When it comes to choosing the right senior care facility for an aging parent, it’s important to make sure that the one you select will offer them enough freedoms but also adequate support and care to prevent accidents and the onset of additional health issues. While Denver assisted living focuses a lot on giving residents better freedom of movement and focusing on independence, it also lacks some of the professional care requirements for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, which require closer supervision and better support during every step of their day-to-day lives.
What Is Memory Care?
A memory care facility is very similar to an assisted living care center, however, it also has more technology, greater restrictions and a better trained staff to help seniors go about their day with fewer problems. Individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia and other mental health issues are often prone to wandering, or they forget where their rooms are located. Some might not keep up with their meals properly due to their memory problems. Others might just require some help with taking their medicine.
Regardless of the level of care needed, memory care facilities are equipped to deal with it. Trained staff check on the seniors’ health and condition during the day – something that doesn’t happen at an assisted living center – and some patients might be fitted with tracking bracelets to allow them free movement while still allowing the staff to monitor their location in case of an emergency.
Also, certain areas are off-limits for patients with greater medical problems (such as certain outdoor areas or elevators that might require a code to access). All in all, the entire facility is designed in such a way that it can provide senior residents with better protection.
Is Memory Care Better Than Assisted Living?
Depending on why your aging parent needs to move to a Denver assisted living or memory care facility, one or the other might be a better solution. There is a carefully maintained and oftentimes fragile balance between privacy and support, and in some cases – just like in hospitals – medical care and supervision take priority.
In a memory care center, the staff assigned to caring for the elderly patients have to be able to do their jobs while still aiming to help their patients maintain some level of privacy and dignity, inasmuch as this would be possible. In contrast to that, Denver assisted living centers focus much more on allowing residents to move around freely, as many of them don’t require much support during their day-to-day lives.
Some assisted living facilities still have similar amenities and trained staff that can identify problems related to dementia and Alzheimer’s and take the necessary measures and precautions as soon as they are identified. The difference is that, in the case of a memory care facility, the entire building and the training of the staff focuses around such issues.
Of course, memory care is often much more expensive than assisted living, primarily due to the additional level of care that is provided. So depending on your budget and abilities, as well as the needs of your senior parents, assisted living and memory care could both offer their own unique advantages.
