We’ve talked about Independent Living and Assisted Living so lets examine Memory Care. Before I had to place my mother in Memory Care and more recently my mother-in-law, my quandary was how to know if she needed to be there. She was happy in her Assisted Living situation but it was becoming apparent she needed more assistance.
Mom was becoming more confused and was repeating herself more. She had to be reminded to eat and to toilet and she was becoming agitated. I would tell her something and three minutes later she would repeat the question. I would ask her if she knew where she was and most of the time the answer was incorrect. The staff had to redirect her to her room. With my mother-in-law she was experiencing hallucinations and was becoming agitated with other residents in her assisted living.
So, what is Memory Care? I had these images of a dark, sad place where mom would be locked up. I could not have been more wrong. Memory care is a place for people with memory care issues like Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. It is a safe place where they get extra support and specially trained staff who understand cognitive challenges and the behavioral changes that occur. In our case memory care was in the same community as mom was currently living. Same for my mother-in-law. Sometimes memory care facilities are in stand alone communities. They have secured entrances and exits to prevent them from leaving. They have clearly labeled rooms, simple layouts, and are secured to minimize the chances of someone wandering outside of the community. They often have safe outdoor patios or walking areas. It was anything but depressing.
The staff helps with ADL’s (activities of daily living) like bathing, dressing, and sometimes eating. There is 24/7 supervision and the ratio of staff to residents is much lower than assisted living. Their medication and their meals are managed, and there is often a lower level of stimulus in the residents’ environments to keep them from being upset by louder, outside noises.
I was pleasantly surprised to see they offered music therapy, reminiscence therapy, puzzles, painting and games. The activities coordinator often planned the same activities as were offered to the assisted living residents, only with more supervision and a shorter time frame. They even have exercise classes! Not all, but some have memory trigger objects such as dolls, sewing machines, pianos, and land line telephones. Some even have pet therapy! These things encourage conversation.
Memory Care is usually more expensive than assisted living simply because they need more care. Costs depend on location, level of care and private vs. shared room. Medicare usually does not pay for long term memory care facilities, but long term care insurance does. MediCal pays for Memory Care, but primarily in a skilled nursing facilities. It may cover memory care in assisted living or residential care communities through Home and Community Based Services waivers, such as CALAIM and the Assisted Living Waiver Program (ALW).
Our specialists at SLS of California are trained to help you navigate through the why’s and how’s of deciding if your loved one is ready for memory care. It is an emotional decision and knowledge is the key. The more you know, the better informed decision you can make. We are here to help you during what can be a very difficult time. Our specialists can help with Elder care lawyers, answer questions about financial programs, provide you with vetted and screened memory care communities and be your sounding board. We are here for you!
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