Skilled nursing care vs memory care

Richard67 · November 21

Looking for information and advice. We took my wife to a well-regarded memory care center but their assessment determined she had too many needs and required skilled nursing care instead. We were disappointed. The SN facility is more like a hospital ward than MC but the rooms can be personalized with some furniture, decorations, etc. Wife needs personal 24/7 care for everything: eating, hygiene, even walking. So I am also hiring caregivers in addition to SN staff. What have others experienced in SN?

terei · November 21

The first thing I thought when reading your post was that I hope you have had your DW assessed by hospice. They would be another layer of help for you also.

easy23 · November 21

My husband was in memory care for 11 months and then I decided to move him to a SNF due to increased physical needs. He is in a memory care wing of the nursing home. I have found him to be well cared for. He mostly stays in his bed but there are activities he could participate in if he wanted to. There is a common room where most of the more advanced patients spend the day, under the care of nurses and aides. My DH has physical therapy 3x/week in his room. I am glad I moved him.

H1235 · November 21

My mom is in a nursing home. She could not afford mc. She is higher functioning than most, so it’s hard to see her there. Moms facility offers a lot of activities and opportunities for socializing, which has been good. I have not had any problems yet. I thinks it a nicer facility. I really think it all depends on the facility. I have visited some that were just awful. It’s too bad that it has come to needing a nursing home, but it sounds like she will be getting the care she needs.

SDianeL · November 22

my Step-Dad had a stroke and was in an SNF for almost a month. He got excellent care there. Although the rooms were hospital like they were large enough and one other person shared the room and bath. The food was excellent even the puréed food he needed at first. The care your DW needs is the most important thing. Visit often and make sure she is getting good care. I would also have a hospice evaluation. They offer so much.

A. Marie · November 23

When I realized that I was going to have to place my DH in some sort of institutional care (for numerous reasons), I had a local agency administer him the NY State Patient Review Instrument (PRI). He scored just above the minimum for needing skilled nursing, so that's what I aimed for. And, frankly, this was a good thing, since he and I were spared the additional stress of needing to move him from memory care to skilled nursing. Too often, I believe, people think that "oh, my loved one can't be so bad off as to need skilled nursing" and aim for memory care, only to have to move the person to skilled nursing in a matter of weeks or months. The skilled nursing facility wasn't perfect, but it met my DH's needs adequately until his death in June 2023.

clenno · November 24

Have you considered a board and care facility? They operate differently than the larger facilities and can be a good fit for some folks. They tend to be smaller with maybe a dozen or so residents. We have a few in our area that are as well regarded as the corporate facilities. You might also check with your local ALZ office to see if there are any local "advisors." There is a woman in our area that helps families with placements locally. Think "A Place For Mom" only local and no annoying calls for days after you login to their site to look around.

Skilled nursing care vs memory care

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