What is the difference between assisted living and memory care?
The difference is how much of the day has to be built around a person, and how. The National Institute on Aging describes assisted living and other long-term care options as being “for people who need help with daily care,” with “access to many services, including up to three meals a day” and “help with medications, housekeeping, and laundry.” Memory care begins with that same daily help and adds a setting built around dementia, which the federal dementia resource alzheimers.gov describes as “the loss of the ability to think, remember, and reason to levels that affect daily life and activities.” Here is how the two compare, including what each one looks like in our community.| Comparison factor | Assisted living | Memory care |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Older adults who need help with everyday tasks such as bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing and dining. | People living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, at all stages of memory loss. |
| Daily support | A full suite of assisted living options, including assistance with activities of daily living. | Full nurse’s aide services for activities of daily living. |
| Where residents live | Apartments across our campus, with large common areas. | First-floor apartments around secure walkways and a garden courtyard. |
| Who is on hand | Our team of nurses and aides. | A high staff-to-resident ratio including a full-time nurse. |
| At The Greens at Cannondale | Assisted living, with residents assessed every 120 days. | The Evergreen Program, designed to maintain our residents’ cognitive abilities. |
When is assisted living the right fit?
Assisted living suits an older adult who needs a hand with the practical parts of the day and still wants the rest of it to look familiar. The National Institute on Aging’s checklist for families asks whether an older adult in your life needs help: “Can the person prepare meals on a stove safely?” “Are they bathing regularly and wearing appropriate clothing for the weather?” “Do they have the medications they need, and are they taking them regularly?” If you are answering no to those questions, you are probably already filling the gaps yourself. Our assisted living residents get help with bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing and dining, and the household work comes off your list too. Assisted living at The Greens at Cannondale includes:- 3 chef-prepared meals and “anytime snacks”
- Housekeeping
- Laundry service
- Social activities and outings
- Transportation including “sitter services” as needed
- Personal care
- Medication management
- Expertly planned activity programs
- Registered dietitian services
- Certified music therapy
- Mental health services
When is memory care the right fit?
Memory care is the better fit when memory loss has started to decide how the day goes. Our memory care residents are living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, at all stages of memory loss, and include people who can no longer care for themselves because of progressive memory impairment. We describe the environment as gently structured, because the structure is there to make the day easier rather than to restrict it. The Evergreen Program at The Greens at Cannondale is an assisted living memory care program designed to maintain our residents’ cognitive abilities. Evergreen residents live in first-floor apartments around secure walkways and a garden courtyard, with a high staff-to-resident ratio including a full-time nurse. All of our staff members have earned certification in the Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Training Program. The Evergreen Program includes:- Full nurse’s aide services for activities of daily living
- All meals and snacks including modified texture diets
- Medication management
- Sunday brunch, with families welcome
- Housekeeping and personal laundry
- Outings and trips
- Transportation with sitter service
What should you ask when you visit?
Touring two or three communities in a week is how most families settle this, and the questions matter more than the lobby. Ask about the three things that will actually shape your parent’s week: how our team talks with residents, what a day holds, and how often care is reviewed.How does the team talk with residents?
Listen to how staff speak with residents in passing, not just to you. Ask how we learn a resident’s history, routines and preferences, and how we pass that on to the people working weekends and evenings. For memory care, ask what happens when a resident becomes confused or cannot find the words for what they need. Ask how, and how often, you will hear from us when something changes.What does a typical day include?
Ask what is on the calendar, who leads it, and whether your parent’s own interests have a place in it. In our community, Enhanced Fitness and Chair Yoga are two on-site activities led by local YMCA instructors, and Ridgefield Visiting Nurses holds a twice weekly Wellness Program built around an exercise class. Our activities and resident engagement calendar also holds discussion groups, arts and crafts, games, lectures, religious services, and happy hour at the Tavern at The Greens. Meals are part of the day rather than a break from it. Residents of our assisted living community have 3 chef-prepared meals and “anytime snacks”, with breakfast in the cafe and lunch and dinner in our formal dining room.How often are care needs reviewed?
Ask any community how care is reviewed, who takes part, and how families hear about it. Residents of our assisted living community will be assessed every 120 days to ensure their daily assistance and needs are met by our team of nurses and aides. Ask too how a community handles a move between care levels, and who takes part in that decision. As your care needs change, so does our assistance.How does cost work for assisted living and memory care?
There is no entrance fee and no buy-in. Residents pay monthly. That is a different model from communities that charge a large one-time entrance fee before a resident moves in, then a monthly fee on top. We also do not publish a rate, and that is deliberate rather than evasive. Because care needs differ substantially from one resident to the next, we quote a rate after discussing what your relative needs. The monthly fee depends on the apartment and the level of personal care. You can read how we set and explain the monthly fee, or call us at 203.761.1191 and we will walk you through it for assisted living or for The Evergreen Program.How do you compare communities and decide?
Write your notes down the same way for every community you visit, while the visit is fresh. A short table keeps the comparison honest and shows you which questions nobody has answered yet.| Comparison factor | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Care level | Whether assisted living or memory care matches what your parent needs now, and what the community does when that changes. |
| Daily support | Which kinds of help are included, and which cost extra. |
| Activities | Whether the calendar has anything your parent would actually choose. |
| Communication | How you will hear about changes, and who you call. |
| The apartment | Whether the apartment and the common areas feel comfortable to your parent. |
| Cost model | Entrance fee or monthly rent, what the fee covers, and how a rate is set. |
| Open questions | What still needs an answer before you decide. |
