It’s bittersweet to see your loved ones age. Your mom, once a prolific baker, still makes her way around the kitchen but occasionally mixes up the steps in her favorite recipes. Or, your dad doesn’t notice he’s no longer writing the answers to his daily crossword puzzle neatly inside the boxes. These early signs can progress, until Mom has trouble remembering when it’s time to eat and Dad can’t write at all.
Dementia usually worsens over several years, making it hard to distinguish the exact moment when it’s no longer safe for your loved one to live at home. Memory care is a safer living option for seniors who need specialized care or round-the-clock support due to memory-related issues, particularly dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Ask yourself: Is your loved one safe at home with the current stage of their Alzheimer’s or dementia? Here’s how to tell if it’s the right time for memory care and when to seek professional assistance.
What Is Memory Care?
Memory care, sometimes also referred to as Alzheimer’s care, is a specialized type of long-term care for individuals with memory loss, common in conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. Nearly 7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia, and more than 11 million family members care for someone with dementia.
You may notice the need for memory care in your loved one on your own, or a medical professional might recommend it to your family. In either case, you do have a few memory care options available, from dedicated memory care facilities to specialized units within assisted living communities or nursing homes.
Memory care facilities offer specially trained staff, memory-enriching activities and spaces designed for those with memory difficulties.
8 Signs It’s Time to Consider Memory Care for Your Loved One
It’s hard to know when someone with dementia should transition to a care home. Medical professionals understand several warning signs and subtle signs as potential reasons to seek memory care services.
Here are eight behaviors or circumstances that can indicate someone may need to move into residential memory care:
— Behavior changes
— Unsafe confusion and disorientation
— Decline in physical health or hygiene
— Impaired activities of daily living
— Increase in difficulty of caregiving
— Incontinence
— Nonsensical or repetitive communications (electronic or otherwise)
— Difficulty managing finances
1. Behavior changes
It’s common for those with dementia to have dramatic behavioral changes, and these can be a sign it’s time to move from independent or assisted living into memory care. Agitation can happen in up to 50% of those with Alzheimer’s. Researchers believe the cause may be attributed to the deterioration in parts of the brain involved in decision-making. It can also be caused by the time of day, overstimulating environments or changes in medications.
Some other common behavior changes may include:
— Paranoia
— Difficulty making decisions or concentrating
— Diminished interest in joining activities
— Combativeness
— Aggressiveness
You might notice increased anxiety about tasks that once came easily, says Nora O’Brien, chief operating officer of assisted living at United Hebrew, New Rochelle, New York. Habits like driving to familiar places or accepting social invitations from friends might now feel foreign to your loved one.
[READ: Understanding Sundowning: Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies]
2. Unsafe confusion and disorientation
Dementia can cause confusion and disorientation, which can lead to accidents.
Common examples of physical safety red flags that indicate it’s time for memory care include:
— Sudden falls
— Unsafe driving
— Burning or cutting themselves while cooking
— Noncompliance with medications or treatments
You may try to make your home safer for your loved one by implementing measures such as disconnecting the oven, installing movement sensors or arranging for home health visits.
“As symptoms progress, these measures may no longer be enough,” O’Brien says. “You might notice your loved one becoming disoriented while walking in their neighborhood or increasing vulnerability to falls. When personal safety is at risk, it’s time to explore options like assisted living or memory care.”
Physical safety is a non-negotiable, adds Carrie Ditzel, the director of geropsychology and neuropsychology at Baker Street Behavioral Health in Paramus, New Jersey.
[READ Anosognosia vs. Alzheimer’s: Understanding the Key Differences]
3. Decline in physical health or hygiene
Conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia can also put one’s physical health or hygiene at risk.
Watch for declines in physical health, hygiene and the ability to take care of themselves, such as:
— Changes in sleep cycles
— Changes in appearance
— Changes in body composition, like an individual becoming thinner or more frail
— Changes in grooming habits or hygiene habits
“Someone who has always taken pride in their appearance might begin wearing the same clothes repeatedly, neglect to brush their teeth or hair or let their nails grow unusually long,” O’Brien says. “These subtle shifts in routine often signal that something deeper is going on.”
When memory concerns are present along with physical health decline, especially when in the presence of conditions like diabetes, heart failure or infections, it’s worth considering a memory care unit that is also integrated with skilled nursing.
[READ: What Increases Dementia Risk?]
4. Impaired activities of daily living
Those with dementia also have trouble with their activities of daily living. In earlier stages of the disease, your loved one may only have trouble with instrumental activities of daily living, such as remembering to take their medications on time or being able to cook their own meals. Memory care is an option even in these beginning stages.
However, as the disease progresses, your loved one may also have trouble with basic activities of daily living, such as:
— Using the bathroom independently
— Getting dressed
— Bathing or showering
— Eating
If your loved one requires full assistance with activities of daily living, consider a memory care option with a higher level of care, such as skilled nursing.
5. Increased difficulty in caregiving
Memory care should be in the best interest of not only the individual, but for the family as a whole, Ditzel says. If the responsibilities and duties of the caregiver become a major hardship for the family, this is a good sign that your loved one may need more dedicated memory care.
