‘Memory Care’ a growing trend in retirement communities

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Until about three years ago, Residences at Vantage Point, a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community in Columbia, had no housing units that catered specifically to seniors with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

In October 2018, the facility opened 24 units that offered what is known as “memory care,” programs and services designed to help elderly people with memory problems cope with everyday activities.

“It’s programming that helps strengthen their day-to-day cognition and memory, but also meets people where they are, to help encourage and enhance their independence,” said Patti Holly, director of marketing for Vantage Point.

“It provides a way for these residents to be in an environment that is supportive and understanding of their specific needs and desires,” she added. “And, it also provides a way for families to not have to be primary caregiver for all of their personal needs – it allows them to regain and recapture some of their traditional roles of being spouses or children, while we’re taking care of the day-to-day care needs.”

Vantage Point is hardly the only retirement community that offers special units and services for people with memory loss.

Caring.com, an online site for caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses and other loved ones, lists 48 memory care facilities near Baltimore alone.

And Maryland is far from alone in offering memory care. A 2012 article at seniorhousingnews.com, headlined “Adding Memory Care Services to Assisted Living a ‘Huge’ and Growing Trend,” noted that the nation is preparing for an explosion of aging Americans in part by making sure senior communities are ready to deal with a growing number of people with memory impairments.

The story concluded: “The nation is facing a growing need for memory care, and many senior living communities are renovating, converting, expanding, or developing so they’re able to keep up with demand.”

The trend is fueled by the rapid rise in people with, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. An estimated 110,000 Marylanders have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s alone, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and the number is expected to rise to 130,000 by 2025.

The so-called memory care units offer a range of services provided by specially trained staff members designed to keep patients with dementia calm and engaged. They also typically use advanced security measures to prevent residents from wandering and keep them safe, as well as organized activities and brain fitness classes to maintain their cognitive function as long as possible.

Typically, memory care is offered in a separate wing of an assisted living facility.

Costs for memory care wings tend to be 20-30 percent higher than standard assisted living, according to Caring.com, partly due to the added staffing, special training and increased security required.

The state’s Senior Assisted Living Subsidy Program provides financial support to eligible seniors.

But while the units are costly, the care they provide is priceless, advocates for the elderly say. They also agree that more are needed.

“There are so many reasons why some people (with dementia) cannot stay in their own home,” said Yolanda Wright, a program manager with the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Maryland. “Caregivers try their best, but maybe they have their own medical condition, maybe they are still working, maybe for safety reasons, they just can’t.”

Caring for a person with dementia, she said, is hard work, adding another layer of care and attention to dealing with medical and physical needs.

“It’s imperative that alternative housing is an option for people,” Wright said. “These units serve people well. I don’t know how we could manage without them.”

Charter Senior Living of Towson, ranked among the top 10 memory care facilities in the Baltimore area by Caring.com, has 22 of the units, according to sales counselor Jason Colenzo.

“It’s good to have that cornerstone here in the community,” Colenzo said. “People have access to the different programs that help keep their lives enriched, keep them focused, keep them feeling like they’re contributing.”

The care offered is ever-changing, he said, as new research points to new ways of keeping people with dementia active and engaged.

“We have a good, flourishing program with regard to keeping our residents engaged in various ways, not just mental but also physical, emotional, spiritual,” Colenzo said.