With vascular dementia, what would be the deciding factor of choosing assisted living or memory care?

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With vascular dementia, what would be the deciding factor of choosing assisted living or memory care?

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My husband seems to be gradually worsening in being able to go down stairs, getting up from bed, I now have to position him with all exercises, he does not remember how to take any instructions as he has been working out his whole life. Incontinence is needing more management, Dressing himself is not possible without help.

Assisted Living Care Decisions Memory Care Vascular Dementia

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Your husband needs Memory Care Assisted Living where his world is shrunken down to fit his limitations. He will be dressed each morning and prompted by staff to do whatever is necessary. There are no microwave ovens in MC so cooking and burning oneself isn't possible. The activities are specifically geared towards elders with dementia as well. The bldg is designed in a square so the residents cannot get lost. All halls lead to the activity/dining room. My mother was very well cared for in MC for just under 3 years before she passed.

Regular AL caters to fairly independent seniors who require minimal care and basically no prompting. It's easy to get lost finding the dining room, or the activity rooms etc. My parents AL had 3 floors with an elevator and a huge garden. No locked outside doors and they came and went as they chose. They had a microwave and a full size fridge in their apartment. They rode the mini bus to the grocery store to buy food and snacks themselves.

The facility you like will not accept seniors with advancing dementia who need too much prompting or help into their regular AL, but will take them in MC. It won't be up to you, more than likely. And if he's accepted into AL, the admin can insist he transfer into MC at any time.

Good luck to you.

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Reply to lealonnie1

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My wife was diagnosed in an ER with dementia in 1/23. The Neurologist we saw in 6/23 after a few visits said she had Vascular Dementia. He had over 50 years experience with dementia. In 8/24 , I began going to a memory care facility for caregiver meetings and talking my wife. After the meeting on 10/24they suggested she be placed in their facility. After talking with my children I did! This was the hardest decision I have made in my life. Nineteen days into her stay, she developed a blood clot in her leg and I had to take her to the hospital. After three days the doctor advised me she should be placed in hospice care. I chose not to give up and chose skilled nursing care with therapy in a memory care facility. After a month of therapy to improve her walking I made the decision to take back to the other memory care facility to see if they could help her with her walking. I had seen how both facilities operated and how they had one aide for fifteen patients. I decided to talk her home and call hospice. Hospice a caregiver and myself have been taking care of my wife even since. In 1/25 she came home and became bedridden on 2/25 since she could no longer walk. Within a few months the severe cognitive decline set in, she had to be bathed feed and changed. I cook all her food and feed every morning and sometimes on the evening. Since she wears a catheter I make sure and go in her room a lot to check on her during the day. The caregiver and and I each put In about 56 hours each a week. I am grateful for hospice the caregiver myself for giving her a lot lot of one on one care. I have seen how memory care facilities work and they areI under staffed but do a good job not what I wanted for my wife of 54 years. Good luck in making you decision for you loved one.

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Reply to Willcrest819

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My husband's memory care isn't understaffed. There's a lot of interaction with the residents by the caregivers. There are 16 residents in his unit. Only a few can walk; the others are in wheelchairs. They are in the common area unless they need a nap and go to bed. The caregivers have ongoing training and discussions about how best to help each resident based on the resident's current needs. Also, the caregivers work in teams of two throughout the day. Family members are always welcome, and I'm there almost every day for whatever time period seems best. It's a model that works well.

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It's memory care for vascular dementia. I have read very helpful advise from our forum.

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Reply to Patathome01

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my husband is in a facility that has assisted living on one side and memory care on the other side. I wanted him in assisted living but the staff felt like he was “exit seeking” so he is on the memory care unit. I’ve noticed some people on the assisted living unit that seem worse off physically and mentally than my husband. That being said, it sounds like your husband needs more care than assisted living can offer. When you visit care facilities, the admission coordinator will help guide you.
take care of yourself. Don’t let HIS declining health be YOUR declining health.

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Reply to Yesterdayanurse

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You schedule a visit with a couple Memory Care and Assisted Living communities, and talk with an Admissions Director. They will ask about his care needs and will give you guidance as to whether they can adequately manage his needs.

From what you have described here, it sounds as if he will need more skilled nursing and hands-on care than is typically provided with Assisted Living.
And, he will become more dependent over time. Try to find a care facility which offers different levels of care, so that he can easily be transitioned when the time comes.

Is he going up and down stairs daily?! With difficulty? That is incredibly dangerous! Please, try to keep him on the main floor - set up a bed for him, and a commode chair if there is not a first floor bathroom. A fall down the stairs will be disastrous!

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Reply to CaringWifeAZ

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My mom lives in a memory care assisted-living facility. We moved her there when she was still mostly self-mobile (she could walk but had fallen a few times at home). She has been at the facility for about 2 1/2 years. She has been a hospice patient for about 1 1/2 years. She doesn't walk anymore and uses a wheelchair, she needs to be transferred on and off the toilet and into and out of bed, and she wears incontinence items. Her memory is increasingly deteriorating, and she's often delusional. The facility's on-site manager and staff seem willing to keep her until she passes away, even though her care requirements have increased. Things aren't perfect, but the facility seems like the best option for mom's and our situation.

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Reply to Rosered6

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I am of the belief that a person with dementia should be in Memory Care not Assisted Living.
I think from what you have described his care is beyond what AL would or could do. So in that respect MC would be the better option.
One of the reasons that I do not feel AL is appropriate for dementia patients is it is to easy for them to wander out and get "lost" . But from what you have said I doubt that your husband would be able to wander off.

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Reply to Grandma1954

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You decide when you are feeling overwhelmed or burned out. He is not a candidate for AL, and maybe not even MC because he cannot do physical things himself. Maybe SNF or LTC. Only consider ones that accept Medicaid.

Please make sure you have all your legal ducks in a row. Are you his PoA? Do you have one yourself? I would make sure you consult with an elder law attorney or Medicaid Planner for your state so that you aren't blindsided by the cost of care and how it will and won't impact you individually.

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Reply to Geaton777

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. There are care criteria set up by the state. You don't have to decide yourself. The designation of levels of patient care has set requirements of care needed and facilities are licensed by the state for the particular amount of care needed. This depends on the current diagnosis and medical history. It doesn't sound like a decision needs to be made between AL vs. MC but between SNF vs. MC. AL would probably not take him at this point. I am sorry this is happening to you and your husband.

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Reply to Sandra2424

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Remember that vascular dementia is the most aggressive of all of the dementias, with a life expectancy of just 5 years, so you will notice decline more rapidly.
Your husband would no longer qualify for assisted living unless you were to move in there with him, so memory care would be the best option if you're no longer able to care for him properly at home.
And if you do plan on keeping him home, please set up his bed downstairs so he doesn't have to go up and down stairs anymore as you're just asking for trouble if you continue to let him use the stairs as that's a major accident just waiting to happen.

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Reply to funkygrandma59

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With vascular dementia, what would be the deciding factor of choosing assisted living or memory care?

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