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What Is the Average Length of Stay in a Memory Care Unit?

5 minute readLast updated September 24, 2024
Written by Nirali Desai
fact checkedby
Jordan Kimbrell
Reviewed by Carol Bradley Bursack, NCCDP-certified dementia support group facilitatorAuthor Carol Bradley Bursack spent two decades as a primary caregiver to seven elders and is also a newspaper columnist, blogger, and expert on aging.
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The average length of stay in memory care can range anywhere from two to ten years, according to Leslie Fuller, founder and owner of Inspired Senior Care. However, the stay varies depending on the needs of a senior with dementia, the progression of their dementia, and their overall health. In some instances, a senior may only need memory care as a temporary respite care stay. While another senior may be ready for a permanent move to a community that offers 24-hour supervision and specialized care services for seniors with dementia.

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Key Takeaways

  1. The average length of stay in memory care is two to ten years, but it can greatly vary between residents.
  2. Many factors affect the length of the stay in memory care, including the type of memory loss, age, disease progression, family preferences, and overall health.
  3. Memory care offers benefits beyond care at home or in assisted living with round-the-clock care, specially trained caregivers, and therapies to support cognitive health.
  4. Support and ease your loved one’s transition into memory care by visiting them, learning more about their condition, and forming a relationship with their caregivers.

Factors that affect the length of stay in memory care

The average length of stay in a memory care unit varies greatly depending on a dementia patient’s circumstances. Some factors that may influence a senior’s stay in memory care include:

  • Age
  • Overall health
  • Type of memory ailment or dementia
  • Dementia progression
  • Safety concerns at home
  • Family preferences

Additionally, families may be hesitant to move a loved one away from home or assisted living with an initial memory loss diagnosis. Ultimately, whether your loved one needs a short-term stay or a long-term home will depend on their needs — and yours.

Supporting your family member’s daily needs, managing their medications, and adapting your home for their safety can be difficult. A stay in a memory care community can benefit not only those with memory impairment but also their families who act as caregivers.

The benefits of staying in memory care

A stay in a memory care community can provide a safe environment for your aging family member. You can feel confident that they are in a secure space where their physical and intellectual needs are being met. Staff at memory care communities are caregivers who specialize in working with individuals who have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. These caregivers provide supportive, person-centered dementia therapies best suited to each individual’s needs.

Fuller explains that in quality memory care, seniors “are going to be in a setting where the support people around them understand the progression of what the individual is going to be going through. And they can help that individual to adapt as those changes continue in their journey.”

Is memory care the right fit?

Let our free assessment guide you to the best senior living options, tailored to your needs.

How memory care differs from assisted living

Memory care is a specific type of assisted living that caters to seniors who live with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. Many of the benefits of memory care are similar to the benefits of assisted living. However, memory care communities tend to offer specific accommodations to help seniors with dementia thrive.

Both assisted living and memory care communities provide the following:

  • A supervised environment designed for seniors’ needs
  • Assistance from trained caregivers as needed
  • Social activities and events

Memory care communities often have the following features that typical assisted living communities lack:

  • Security and design features to prevent common dementia behaviors like wandering
  • Regular dementia-specific training for staff
  • Therapies designed to improve cognitive health

How to support a loved one’s move to memory care

Moving your loved one into a memory care community can be challenging. Fuller notes that families can find comfort in the adjustment by educating themselves and creating an open dialogue with the memory care staff.

EXPERT TIPS: HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LOVED ONE IN MEMORY CARE

  • Learn from your loved one with dementia. Observe and listen to them to see what works well, and ask them for advice on how you can improve.
  • Be open to new dementia-specific knowledge. Read books, listen to podcasts, or join professional support groups.
  • Educate your loved one’s caregiver. You can enable them to build a genuine relationship by helping them learn about your loved one’s social and emotional needs.
  • Nitpick less and ask more questions. Caregivers work in a unique environment with many challenges. Acknowledge that, and ask about their care approach to better understand it.

Furthermore, you should stay in contact with your loved one and visit them in their community, if possible. It can help them transition with ease and stay connected to their family and past.

Memory care questions? Get expert help

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If you think your loved one with dementia needs extra support, there are lots of dementia care options available. You could choose a memory care community that fits your loved one’s needs, or you can turn to different options depending on your loved one’s stage of dementia and circumstances.

In the early stages, home care may be suitable for seniors who can safely reside at home with the supervision of hired and family caregivers. If a home environment isn’t quite safe, but they’re still in the early stages, assisted living may be a better fit. Many assisted living communities offer multiple care options meaning seniors in early stages can move into assisted living and transition to memory care when deemed necessary.

If your loved one has serious medical conditions on top of dementia, they may benefit from 24-hour care and skilled nursing services provided in a nursing home. Many nursing homes offer a specific unit for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients where staff is trained in memory care practices.

No matter which dementia care option you choose, A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Advisors are ready to assist in your search. They’ll take the time to learn about your family’s preferences, needs, and budget to help you find suitable options near you — all at no cost to you.

What families are saying about memory care facilities

Memory care reviews from residents and families

Sun City Senior Living

4.0
Realizing that an elderly parent needs help is not an easy thing. Taking them and leaving them at a facility that is unfamiliar and confusing to them is even harder. The staff at Sun City Senior Living have gone out of their way to invite my father in as a resident and help guide me towards a...
Read more

Serenity Elderly Care

5.0
Serenity not only takes very good care of my loved one but every resident that is in their care. Serenity staff keep the resident's clean, serve nutritious meals, do exercises and call you when there is any issue with, whether big or small, your loved one. I highly recommend this facility. The...
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The Pearl of Montclare

5.0
I was satisfied with the service with my mother at this place I visited.

Families also ask

The adjustment period for a dementia patient transitioning into memory care can vary from days to months. Personality, environmental factors, and circumstances can all play a role in adjusting to memory care.

The average age of death for someone with dementia can vary greatly, but the typical life expectancy after diagnosis is one to nine years, according to a study in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The age can vary depending on when a patient was diagnosed, other health conditions, and their lifestyle.

SHARE THE ARTICLE

  1. A Place for Mom. (2024). Cost of long-term care and senior living.

  2. A Place for Mom. (2024). A Place for Mom proprietary data.

  3. Esposito, L. (2016, June 1). What nursing home ‘memory care’ meansU.S. News and World Report.

Written by
Nirali Desai
Nirali Desai is a senior copywriter at A Place for Mom specializing in memory care and life enrichment topics. Previously, she worked in marketing and social media, edited a regional senior magazine, and wrote for the American Red Cross. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.
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Jordan Kimbrell is a former copyeditor at A Place For Mom, where she worked with writers to produce articles and web pages that answer the most pressing questions related to senior living. With over a decade of experience as an editor and writer, Jordan holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Truman State University and Kansas State University, respectively.
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Author Carol Bradley Bursack spent two decades as a primary caregiver to seven elders and is also a newspaper columnist, blogger, and expert on aging.
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