What’s the Difference Between Memory Care and Assisted Living?

If you’re newly exploring the world of senior living, you may find yourself wondering what type of support is best to help you or your loved one enjoy a better quality of life. Two common care options are assisted living and memory care. Although there are some similarities, you’ll find many differences between assisted living and memory care.

What is assisted living?

Residents of assisted living communities are often quite diverse, with varying ages, different degrees of medical health, and a wide range of personal interests and experiences. What they share in common is the need for a little extra help to ensure their safety and a better quality of life.

Assisted living gives residents the opportunity to remain as independent as they wish to be while providing support where it’s needed most. That might mean help with activities of daily living (like bathing and dressing), medication management, housekeeping, transportation to appointments, or  other activities that help residents maintain their health and living environment. Put simply, assisted living offers a way for seniors to have their needs met while still experiencing the freedom they desire.

At Springpoint Living at Manalapan, we recognize that each individual comes to our assisted living community with unique needs, so our high-quality personal care, exceptional hospitality, and countless life-enriching opportunities are tailored to each resident to make life simple and stress-free.

What is memory care?

In a memory care community, you’ll find residents who’ve been diagnosed with some form of memory loss, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Great care is taken in memory care communities to create a safe, supportive, and comfortable setting that eases the distress often associated with memory loss. In addition to physical nuances like added security to protect residents who may become disoriented and wander, compassionate dementia care and therapeutic programming allow residents to thrive in a secure environment.

Residents of Springpoint Living at Manalapan have access to Springpoint’s exclusive memory care program, Connections – A Dementia Care Model of Excellence™. This program is uniquely designed to enhance the physical, cognitive, and social well-being of each resident. With Connections, we customize activities and care around residents’ unique vocational skills and backgrounds, as well as their likes and dislikes, involving them in familiar activities where they can feel successful and fulfilled every day.

How are assisted living and memory care the same?

The most notable similarity is that both assisted living and memory care communities provide a safe, secure environment where seniors can achieve a greater quality of life than they would living at home. Residents of both types of communities have 24-hour access to staff, and the amenities, activities, and programs offered at both types of communities are designed to encourage more engaged, fulfilling lives.

In fact, for some residents in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s, assisted living may be a perfectly suitable solution. In a stand-alone assisted living and memory care community like Springpoint Living at Manalapan, a resident could even start out in assisted living and transition to memory care when the need arises.

What’s the difference between assisted living and memory care?

One of the greatest differences between assisted living and memory care is the level of independence residents experience. In an assisted living community, residents are encouraged to live as independently as they wish. At Springpoint Living at Manalapan, residents can choose private one-bedroom or studio apartments, although shared floor plans are also available.

Memory care residents at Springpoint Living at Manalapan can also choose a private studio or shared floor plan, but depending on the progression of their memory loss, residents typically have a more structured lifestyle than those in assisted living in order to protect their safety.

Do you or a loved one need assisted living or memory care services? We’re here to help you start your senior living journey with tips, answers to common questions, and other resources, including talking more with a member of our team about assisted living vs. memory care. Find out where to begin.