Memory Care vs. Assisted Living: Which Does My Parent Need?

Choosing between assisted living and memory care depends on your parent’s individual needs. While both can provide help with daily activities, memory care is specifically designed for people living with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory-related conditions who require a more secure environment and specialized support.

What Is Assisted Living?

Assisted living may be appropriate when your parent can still maintain much of their independence but needs some help with everyday activities.

At Evergreen Estates in Clarkston, assisted living is designed for residents who may need nursing staff assistance with things such as maintaining adequate nutrition, remembering medications, dressing, or bathing. Medication management is also included in the basic rent charges, with assistance based on physician orders and nursing oversight.

Evergreen Estates conducts a free nursing assessment before admission to determine a person’s abilities, needs, and limitations. After move-in, the assessment is updated as staff learn more about the resident’s healthcare needs and is used to develop an individualized care plan.

What Is Memory Care?

Memory care provides a higher level of specialized support for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory-related conditions.

Evergreen Estates’ Secure Memory Care Unit is specifically designed to provide a secure, private-apartment environment for these residents. It offers 24-hour Certified Nursing Assistants trained in dementia care, an on-site Registered Nurse, and individualized care plans developed with input from the resident, family, and medical provider.

Residents can receive assistance with dressing, bathing, personal hygiene, grooming, medications, and routine treatments. The Memory Care Unit also has dedicated common areas, an activities room, a centrally located nurse station, and a secure outdoor courtyard with covered seating.

Signs Assisted Living May Be the Better Fit

Assisted living may be appropriate if your parent needs help with medications, bathing, dressing, nutrition, or other daily activities, but can otherwise live safely in a standard assisted living environment.

Evergreen Estates’ assisted living area is not designed for residents who demonstrate wandering, repeated exit-seeking, or elopement behaviors; its disclosure states that alarmed exit doors are located in the Secure Memory Care Unit rather than the standard assisted living area.

Signs Memory Care May Be the Better Fit

Memory care may be more appropriate when Alzheimer’s disease or another memory-related condition has progressed to the point that your parent requires specialized dementia-trained caregivers, closer supervision, or a secured environment.

This distinction is especially important if wandering or exit-seeking has become a concern. Evergreen Estates describes its Memory Care Unit as providing a higher level of specialized care in a fully secured environment, beyond what is offered through standard assisted living.

Both Options Provide Personalized Care

Choosing memory care doesn’t mean giving up all of the comforts associated with assisted living. Evergreen Estates’ Memory Care residents have access to the amenities offered to Assisted and Independent Living residents, along with areas specifically dedicated to memory care. Private Memory Care apartments include a private bathroom, walk-in shower, closet space, emergency pull cords, smoke alarms, fire sprinklers, weekly housekeeping, and laundry service.

Evergreen Estates’ broader community also provides meals, activities and 24-hour trained and awake staff, with convenient access to the TriState Health campus.

How Do I Know Which Level of Care My Parent Needs?

Families don’t have to make this decision alone. A professional assessment can help determine whether a parent’s needs can be safely met through assisted living or whether the additional security and specialized support of memory care would be more appropriate.

Evergreen Estates offers a free nursing assessment for assisted living and encourages families to schedule a tour and discuss their loved one’s individual circumstances with the care team.

For families in Clarkston, Lewiston, and throughout the Lewis-Clark Valley, Evergreen Estates offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Secure Memory Care at 1215 Evergreen Court in Clarkston, Washington, on the TriState Health campus.

Learn more about Assisted Living at Evergreen Estates or explore Evergreen Estates’ Secure Memory Care Unit