If you’ve recently learned that someone you love has dementia, Alzheimer’s, or one of the other types of memory disease, it’s a devastating diagnosis to hear. It is heart-wrenching to see someone you love lose their memory and other parts of their personality that you hold so dear. At the same time, you want to ensure they get the type of care they need for their specific condition. That is often beyond the scope of care you can provide at home, so finding a memory care community becomes a necessity.

Where should you begin?

Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re searching for the right memory care community for your loved one.

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1: Know your loved one’s needs
No two patients are the same. That’s why it’s important to know your family members’ specific healthcare needs and priorities. For example, do they need help with eating, dressing, or bathing? Do they need around-the-clock care? Are there other health conditions or medications that need to be considered?  Are they aggressive or agitated, or do they wander or get lost? You’ll need to have a really good idea of what their needs are so you can ensure the staff at the community is able to monitor them appropriately.

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2: Dig into the details
There are a multitude of memory care communities out there, and each provides various amenities. Some places offer individual cottages, while others are small apartments or shared rooms. Some have full kitchens, while others have all on-site dining services only. Many places have fitness and wellness programs and other enrichment activities that help keep their residents engaged and involved. Check to see if the community is ranked in either US News and World Report or JD Power rankings of senior living communities. Learn about what each community offers and consider how that aligns with your family members’ needs and specific interests.

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3: Is Memory Care a focus?
Dementia and Alzheimer’s are very complicated and can sometimes be difficult to handle. Talk to the staff about how they handle specific situations such as wandering or aggressiveness and learn about the types of specific training or certifications they hold specific to these conditions. Do they have a physician on staff or one that visits regularly? Are there nurses available 24 hours a day? Ask about their specific methods of caring for their patients, so you can rest assured knowing that your family member is with people that understand the best ways to care for them.

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4: Safety records

If your loved one gets lost or tends to get confused and wander away, it’s very important to ensure the community is safe and secure. Whether it’s secured windows or doors, automatic lights in the bathrooms or hallways, emergency alert systems, keypad entries and alarms on exit doors, or 24-hour supervised care, safety should be your top priority. Also, be sure you consider how the community balances safety with dignity. Talk to leadership at the community about how they maintain each person's dignity, privacy, and comfort, while also keeping them safe. Your loved one shouldn’t feel like they are being locked in, or that their autonomy is completely taken away.

And last, make sure to visit your top choices in-person and talk with the staff that work there. Online reviews and tours are helpful to a point, but there is no better way to truly assess the environment than by visiting the grounds and seeing how the staff interact with their residents.  

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Mosaic Solutions understands how important it is to find the right memory care community. It is an important move that can really help your loved one age in a safe place. Our goal is to provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your family members’ care. Learn more about how we can help here. 

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