There are many reasons memory care living may be the best option for the family unit. Ditzel points out a few could be:
— Caregiver deterioration or death
— Demanding jobs
— Other adults or young children who also need care
— Lack of family support as the sole caregiver
— Financial strain
If there’s potential for any of the above circumstances, it’s time for memory care.
“Many struggle with feelings of guilt when they consider placing a loved one in a facility,” Ditzel says. “However, I encourage those people to look at the situation as a whole. What circumstance is best for their loved one and themselves physically and emotionally?”
6. Incontinence
Caregivers can handle a lot, but if incontinence gets to the point that adult undergarments are ineffective, it may be time for memory care, says Dr. Clifford Segil, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
This is because bladder or bowel incontinence can lead to potentially serious, and even fatal, infections. For example, a urinary tract infection can ascend and become a kidney infection or cause blood infections. Such infections can cause subsequent shock and potential organ failure.
These infections are often the product of neglect and poor care, Segil says. Patients in memory care units receive a level of care to help prevent small and easily treated infections from progressing into life-threatening sicknesses.
7. Nonsensical or repetitive communications (electronic or otherwise)
Communication patterns with your loved one could be a key indicator it’s time for memory care. These could be electronic, like confusing texts or voicemails, or otherwise, like repeating stories during the same conversation.
You might read texts multiple times or listen to a voicemail more than once but still not figure out what your loved one is trying to communicate.
Your loved one may also have trouble explaining what their communications meant.
“When you contact them to ask them what they were trying to say, they’re unable to because they’ve forgotten,” Segil adds.
8. Difficulty managing finances
Money problems are often an early sign of dementia, according to the National Institute on Aging. If your loved one is having difficulty managing their finances, it could be a sign they need memory care.
Some signs your loved one is having trouble managing their money could include:
— Trouble remembering to pay bills
— Increased vulnerability to scams
— Disorganized financial documents, such as bank statements or credit card payments
— Unusual spending patterns
Caregivers and family members often still manage their loved one’s finances while in memory care. However, memory care allows seniors to receive treatment for their condition, while family can address finances in a safe and supportive situation.
Options for Memory Care
When it’s time for memory care, there are several options to consider:
Assisted living facilities with memory care services
Those with mild or moderate stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia who are able to still care for themselves may benefit from moving to an assisted living community.
Segil adds that assisted living is able to help those who need some additional help with grooming, feeding and remembering to take medications. Some people who may need support for their memory are already living in a nursing home or assisted living facility. Want to know when to move from assisted living to memory care? If someone needs additional memory support, along with help with daily activities, they might be able to transfer to the memory unit in their facility.
For those concerned with having adequate care on-site, a continuing care retirement community will typically have assisted living where people can live relatively independently in the early stages of dementia. They may also have a memory care unit on campus that individuals can transition to as the disease progresses.
Dedicated memory care facilities
A dedicated memory care community could be another option. This is a specialized type of assisted living that provides comprehensive care in a secure environment. Typically, these are units in which patients are unable to leave without supervision.
In addition, physical spaces within the unit are often designed with visual cues and artwork to help with navigation and ease anxiety. Meal preparation, medication management, assistance with daily life and personal care and enriching activities — outdoor walks, arts and crafts and gardening — are all part of a memory care community designed to meet the health care needs of residents and keep them engaged in the world around them.
Skilled nursing homes with memory care services
A secure memory care unit in a skilled nursing facility is a good option for people who need more care than they’d likely receive while living at home and who also need moderate or complete assistance with personal care tasks, such as bathing or toileting.
“There will be other people your same age to talk with and hang out with,” Segil adds.
The same assistance with daily activities and personal care that is provided in assisted living communities and dedicated memory care facilities is applied, with a greater emphasis on meeting the medical needs of those with chronic or complex illnesses.
How to Find the Best Memory Care Options Near You
It’s important to find the right memory care for your loved one’s needs and preferences.
“Moving from home to memory care is a big adjustment for both seniors and their families. Not only does it change seniors’ day-to-day experience, it represents an important transition in their care,” says Dr. Lindsey Ulin, a palliative care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Ulin shares a few ways to transition to the right memory care facility include:
— Bringing items from home, such as photos or blankets, to personalize the space
— Creating a visiting schedule
— Acknowledging your loved one’s feelings about the move
— Including other members of the care team, such as a primary care physician
It’s also a good idea to plan ahead, especially in terms of financial planning for the potentially high cost of memory care for your family.
Explore Top-Rated Memory Care Facilities With U.S. News
Caring for a loved one with memory issues is emotionally challenging, but it doesn’t have to be a burden you bear long-term. Recognize when it’s time for memory care, and consider that it may be time to transition for the well-being of your loved one and your family unit.
Sometimes, it’s time for memory care without much warning. An urgent or emergency placement for a dementia patient into memory care may be necessary if your loved one’s condition progresses quickly or if they become a danger to themselves or others. Connect with a primary care provider, social worker or senior care specialist for urgent memory care placements.
To find the best memory care near you, explore the U.S. News and World Report Best Memory Care Communities.
To find the best memory care communities, U.S. News analyzed data from nearly 400,000 resident and family survey responses at more than 3,500 senior living communities across the country in 2024. The survey covers residents and family members’ satisfaction with all aspects of the memory care community.
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8 Signs It’s Time for Memory Care originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 12/12/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
