How to Choose a Memory Care Facility: A Comprehensive Guide

It is a deeply personal choice to choose the best memory care facility for a loved one. Being a family member, you want to ensure they receive compassionate, specialized care that knows and meets their unique needs. We have compiled vital things to remember and ask when figuring out which memory care facility is best for you.

Understand Your Loved One’s Needs

Evaluate your loved one’s current condition before you start looking. Think about how dependent they are, their medical needs, and their preferences for spending time each day. An important consideration is whether they need specialized memory care or just assisted living. Certain providers such as SPIRIT Care Homes, provide individualized care for conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia and tailor personalized care to those with such conditions to provide comfort and dignified care.

Evaluate the Facility’s Environment

People with memory-related conditions must have a welcoming, secure, and homely environment. Depending on where your loved one is in their dementia journey, they will need different levels of supervision and individualized care and therefore it is of utmost importance to inquire what is the staff-to-resident ratio? For people with early dementia a large facility with low staff-to-resident ratio might be adequate however, the more advanced in their journey they are, the more they would benefit from a more personalized care. In those instances, smaller facilities like group homes have been demonstrated to be far superior than large nursing homes, and residents tend to thrive in such highly-attentive environment.

Also, when you visit a facility observe its cleanliness, layout, and safety features. Do the entrances and exits provide a safe way to travel? At the same time, is the space inviting and calm?

Ask About Staff Training and Ratios

Much of the staff training and expertise determine the quality of care. Find out about the staff’s qualifications, ongoing staff education, and the staff-to-resident ratio. Due to such reasons, we at SPIRIT Care Homes are owned and operated by a doctor and a nurse, allowing for clinical oversight and top-notch staff training. Our higher staff-to-resident ratio ensures that residents get attentive, individualized care.

Review Policies, Services and Costs in detail

Learn the facility’s policies regarding initiating care plans, medical emergencies, and families’ participation. Key questions to ask include:

· What goes into developing individualized care plans?
· What is the way we respond when there is a medical emergency?
· Are families involved in care decisions?
· What are the costs of rent and cares? Are there additional fees? Do you accept federally or state funded programs?

We strive to be transparent, offering all-inclusive pricing without hidden fees here at SPIRIT Care Homes. Families can plan knowing that the costs won’t increase year after year.

Learn About Their Approach to Care

How a facility treats memory care is also incredibly important to your loved one’s quality of life. Search for facilities that emphasize dignity, engagement, and emotional well-being. As a facility that embraces technology, one of our strategies is integration with CarePredict, which utilizes artificial intelligence to learn residents’ behaviors and allows us to monitor their health and wellness proactively. Fresh, home-cooked, nutritious meals are prepared on-site by our in-house chef with our residents’ preferences and dietary needs, creating comfort and a true home environment.

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Conclusion

Selecting a memory care facility is a balancing act between your loved ones’ needs and your family’s priorities. SPIRIT Care Homes is distinguished for being owned and operated by a doctor and a nurse, a true home environment with a competitive staff-to-resident ratio, cutting edge technology, homemade meals by in-house cook, and all-inclusive pricing.