People who have dementia-related conditions often need more specialized care than what’s possible in a regular assisted living community. For some people in this position, transitioning to a memory care unit is the best course of action.
Memory care units help residents with activities of daily living and often provide enrichment that may help cognitive function. The staff members in these units also have the responsibility of keeping residents safe, but that can be challenging.
Wandering is likely
One of the issues that occurs as cognition declines is wandering. The residents usually don’t do this on purpose, but they may take a walk and get lost. Because of the risk of wandering, memory care units are often locked and secured. This allows the residents to safely explore a controlled area they can become familiar with.
Communication can suffer
Another problem that memory care residents often have to deal with is difficulty communicating. This can make it challenging for them to speak up about what they need or anything troubling that’s going on. Staff members have to determine whether residents have everything they need or not.
Memory care residents may suffer from abuse or neglect at the hands of the staff members because the residents may not be able to let anyone know what’s going on or they may do unsafe things if they aren’t being monitored properly. If any type of abuse or neglect is occurring, the resident who’s being mistreated will likely need medical care and they may opt to pursue a compensation claim.
