Reasons to Choose Memory Care vs Skilled Nursing

When a loved one with dementia needs more care than family can safely provide at home, two options often come up: a memory care home or a skilled nursing facility (nursing home). Both provide around-the-clock care, but they are designed for different needs. Here’s how to think about the choice.

What’s the difference?

Memory care in Florida is provided in licensed assisted living facilities. It focuses on people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias who need supervision, help with daily activities and a safe, structured environment, but who don’t need daily skilled medical treatment.

Skilled nursing facilities are licensed to provide 24-hour nursing and medical care. They serve people recovering from a hospital stay and people with complex medical needs, such as wound care, IV therapy, feeding tubes or frequent nursing procedures.

Reasons to choose memory care

• Care designed for dementia. Daily routines, activities and the environment are built around the needs of people with memory loss.
• Caregivers trained in dementia. Staff learn approaches for communication, redirection and managing behaviors like sundowning and wandering.
• A homelike setting. Memory care, especially in smaller homes, tends to feel more like a residence than a hospital, which can be calming and reduce confusion.
• Safety without restriction. Secure buildings and outdoor areas let residents move about freely and safely.
• Meaningful activities. Music, art, exercise, life-skill tasks and social time help residents stay engaged and maintain abilities.
• Personal relationships. Consistent caregivers get to know each resident’s history, preferences and moods.
• Often a lower monthly cost than long-term nursing home care, though costs vary widely by home and level of care.

When skilled nursing may be the better fit

• Your loved one needs daily skilled nursing care or medical treatments that assisted living can’t provide.
• They need short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay. Medicare may cover part of a skilled nursing stay after a qualifying hospital admission.
• They are bedbound and require two-person help for most care, or have medical needs beyond what an assisted living license allows.

Many people with dementia receive short-term rehab in a skilled nursing facility after a hospital stay, then move to, or return to, memory care.

Paying for care

Medicare does not pay for long-term care in either setting. Families often use savings, long-term care insurance, VA Aid and Attendance and, for those who qualify, Florida Medicaid’s long-term care program, which can help pay for services in both assisted living and nursing homes. Generations Senior Living accepts Medicaid at all three of our homes, accepts long-term care insurance and helps families with claims.

How to decide

• Ask your loved one’s doctor what level of medical care they need now and are likely to need soon.
• Tour both types of settings and notice how residents spend their day.
• Ask each home what needs they can and can’t meet, and what happens if needs change.
• Check licenses and inspection reports on the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration’s FloridaHealthFinder website.

The right choice depends on the person. For many people living with dementia whose main needs are supervision, structure and compassionate daily care, memory care offers a warm, home-like place to live well.

Have questions about memory care for someone you love? Call Generations Senior Living at (352) 474-2696 or schedule a tour of one of our three homes near The Villages.