It’s easy to get confused by the senior living options available for your loved ones when shopping around. They all seem to serve the same purpose but to a different degree. This is especially true for the difference between two specific options that can be particularly hard to wrap your head around: assisted living vs. memory care. However, they do have their differences in comparison to each other, and it’d do you good to learn about them in detail.
Costs
This is a fundamental difference between assisted living and memory care. While both depend on the area and program that you’re in, memory care tends to cost more. However, this is not an unjustified cost. Memory care requires a higher level of specified care, which means that it typically involves a higher staff to resident ratio for the sake of safety concerns.
Residential Eligibility
These two programs are tailored toward different groups of retirees. Anyone who can afford it can be eligible for assisted living in their retirement years. On the other hand, memory care is most effective for those with conditions that cause cognitive issues. Some examples would be dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases that cause memory loss, wandering, and additional related symptoms. Hence, it’s very important to identify whether your loved one requires memory care before touring senior living communities.
Admissions Process
The purpose behind the admissions process can differ between the two programs. Both are conducted by a professional to understand whether the program can provide for your loved one appropriately.
Assisted living’s admissions process is to determine whether a potential resident’s needs exceed what their assisted living program can provide. Meanwhile, the admissions process for memory care is to ensure that a potential resident’s symptoms don’t exceed what the staff can provide support for.
Availability and Extent of Care
Basic services such as housekeeping and meals are similar between the two programs. Where the difference lies in between both services is in the day-to-day lifestyle. While only some assisted living centers have on-site physician services, memory care centers tend to prioritize safety and health to a higher degree. Memory care includes locked and secured communities to prevent wandering and their activities are also customized to accommodate residents’ conditions and limitations.
Variety of Options
Assisted living is the more common program among the two, meaning that there are more choices offered compared to those looking for a memory care community. Furthermore, it can be harder to choose a memory care community that fits your loved one due to your loved one’s longer and more specific list of needs. For example, your loved one could require a more spacious community to prevent feelings of confinement, or feel distressed in certain environments. As such, it’s recommended to tour critically for the perfect senior living community for your loved one.
Have the Best of Both
We at Rittenhouse Village At Portage believe that both our assisted living and memory care options are second to none! If you’re still lost on which program your loved one belongs in, let us help you navigate the senior living options available.
