Assisted Living Vs Memory Care

Assisted Living or else Memory Care: Contingent upon your loved one's necessities choose the suitable

Many individuals wrongly assume both memory care and assisted living are the same thing. Both institutions give assistance, help and support to the elderly and infirmed, based on level of need. Both institutions offer the following basic services:

Cooking meals

Commuting the elderly to various places

Providing timely Medication

Bathing

Housekeeping Services

Prior to concluding which facility to utilize, it’s vital to get to know what these facilities are and which one is great for your family.

What does it mean to live in assisted living? (AL)

In an AL facility, a senior is taken into consideration and furnished with all the assistance which is important to them. A typical AL facility has some apartments and these are usually private and offer a place to sleep and basic cooking facilities. The residence will also have common areas where residents can socialize or engage in activities such as arts & crafts or board games. Medication observing, portability backing, and social exercises are for the most part accessible 24×7 in this facility.

What does it mean to live in memory care? (MC)

In a MC facility, they specifically focus on those who have been diagnosed with dementia or another form of memory-related illness. Patients are assessed and the nursing staff will provide specialized care based on the individual’s needs, which can include providing personal assistance (such as bathing), making sure medications are taken, and monitoring safety.

Services Offere	Assisted Living	Memory Care
Bathing	Yes	Yes
Meal preparation	Yes	Yes
Transport	Yes	Yes
Medication	Yes	Yes
Household Management	Yes	Yes
​Specialized care for memory loss		Yes
​Secured Exits		Yes
​Memory-enhanced therapies		Yes
Specialized layout		Yes

Is it possible to live in assisted living if you have dementia?

The answer to the question is dependent on the person’s cognitive state and level of functioning. Seniors with conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease could all potentially benefit from assisted living.

For example, a person with advanced dementia that does not have any ability for self-care may require a higher level of care and a memory care facility. On the other hand, a person with mild dementia who needs only minimal assistance with daily tasks may live in assisted living.

A person with dementia may be able to live in helped living, but they will need to monitor their behavior and surroundings. If you are at the more severe end of the spectrum, then assisted living may not be able to provide you with what you need.

There are some seniors who live with dementia and don’t require assistance with daily tasks or monitoring, so they may be able to live in helped living.

Memory care facilities are more appropriate for individuals with dementia due to the attentive care they offer. These facilities often focus on providing individuals with activities and socialization opportunities suited for this kind of condition.

The varied stages in dementia

The seven stages of dementia can be divided into two main categories: early and late stage. Early phase includes the following:

Phase 1: Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment is a stage where the person has problems with various aspects of mental functioning, but not enough to be identified as dementia. People with MCI are often still very functional and can still live independently.

These difficulties include a reduced ability to recall recent events and a reduced ability to understand complex thoughts or abstract ideas. The brain’s neural networks that control memory, language, and higher-level cognitive functions are not yet deteriorating in this phase.

Phase 2: Mild Dementia

Mild dementia is characterized by memory loss, confusion, and impaired cognitive function. This phase is the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. A few patients may likewise encounter uneasiness, fretfulness, misery, rest aggravations, and issues with language. Mild dementia is regularly analyzed when an individual starts to encounter mental changes.

Mild dementia is a phase of the disease where people can still remember how to do things but have difficulty with everyday tasks. Symptoms of mild dementia are more noticeable as they become worse.

Phase 3: Moderate Dementia

Moderate Dementia is where patients may exhibit milder cognitive impairments than those with severe cognitive impairment, but they are still unable to function on their own. Progressively worsening memory loss is the most noticeable symptom in moderate dementia. Patients may also have difficulties with language or executive functioning, be more volatile or aggressive with others, make poor decisions, and have difficulties handling finances.

The later phases include the following:

Phase 4: Moderately Severe Dementia

A person diagnosed with dementia experiencing moderately severe dementia will have difficulty with routine daily work and performance of complex tasks, such as preparing a meal or driving a car.

They may also experience changes in sleep patterns and behavior such as disorientation to time and place, delusions (such as believing someone else is living in their home), hallucinations (seeing things that are not there), mood swings (ranging from anger to sadness) and irritability.

Phase 5: Severe Alzheimer’s Disease

In a serious phase of dementia, the individual has advanced to where they can’t complete routine day by day work. The person may be still awake and aware of their surroundings but is not able to interact or function as they once could.

In this phase, there is no cure for the disease and because the person is now at a higher risk for developing respiratory infections, it’s important to monitor them closely.

Phase 6: Very Severe Alzheimer’s Disease

The most severe level of dementia is when the person can no longer speak, feed or care for themselves. An individual’s memory has totally crumbled, and they frequently experience illusions. They may likewise stroll around and around for a really long time. This phase of dementia is quite common among Alzheimer’s patients.