Memory Care communities are unique because they have locked doors rather than just alarmed doors when exiting, thus preventing folks from being able to leave when they want. This is important in consideration of behaviors that often occur as a result of having dementia and Alzheimer’s like wandering, sundowners, exit seeking, etc.

 

When handling someone that suffers from dementia or Alzheimer's, you must consider what can happen if they leave their home and cannot remember where they live or how to return. Memory Care communities also tend to specialize in how to handle these behaviors.

 

There’s typically extensive training used to help keep people happy, calm and engaged, rather than upsetting them when they cannot remember from one, week, day or minute to the next.

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Activities focused on memory recall from past experiences are staples of activities in most memory care communities. While specific amenities, activities, and service options vary depending on location, the memory care units in many facilities help their memory care residents stay engaged and active in a structured environment with communal dining, brain games, art classes, music, physical therapy, fitness classes, and many other opportunities for social interaction.

 

Patients who are appropriate for this setting are usually those that are already residing in an assisted living environment who have begun forgetting how to perform daily activities of life or who have been getting lost, wandering about, or going into other residents' rooms thinking it was their own. A daily routine in a structured environment has been proven to help cope with the early stages of memory loss.