How To Choose The Right Memory Care Facility For Your Loved One

There comes a point in many dementia care journeys, where providing care at home simply isn’t realistic. Perhaps your loved one’s needs are too great, you’re overwhelmed, or their condition now needs more specialized support – the type best provided by a trained team of staff members.

In such situations, memory care facilities may be the answer. These specialized care communities provide a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. They offer round-the-clock care, comprehensive assistance, and tailored programs to meet the unique needs of individuals living with memory impairments.

However, memory care facilities are not all the same. Choosing the best one involves research, deliberation, and a clear understanding of what the person with dementia needs.

In this guide, we’ll show you the key areas to look at and how they can impact your loved one’s experience.

Crucial Areas to Consider

The Facility’s Inspection Report

Inspection reports are the result of regular inspections by state regulatory agencies. Such reports provide crucial information, including whether there were any violations of expected standards, the grade the facility received, customer satisfaction, and details about pricing.

As such, the reports give you a powerful overview and make it easy to compare different facilities. However, the nature of the reports and their information varies depending on your location, so some may be more useful than others.

Where to Begin

Start by reaching out to the facility directly and asking about the report. In some jurisdictions, the facility is required to make the report available to the public. Other times, facilities can decide for themselves.

Of course, the state inspection report isn’t enough on its own. There are other crucial factors to consider too, including staff qualifications, resident-to-staff ratios, the overall environment, the quality of care provided, and the facility’s approach to memory care.

Room Assignment and Privacy

Within memory care facilities, private rooms are often reserved for people who are privately funding their own care, while others may need to share a room instead.

It’s important to understand the processes involved, as these directly relate to the privacy and sense of security of your loved one. Here are some important areas to consider:

Room Assignment. How are rooms assigned? Is the personality of the residents considered? What about similarities and differences in their level of care?
Room Reassignment. What are the policies around room reassignment? Can this happen if roommate dynamics don’t work well? What happens when one roommate isn’t happy with the current arrangement, but the other is?
Frequency of Room Reassignments. Changing rooms can be distressing for individuals with dementia. How often does this typically occur? Will your loved one get the chance to settle in an environment and have it feel safe?
Will You Be Notified of Changes? Will the facility inform you before your family member is moved? Will they let you be part of the process?

You should also enquire about the policy regarding room furnishings. Are residents expected to furnish their own rooms or does the facility provide what is needed? If the facility furnishes the room, what items can you bring to help the resident feel more at home?

Activities and Engagement

Engagement and stimulation are critical aspects of caring for a person with dementia. The memory care facility should offer plenty of recreational and engaging activities, with options to suit all stages of the condition.

Ask for an activity schedule at any facility you’re considering. You should also discuss activities that might not be on a schedule, such as whether staff members take residents on walks around the facility.

Finally, check the qualifications of the on-site activities coordinator (this role has different titles). A well-qualified coordinator will likely be better at designing an activity schedule that stimulates residents and keeps them engaged. Be aware, though, that this coordinator is usually restricted to creating group-based activities and likely doesn’t provide one-on-one behavioral support to residents.

Staff and Training

The next area to consider is the staff at the facility, starting with the staff-to-resident ratio. Also consider:

The Presence and Number of Registered Nurses on Staff.
How Are Duties Separated? For example, if hospice is assigned to your loved one, what are the responsibilities of in-house staff versus the hospice staff? Know the difference, as miscommunications can lead to poor quality care.
How often are Staff Available? This is especially relevant in hospice care, where staff come on site only occasionally, depending on their care needs.
Do Staff Assignments Change? Residents may feel more at ease if assigned the same staff members daily.
What is The Staff Turnover? High staff turnover can be unsettling for residents, as they must regularly get used to new people.

Also, consider the staff members’ backgrounds, technical knowledge, frequency of staff training, and languages spoken. Pay particular attention to the presence of any certified dementia care managers (CDCMs) on staff. Additionally, ask about the frequency of dementia-specific staff training. While such training isn’t essential, it can help staff members respond better to people with dementia.

