With many different types of senior care available for your loved one, it is hard to know what is the right fit for your family's needs. In the past, most senior living facilities may have been lumped under the term ‘nursing home’ or ‘skilled nursing facility’. Today there are many distinct differences between nursing homes, assisted living, and memory care communities.
To help you understand the differences between these types of senior care, we have put together a quick guide that highlights the differences.
Assisted Living Communities
Senior living communities, like Brickmont Assisted Living, are appropriate for older adults who do not require 24-hour skilled nursing care. Assisted living communities offer help with the activities of daily living (or ADLs for short) such as bathing, dressing, medication management, eating, and personal grooming. Assisted living communities put emphasis not only on a senior's physical health but also their overall wellness. Life enrichment programs and in-community activities are designed to fulfill social, cognitive, and occupational needs.
Memory Care Communities
Similar to assisted living communities, memory care communities offer non-medical care for people living with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, a form of dementia. In many cases, the memory care wing or building is secured and specifically designed to stimulate and care for seniors who suffer from cognitive impairments. Brickmont Senior Living provides a specially-designed neighborhood staffed with caregivers who are knowledgeable in the care needs of those with dementia. Our programs create a sense of purpose for our residents and take into consideration each person's abilities and limitations.
Nursing Home
A nursing home is a skilled nursing facility for seniors who require around-the-clock care. Residents living at a nursing home often have complex medical issues and high care needs. The care that a person receives in a nursing home emphasizes physical healing – but often neglects the other areas of care like social, environmental, spiritual, and emotional. Stereotypically, due to the acuity of attention, a nursing home often has a ‘sterile' feel and lacks the home environment provided by assisted living and memory care.
Each of these senior care solutions is not necessarily competing, but instead accenting specific care areas on the same spectrum of care. It is not uncommon to see a person move into assisted living and then memory care or a nursing home as their need progresses. We hope this guide has helped you understand the differences between these commonly misunderstood senior living options.
For more information on Brickmont and our assisted living and memory care services, please start by finding your closest Brickmont community.
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