Nursing Homes with Memory Care Units: A Wise Option for Individuals with Dementia

Caring for someone with dementia can be physically and emotionally draining for caregivers. It’s often better for the patient and the family to seek the help of a nursing home with memory care units—a facility with trained staff, programs, and specially designed amenities to provide compassionate care in a safe and secure setting.

The level of assistance a patient requires increases as dementia progresses. Your family might want to keep your loved one at home for as long as possible, but this is often not the best route. A person with dementia will eventually require round-the-clock supervised care in a catered setting.

Nursing homes with memory care units have specially designed their living environments to be secure in order to prevent wandering, which is one of the most common symptoms of the disease.  Residents in memory care also get the help they need with their medications, grooming, bathing, dressing, eating, and other such tasks. Memory care nursing homes provide long-term and intensive medical care for seniors that are afflicted dementia in a fully-monitored and fully-staffed facility.

Additionally, nursing homes with memory care units often have structured programs or activities designed to nurture elderly people who have dementia. The spaces (both indoor and outdoor) are designed to relaxing and secure, with trained staff always on hand.

You might be wondering—what does it cost to keep a loved one in a nursing home with memory care units? Memory care requires additional staff training and a higher staff-to-resident ratio, so costs are usually higher compared to other nursing homes and communities. Costs vary depending on factors such as the level of care needed, how big the room is and whether it’s private or semi-private, etc. Monthly costs will usually include all meals, activities and programs, laundry and housekeeping, and health management basics.