If your elderly parent with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia requires full-time care, you may be considering a memory care facility or nursing home. Or, you may be wondering: Is a memory care facility a nursing home?
While both of these long-term care options can support seniors with memory loss, knowing the difference between memory care and nursing homes is important. Both memory care and nursing homes provide 24-hour care, supervision, and meals. Staff members also help with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, and medication management.
However, memory care — sometimes called dementia care — is specialized just for people with memory loss. This type of care focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with dementia in a secure environment to minimize confusion and the dangers of wandering.
Nursing homes provide care and medical assistance for seniors who are debilitated. Seniors in nursing homes don’t require hospital care but can’t care for themselves or live independently. They may be bedridden, need a wheelchair, or require daily nursing care.
In this article:
Memory care communities provide 24-hour, specialized care for people with memory loss. Caregivers at memory care facilities regularly receive dementia care training to help prevent and minimize difficult dementia behaviors.
Memory care communities rely on experienced, skilled staff to help prevent and minimize dementia symptoms like the following:
Memory-enhancing activities, therapies, and programs at memory care facilities also help improve quality of life for seniors with memory loss. These unique services may include an array of options:
The design of a memory care facility versus a nursing home also differs. Safety is a key priority at memory care facilities, and they’re often equipped with built-in safety features. Such features can include locked and alarmed exit doors to prevent injuries potentially caused by wandering. Many memory care facilities also are specially designed to reduce confusion and create a familiar, homelike environment for seniors with memory loss.
The following layout and design features are common at memory care facilities:
Nursing home residents often have serious health issues or chronic conditions that require around-the-clock care.
Two types of care options are available at nursing homes:
In addition to help with activities of daily living, nursing home services may include medication management, wound care, IV therapies, and respiratory therapy. Services can also incorporate rehabilitative therapies, like speech, occupational, and physical therapy.
Medicare’s nursing home comparison tool can help you find detailed information about every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the U.S.
Nursing home care requires a physician’s prescription and physical exam before a resident can move in. Seniors may qualify for nursing home care in the following situations:
Nursing home qualification requirements differ from one state to the next. It’s important to check with your local Medicaid or county government agency to learn about your state’s specific nursing home qualification requirements.
| Services | Memory Care | Nursing Homes |
|---|---|---|
| Meal services | x | x |
| Housekeeping and laundry services | x | x |
| Social activities | x | x |
| Medication management | x | x |
| Help with daily activities (ADLs) | x | x |
| Specialized care for patients with memory loss | x | x |
| 24-hour care and supervision | x | x |
| Secured entrances and exits to prevent wandering | x | x |
| Rehabilitative therapies as needed | x | |
| Memory-enhancing therapies | x | |
| Unique facility layout and design to reduce confusion | x | |
| Transportation to appointments | x |
If your loved one has significant health issues besides dementia, you may be wondering, “Is memory care considered skilled nursing?”
A key difference between memory care and skilled nursing is the level of care. Skilled nursing is the highest level of care that patients can receive outside of a hospital. It involves registered nurses or other trained, licensed professionals under the supervision of a doctor. Memory care communities don’t provide skilled nursing services like nursing homes often do.
However, some nursing homes offer care specifically for people with dementia.
So, what is memory care in a nursing home? Sometimes, you’ll find a nursing home memory care unit located in a separate wing or dedicated space of a facility, according to the National Institute on Aging. In these units, staff members typically have specialized training to meet the unique needs of people with dementia. A nursing home memory care unit provides a higher level of medical care than you’ll find in a memory care community.
Many factors affect the cost of memory care communities and nursing homes, including location, the type of services provided, and whether a space is shared.
Our advisors help 300,000 families each year find the right senior care for their loved ones.
Memory care is for people with Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, or other types of memory loss. People with advanced memory loss who require 24-hour supervision, or people with dementia symptoms that are difficult to manage, often benefit from the knowledgeable and compassionate approach used at memory care facilities. The customized layouts, safety features, and memory-focused therapies at these facilities help improve quality of life for seniors with memory loss.
However, seniors with serious medical needs who require 24-hour supervision may benefit from nursing homes that offer skilled nursing care and rehabilitative therapies.
If you’re unsure about what type of care will best fit your loved one, talk with your family, your elderly loved one, and their doctor or case manager to better understand their care needs. You can learn about memory care versus long-term care options of varying types in the following articles:
A Place for Mom is ready to assist and offers a free consultation service that’s helped hundreds of thousands of families find senior living for their aging family members. Contact a local Senior Living Advisor to discuss your loved one’s needs and the available care options in your area.
Sources
A Place for Mom. (2022). A Place for Mom Proprietary Senior Living Price Index.
Genworth. (2022, February 7).Cost of care survey.
National Institute on Aging. (2017, May 18). Finding long-term care for a person with Alzheimer’s.
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