When to Move from Assisted Living to Memory Care: Key Signs
You visit your loved one and notice they've forgotten where their room is or seem more agitated than usual. Could this be a sign it's time for memory care?
Noticing these patterns is the first step to recognizing a potential need for specialized care. Knowing when to move from assisted living to memory care can help you keep your loved one comfortable, safe, and engaged in their life and can safeguard their independence for longer.
Spotting the signs is more difficult without an Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis, which is why we've got a helpful list of signs to look for. Keep reading to learn the signs for a memory care move.
Assisted Living vs Memory Care: Key Differences
Some people think that assisted living communities are sufficient to help people with dementia symptoms. However, assisted living is an environment for adults who need help with daily tasks like:
- Bathing
- Cleaning
- Dressing
- Medication management
Assisted living communities are not for people who require more comprehensive or round-the-clock care, like people who have Alzheimer's or dementia.
Caretakers can monitor for senior cognitive decline in assisted living communities. This can help notice the early warning signs, affording their family enough time to plan for a move to memory care.
A memory care home is a specialized living community designed for individuals with:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Different types of dementia
- Other memory-related conditions
Memory care provides a secure environment with trained staff who offer 24/7 support, engaging activities, and tailored therapies to enhance cognitive function and improve quality of life. These homes prioritize safety and structure while fostering a sense of community and familiarity for residents.
Knowing When to Move From Assisted Living to Memory Care
The core symptoms of progressing dementia or Alzheimer's disease are:
- Short-term memory loss
- Slowed thinking
- Troubles with speech and communication
- Difficulty staying organized or focused
- Long-term memory confusion
- Problems with coordination
Usually, only people who spend a lot of time with the person experiencing these symptoms would be around to catch them early. For some people, symptoms only start appearing at particular times of the day (so-called "sundowning" is an example).
However, the confluence of these symptoms does manifest in a few typical behaviors. Spotting these behaviors can help signal the need for a transition to memory care.
Increased Irritability, Lethargy, or Aggression
The above symptoms can make even the simplest tasks and activities, like spending time with friends or brushing one's teeth, overwhelming and frustrating. People tend to start forgetting to complete these tasks, losing the energy needed to complete them, or becoming very irritated.
In severe cases, the person might also try to defend their version of events, becoming hostile. The need for a memory care move can, therefore, be pre-empted by a sudden uptick in a loved one's:
- Irritability
- Aggression
- Lethargy or laziness
Wandering and Confusion Concerning Locations
Those same core Alzheimer's and dementia symptoms can turn navigation into a puzzling venture. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that around 60% of people with a diagnosis experience wandering and confusion about their surroundings. Common signs that this is starting to happen include:
- They come home from trips or walks later than normal
- They forget routes to very familiar destinations
- After retiring, they still try to go to work
- They try to go home when at home
- New locations and crowds make them uncharacteristically anxious
These behaviors can be distressing for the person going through them and for their families, even in their earliest forms. They also pose a significant risk to the person's safety. Some examples of steps memory care homes take to reduce the risks are:
- Scheduled chores
- Assistance with chores
- Reassurance while the person is anxious
- Scheduling activities for the specific time of day if there is a pattern
- Having someone who checks in regularly, ready to help if necessary
Rapidly Losing Interest in Activities or Hobbies
People with progressing memory and cognitive problems can sometimes appear to lose interest in things they enjoy doing suddenly. The core symptoms they experience can lead to:
- Difficulty with balance or coordination (for games or physical activities)
- Problems staying engaged in a group conversation
- Being overwhelmed in noisy environments
- Losing focus in an activity or task
This doesn't even have to affect larger activities. Even in the early stages, people can lose interest in:
- Visits with friends
- Reading or watching TV
- Listening to music
- Exercising
This isn't the same as the occasional bout of boredom. Older adults can lose interest in an activity for a variety of reasons.
The key difference is the underlying reason why they've lost interest. Someone who has become bored knows they've done something too many times and remembers what to expect.
However, when a person is reclining from a hobby because it has suddenly become very frustrating, that could signal the need for memory care.
Forgetting About Family and Friends
Friends and family call to our deepest emotions and core memories, which makes forgetting dates with these loved ones or losing track of their history all the more concerning. Forgetting that a loved one is visiting, the context of their visit, or who they are are signs that the person's condition has progressed quite far.
If you notice these symptoms, it's imperative to start thinking about a move to memory care. Because it's such an advanced symptom, this type of forgetfulness often comes after most other behaviors on this list.
Finding the Best Time and Place for the Transition to Memory Care
Knowing when to move from assisted living to memory care requires patient observation and understanding of the person experiencing the symptoms. At Prairie Hills Tipton, we provide excellent assisted living and memory care communities for our residents. This makes our staff uniquely positioned to notice the signs often leading to senior care transitions.
Our goal is to have our residents benefit from compassionate care and to give them the best possible quality of life. Contact us today to find staff and a community in Tipton, IA, that can handle residents' dementia care needs with skill and grace.