the chances of dementia patients getting hurt or hurting anyone else.
• Daily activities designed to preserve and slow down the loss of cognitive functions and memory (as much as possible).
• Regular recreational activities and events.
• Daily physical and mental therapeutic sessions, as needed.
• Limited – medium level skilled nursing care.

Should You be Looking for a Memory Care Facility?

If your parent, grandparent, or any other aging family member is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or some other progressive-degenerative neurological disease, then a time may come when that will remain your best feasible option. If the patient is already in mid to advanced levels of dementia, then it may no longer be safe for him/her, or your own family members to live in the same home.

At this point, it is best to seek out a memory care facility near you. Sometimes, it’s the best decision that you can take for everyone’s sake. It’s a difficult decision for sure, but if you feel that the dementia is at a stage where caring for them is proving to be nearly impossible, then you know it’s time to find alternatives.