Talking about a life change and a new lifestyle with your loved one can be complicated. Transitioning to an unfamiliar new community is an exciting experience filled with new opportunities.
Let’s look at some of those lifestyles and explore how to decide between assisted living and memory care.
Assisted Living & Memory Care Lifestyles
Aging is all about adaptation and change—your loved ones’ future housing plans are essential, and their comfort comes first. Your search for senior housing could be from a medical necessity or just the desire for a lifestyle change for your loved one.
Finding the right lifestyle for your loved one can be challenging and depends on their specific needs.
Assisted Living
Assisted living is a lifestyle option that’s ideal for older adults who need help with activities of daily living.
These day-to-day activities can include:
- Eating
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Restroom activities
- Getting around
Your loved ones’ day will begin with a private apartment-style suite that they can personalize to their specifications and comfort. In their new community, they’ll have access to several amenities to occupy their time, including:
- Arts and crafts
- Outdoor gardens and walking trails
- Access to a media room
- 24-hour staffing
Assisted living includes a vibrant social calendar of events and outings to keep your loved one engaged and keep every day fresh and different. Your loved one will be able to decide how to spend their time with a healthy combination of assistance and pursuing new hobbies and interests.
Memory Care
Memory care is a senior living lifestyle option for when it becomes difficult for your loved one to live independently. Cognitive impairments like dementia or Alzheimer’s are an unavoidable aspect of the aging process for many adults.
This gradual loss of independence can be challenging for your loved one, and providing a comfortable, secure, and stimulating environment for them is essential.
A memory care lifestyle means your loved one will receive around-the-clock attention from a specialized team that will meet their emotional, physical, and mental needs.
Memory care also offers several support services that can benefit your loved one and increase their quality of life—these support services include:
- 24/7 onsite personal care staff
- Regular health assessments
- Onsite registered nurse team
- Medication management
- Secured environments
- Daily light housekeeping
- Individualized wellness service plans
Your loved one’s comfort, safety, and supervision will be prioritized to ensure a pleasant transition to their new community.
Now that you know what each lifestyle focuses on, let’s explore the decision between assisted living and memory care.
Deciding Between Assisted Living & Memory Care
The decision between assisted living and memory care is about your loved ones’ needs and what lifestyle will give them the highest quality of life.
Memory care is the lifestyle choice that will best help your loved one adjust to living with cognitive challenges such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Memory care surrounds your loved ones with a dedicated and experienced team that will treat them with the respect and support they deserve.
Assisted living is for people who may need some help with activities of daily living but value their independence and want more time to focus on engaging in new hobbies and expanding their social circle.
Assisted living strives to make your loved one’s new community as independent an experience as they desire while delivering quality amenities, activities, and medical services.
Finding the ideal lifestyle for your loved one is a detail-oriented process that requires considering their space and preference. Ensuring your loved one is treated with compassion, integrity, and respect is crucial.
Embracing a New Community
The transition to a new community always involves an adjustment process. This process can be made easier by researching beforehand and taking your loved ones’ needs and preferences into account.
Get in contact with professionals for more information and assistance in choosing the right lifestyle for your loved one.
