If your loved one is showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementias, you may be wondering if a memory care assisted living community is the right choice. When it comes to making that decision, here are some things to consider.

Here are some things to consider when it comes to making a decision about memory care:

1. It seems bad days are becoming more frequent

At first, you thought your loved one was just having a bad day. But now you’re noticing those bad days happening more often, and you’re worried.

Perhaps it’s time to consider a community designed to support people with memory loss and dementia – so your loved one has help through the bad days and can still get the most out of the good ones.

“Many people with moderate dementia can do very well in a standard assisted living,” says Karis Gust, RN, a nursing and clinical services consultant for Good Samaritan. “The middle stage of Alzheimer’s is the longest and it’s where we see most people moving into memory care assisted living. With extreme behaviors, and especially restlessness, agitation, anxiety and wandering – that’s where it really starts getting to the point where a person needs memory care.”

2. You might need to check on your loved one in person to get a fuller picture

Your loved one may be able to carry on normal, casual conversation – especially short conversations over the phone – due to their retention of social conversational skills and the rhythm of speech. This can disguise the reality of their Alzheimer’s progression. 

“They’ve lost the ability to understand the words that you're saying, but they still understand your speech patterns. So, then family living far away says, ‘Mom’s fine. What are you talking about?’ Meanwhile, everyone else has seen all these concerning behaviors happening because they see her every day,” says Karis.

Your loved one’s needs are the most important thing to consider at this point. Find common ground with siblings and other family members helping care for your parent.

3. You worry about your loved one’s safety at home

Safety awareness is one of the first skills a person living with dementia loses. So, as memory loss progresses, being home alone can create potentially unsafe situations. Forgetting to turn off the oven. Getting disoriented during a walk outdoors. Missing scheduled medication times.

If you’re questioning your loved one’s safety at home alone, it may be time to consider a memory care assisted living community.

“When they lose all safety awareness and then are at risk for wandering in an unsafe way, or they struggle with daily tasks and their caregiver is overwhelmed, then a move to memory care assisted living would be appropriate,” Karis says.

4. Unique needs require unique care

Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias require specialized care. 

In a memory care assisted living community, staff are specially trained to help support your loved one. They understand the symptoms of dementia, know how to communicate with residents and respond to their behaviors, and help residents engage in meaningful activities. All in a supportive, nurturing environment.

Memory care assisted living at Good Samaritan uses the four pillars of dementia care: reassure, reconsider, redirect, and relax.

“We want to alleviate confusion and fear with calming communication and physical comfort. We’re going to evaluate the environment and the approach to care. This is going to be very person-centered redirection – gently shifting attention away from a stressful topic or task toward a more pleasant one. And then helping the individual relax and de-stress by creating a calm environment and engaging in calm activities,” says Karis.

5. The environment and activities matter

Memory care assisted living communities provide an environment designed specifically to support your loved one’s needs, with key elements to engage residents physically, emotionally and spiritually.

This includes memory care therapy, which uses a variety of activities and programs specifically designed to deepen the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

“Memory care therapy focuses on cognitive stimulation, physical health and emotional well-being – tailored activities like music therapy, art therapy, reminiscence therapy, and pet therapy. These can be really powerful, even if it’s an animatronic pet or an animatronic baby. We’ve had a lot of success with those,” Karis says.

Good Samaritan provides memory care tailored to each person’s individual needs.

“I always recommend thinking about memory care assisted living early. Don’t put it off. Just have a backup plan in place. You may never need it. But if you do, it’s there,” Karis says.

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