Here at Sundara Senior Living, we understand the challenge of finding the right memory care and community to fit the needs of your loved one. We want to help you get through the struggle by answering one of your most common questions, is memory care more expensive than assisted living?
Cost of Memory Care vs. Assisted Living
Overall, memory care is typically more expensive than assisted living.
It is difficult, however, to compare the overall costs between memory care and assisted living when so many other factors are important to the equation, such as level of care and the type of living environment, including, and not limited to, the size and type of the home setting, location of the home, staff training, and the overall focus of the community.
Related: Does Medicare & Medicaid Pay For Assisted Living in Texas?
Memory Care Compared to Assisted Living
The type of care provided to your loved one with memory impairment is principal to the cost of their care.
Memory care is assisted living with a license for memory care.
Beyond the level of care commonly provided with assisted living, memory care includes specialized care for dementia and memory loss. Specialized training is required for all staff as it relates to the care of individuals with memory impairment problems such as Alzheimer’s.
Standard assisted living focuses on the needs of residents that are more cognitively intact, compared to memory care.
Both assisted living and memory care should include assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), and may also include meal services, medication management, care scheduling and coordination, housekeeping and laundry services, transportation, as well as activities such as exercise and social gathering.
Memory care should also provide an around the clock secure living environment, memory-enhancing therapies, a lower staff-to-resident ratio, and physical environments that help reduce confusion and anxiety.
Upon comparison, there are distinct differences between memory care and assisted living.
Ultimately, memory care is specialized care for dementia patients and assisted living is designed for people who cannot, or do not want to live independently.
The comparison of costs between memory care and assisted living will always result in a variance, but we feel the cost is not the real factor here. We believe how we care is the difference—caring is what matters.
The Sundara Difference
We strive to set the standard in memory care in Round Rock and the greater Austin, Texas area. If you are a caregiver comparing community to community for your loved one, take into consideration our foundational care focus and practices:
Focused memory care
Memory care is all that we do, and we are good at it.
We take a more proactive care approach that is founded on constancy of observation, interaction, engagement, and structure throughout the full course of the day, not just 20-hours a week.
Our staff understands that dementia is progressive and there may be behaviors that each are trained to manage. We know that the support of our staff is crucial to our environment and the care of our residents. We support our staff through specialized training, paid for continuing education, and next-level certifications.
Safe environment
We provide a secure environment that is easy for residents to negotiate and feel at home in. Our focus is to provide a living environment that avoids disruption and chaos and promotes calm, which is essential to promoting memory function.
Smaller is better
We believe our smaller environment provides a sense of stability for our residents. Smaller group settings promote individual validation and communication, reducing any feelings of isolation, anxiety, and disorientation.
Our smaller community also allows us to respond to the needs of our residents with unmatched responsiveness, without having to navigate around a corporate structure or mid-level management.
We believe it is the little things in life that make a difference. In our small community, we know our residents. We know individual likes and dislikes, and we believe in helping each resident to feel recognized. Each individual matters, and we ensure our residents know that!
We believe memory care should involve a personal touch. It rings true, the smallest of things matter in life. We believe and invest in that.
Our Commitment to Better Memory Care
At every step, we have made memory care as simple and straightforward as possible, and accessible and affordable to as many families in need.
We recognize that the cost of senior care is critical to families and loved ones. We understand and have taken measures to avoid some of that strain.
We structure our rates so that our families can budget without fear of add-on fees or upcharges. We are committed to providing premium care that real-world families can afford and trust.
Learn more about Sundara’s pricing, take a virtual tour, or set up an appointment to speak with us here or give us a call at 512-399-5080.