Approaches to Behavior Management

It is very important to understand how staff respond to dementia-related behaviors, especially challenging ones. You can do this by looking for signs of kindness, positive attitudes, and genuine connections. These are the ones who will treat people with dementia as individuals, not patients, even in the late stages of the disease. If possible, observe how staff members handle disruptive behaviors and conflict.

You can also ask about the specific techniques and strategies staff use to manage dementia-related behaviors, particularly disruptive ones. During mealtimes, for example, how does staff handle residents grabbing food from others’ plates? Their answers may include terms like person-centered care, validation, and redirection.

Also, do they have systems in place for dementia-specific challenges? For example, people with dementia often take other people’s items out of confusion. Facilities should have an inventory for tracking personal items. What happens when one resident accuses another of taking items?

How Medications Are Used

Medications can be crucial for keeping a loved one safe. However, they can also be abused by staff.

Medication misuse is surprisingly common in dementia care, where some medications may be used to act as a form of chemical restraint. Antipsychotic medications, benzodiazepines, and even anti-seizure medications can be used in this way, even though such medications can increase the risk of falls and cause other issues.

Ensure the facility communicates openly about medications and seeks your approval before making any changes. Ideally, staff should only use medication after every other approach has been tried rather than as a go-to tool for behavior management. You may want to ask to review a log of prescribed medications, as they must account for all medications received by their pharmacy.

The Risk of Falls

Falls are a significant factor for seniors in care facilities, with roughly half of all nursing home residents falling at least once yearly. The risk of falling is doubled for people with Alzheimer’s disease, and they may also experience greater injuries from falls.

When evaluating a memory care facility, look for approaches that minimize fall risk, such as closely monitoring residents after new medications are prescribed, using fall detection systems, reducing trip hazards, and creating a safe environment. You can also ask staff members for the specific approaches they use.

It is critical that your loved one is assessed for falls risk upon admission and regularly and that a plan of action is documented for handling their unique case. Will they always require a walker? Do they need to be assisted for trips to the restroom?

Dining Experience

There are two crucial areas to consider: ensuring your loved one receives proper nutrition and enjoys their dining experience. Look for:

How Many Meals and Snacks Are Provided? You might also ask to see a menu to get a sense of the variety of food.
Where and When is the Food Served? If it is served in a dining hall, can staff members help residents get there safely?
Can Staff Members Help Seniors Who Need Assistance? This is a common issue in the later stages of dementia.
Will Special Dietary Needs Be Accommodated? What about preferences? What happens if your loved one only eats particular foods or if they have foods from the culture they love?
How Do Staff Encourage Eating? Careful plate selection, lighting, gentle encouragement, and even music may help encourage eating in people with dementia.

If possible, it’s worth simply observing mealtimes. Here, you can pay attention to how staff members handle mealtime dynamics, especially when a resident takes food for another.

Preventing Dehydration

Dehydration is easily overlooked, yet can lead to serious health complications, including urinary tract infections, constipation, confusion, increased fall risk, and even death. Dehydration can also occur easily, as some people with dementia are resistant to drinking water.

Staff can help by monitoring for signs of dehydration and actively encouraging hydration. Alternatives to water may also be offered, including diluted juice and water-rich dishes like soup.

Security

What security measures does the facility have in place?

Keypad systems are common to prevent unauthorized entry and exit. Verify that there are alarms on emergency exits and that the exits are monitored correctly.

There should also be systems for monitoring residents, such as fall detection devices, alarms on some doors, and wearable devices that allow seniors to call for assistance.

Final Thoughts

To find the best memory care facility, you will need to ask many questions, particularly about topics like room assignment, activities, training, medications, fall risk, and security. It’s also important to pay attention when you visit the facility. Keep a sharp eye out for how staff and residents interact. Such interactions will help you see whether the facility has a positive and supportive environment.