Assisted Living For Dementia Patients: What Is Memory Care?

Memory care, a specialized form of assisted living for dementia patients, appears to have experienced significant growth in recent years. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the number of memory care units grew by approximately 84% between 2013 and 2023, making memory care the “fastest-growing sector of the senior housing market.” These facilities are often used to help those experiencing the memory-related symptoms associated with various types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Understanding how memory care functions and what sets it apart from other types of assisted living may benefit individuals with dementia and their families. Therapy may also be helpful for individuals and family members coping with a dementia diagnosis.

What is memory care? 

The non-residential spaces inside a memory care facility are often set up to ensure the safety and comfort of its residents. While some facilities may keep residents separate, most feature communal living spaces to reduce isolation. To further encourage socialization, memory care facilities may provide ways for residents to engage in group activities, such as aerobics classes, community gardens, bingo nights, and family events. 

As for the houses themselves, they may include furniture, decorations, and other items from a resident's previous home to personalize their living situation. While these homes often lack anything that may harm their residents, such as difficult-to-use appliances, cooking implements, and tools, they often have specially designed bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. These spaces can allow residents to maintain a sense of independence while ensuring they remain safe. This is one of several differences that may help individuals differentiate between memory care and other forms of long-term care, such as a nursing home. 

What is the difference between memory care and a nursing home?

Like a memory care facility, a nursing home is generally a place for those who require care but may not need the level of medical attention that a hospice facility or hospital would provide. Both memory care facilities and nursing homes often assist with activities of daily living (ADLs). In many cases, an individual who cannot complete at least two ADLs may meet the requirements for their insurance to cover long-term care. These ADLs may include the following: 

• Dressing: The ability to put clothes on and select appropriate clothing items for different settings, weather, and activities
• Feeding: The ability to use utensils and feed oneself
• Ambulating: The ability walk and move on one’s own
• Toileting: A person’s ability to get to the bathroom, use the toilet appropriately, and clean oneself after using the facilities
• Personal hygiene: The ability to groom, bathe, and maintain one’s overall hygiene
• Continence: A person’s bladder and bowel control

The primary difference between nursing homes and memory care facilities tends to be the focus of their care. While nursing homes may assist individuals with a variety of illnesses, disorders, and impairments, memory care facilities typically specialize in the care of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. This may allow them to tend to the specific challenges of dementia more effectively and facilitate a higher quality of life. 

Memory care facilities may also cost less than nursing homes. The AARP estimated that the average monthly cost of a nursing home was $12,240 in 2023, while the cost for a month of residency in a memory care facility was $8,399. While this may indicate that memory care could be a more affordable option, it can be important to note that the AARP estimated that the average cost of traditional assisted living was significantly less at $6,694 per month. However, these less expensive facilities may not provide the services required for an individual with dementia. 

What services and benefits can a memory care facility provide? 

In addition to helping with activities of daily living, memory care facilities can address the specific struggles that a person with dementia may face in their daily life. According to the National Council on Aging, one of these struggles may be the tendency to wander, which memory care facilities may address by having specially designed safety procedures, such as doors with alarms that let staff members know when individuals leave the unit. These procedures may also include ensuring that external exits are locked and that outdoor areas are secured and supervised. While residents may be allowed to leave a memory care facility, they are typically required to be accompanied by staff or an approved family member. 

In addition to being secure, many memory care facilities employ staff who facilitate regular group activities. These activities may keep residents mentally and socially engaged while also providing a sense of routine and structure. Most facilities also provide access to a variety of healthcare professionals with specific training in dementia care. These professionals can include psychiatrists, physical therapists, licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered nurses (RNs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Together, these and other care team members can provide residents with supervision, socialization, and treatment. 

What treatments are there for dementia? 

According to Stanford Medicine, several forms of treatment may help those experiencing dementia. These may include what is classified as palliative care, which can be defined as care that is designed to improve the quality of life of those with a potentially incurable and serious illness. 

One type of treatment involves the use of medications. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several types of medication, including amyloid-targeting treatments designed to reduce plaque accumulations in the brain. While these medications may be effective, they can cause side effects, such as headaches, falls, infusion-related reactions, and amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA). ARIA may lead to swelling in the brain, bleeding, dizziness, nausea, changes in vision, and confusion. 

Another potential treatment approach involves the use of various types of therapy. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, a few therapies may improve function, cognitive skills, mood, behavior, and quality of life.

• Supportive psychotherapy: Supportive psychotherapy can improve an individual's confidence and self-esteem during difficult experiences, including dementia. A supportive psychotherapist may provide emotional support and listen to the challenges a person is facing while teaching helpful coping skills. 
• Reminiscence therapy: Reminiscence therapy typically focuses on recalling pleasant memories and past events through various sensory experiences, including sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile sensations. This may reduce stress, irritability, and feelings of isolation in those experiencing dementia. 
• Validation therapy: Validation therapy may help those around an individual with dementia empathize with their situation, while also allowing those with dementia to communicate their emotions more effectively. 
• Simulated presence therapy: Simulated presence therapy may alleviate agitation and feelings of anxiety in those experiencing dementia. This is often done using audio or video recordings of an individual the person trusts. These recordings may recount stories from the person's life or pleasant memories to provide a sense of comfort or security to the individual with dementia. 
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT sessions can help an individual identify, understand, and change potentially harmful thoughts or behavioral patterns. For those with dementia, CBT may address the feelings of anxiety that often occur. Although updated evidence may be needed, in two case studies, individuals with dementia underwent CBT and experienced clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety.

While therapy may be beneficial for individuals with dementia and their loved ones, in-person therapy sessions may not be available to everyone. In some cases, a person may not have health insurance, or they may live in an area with an insufficient number of mental health providers. Others may prefer the comfort and convenience offered by other communication formats, such as video conferences, online chat, and phone calls. In these situations, it may be helpful to explore alternative therapeutic approaches, such as online therapy. 

Although not much research currently exists regarding the efficacy of online therapy specifically for treating dementia, studies suggest that online and in-person therapy can have similar levels of efficacy. In a 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, researchers found that there were no significant differences between in-person and online therapy in a number of different treatment outcomes, such as the following:

• Symptom severity
• Overall improvement
• Working alliance
• Function
• Client satisfaction

These results were recorded not only immediately after treatment, but during follow ups at three, six, and 12 months.