Alabama Memory Care Facilities

According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease remains a public medical crisis in Alabama. Without an effective cure or treatment, its impact is expected to continue rising. Recent statistics reveal that 96,000 people aged 65 and above live with Alzheimer's in Alabama while 12.9% of people aged 45 and above experience subjective cognitive decline.

The staggering statistics signify the need for a public medical approach to decrease the burden and improve the life quality of those with cognitive impairment and their families. If you're looking for a suitable care facility for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia, MemoryCareFacilities.net allows you to find the ideal memory care facility in Alabama.

With the listed memory care facilities in Alabama, you should be easily able to locate one nearest to you. This guide will discuss memory care costs in Alabama, the payment options, regulations, and other related information.

Memory Care Amenities in Alabama

Alabama's memory care communities focus on offering a secure and safe environment for those with dementia and Alzheimer's. These facilities offer valuable services that help seniors maintain their daily routine. These communities comprise various safeguards to ensure the safety of their senior residents while sustaining a caring, comfortable, and stress-free setting.

The facilities offer 24-hour supervised care with activities and residents' health management. Elders can access daily meals, laundry, housekeeping, personal assistance, and comfortable semi-private or private color-coded rooms.

Alabama's facilities also feature secured memory care units and areas to avoid wandering, which is common among Alzheimer's patients. Personnel typically help residents with tasks such as meal selection, showering, dressing, eating, and moving around. Moreover, they offer long-term senior health care to those with severe, late-stage dementia, in a monitored environment.

Alabama Memory Care Costs

In cases of memory care, a bigger staff to resident population is necessary to ensure proper care. Therefore, costs are typically higher compared to other communities and might differ based on various factors such as the community's geographical location, room size, the care level needed, and whether it’s a semi-private or private room.

On average, memory care costs in Alabama average around $3,890 per month, according to Dementia Care Central; this translates into $46,680 annually. The Auburn area is the costliest area at approximately $4,940 monthly and $59,280 annually. The most affordable is Gadsden where charges are about $2,980 monthly and $35,760 annually. Nationwide, Alabama's assisted living costs are the least expensive.

Financial Programs to Pay for Memory Care in Alabama

• Medicaid

In Alabama, this plan covers the price of nursing home care along with restricted personal assistance at home. Besides this plan, Alabama's Medicaid program provides waivers to help the elderly, living in communities or homes, in order to prevent their delayed placements in nursing homes.

Although Medicaid covers some amount of community and home care, it's usually more restricted than the waiver programs. It's worth noting that the state program is an entitlement plan. Therefore, you need to meet eligibility requirements to avail these services while the waiver plans depend on the available slots for assistance. As of April of last year, there are four Medicaid programs in Alabama, including the State Plan.

1. The Elderly & Disabled Waiver services that permit disabled or elderly individuals who would otherwise need nursing care to continue residing in the community or at home. Services include respite care, home-delivered meals, and adult day-care.
2. Independent Living Waiver formerly called the Homebound Waiver, which seeks to help disabled persons continue residing in or move back to their communities or homes rather than a nursing facility.
3. The Alabama Community Transition Waiver offers services for disabled and elderly residents. The goal is to help restore independent living in the community. The associated benefits include personal care, home modifications, and meal delivery.
4. The Personal Choices Program is currently accessible statewide. The care program permits disabled and seniors to obtain services under the three programs named above, with the option to select and handle their care providers.

Each program has eligibility prerequisites, which include asset and income qualifications. As of last year, the monthly income of an elderly applicant was not to surpass $2,313 in order to be eligible for long-term Medicaid.

Moreover, there's a $2,000 resource limit. Resources or assets don't include personal effects, household goods, or one's house. If the applicant surpasses the resource or income limits, he or she can still qualify for Medicaid under certain circumstances. Medicaid application can be complex, so applicants should contact a Medicaid planner.

• Non-Medicaid Programs

Currently, Alabama does not provide any non-Medicaid programs. However, it offers assistance in the form of decreased home cooling or heating costs. Alabama also provides transportation assistance and nutritious meals covered under the Older Americans Act.

Memory Care Regulations in Alabama

Alabama's memory care statewide regulations state that that communities that lack a license can't advertise or admit residents with serious cognitive impairments such as dementia. To gain admission, residents must also undergo screening and meet the set scores by the Alabama Department of Public Health.

All personnel dealing with residents at the facility must undergo training before interacting with residents and enroll for continuing education annually. Required staffing include a medical director, administrator, and unit coordinator.

Admission Process & Prerequisites for Memory Care

While patients can move into a memory care facility in Alabama on short notice, they must undergo a medical exam within 30 days of gaining admittance and an individual care plan must be in place. The resident will be responsible for covering the screening costs, while those covered under Medicare will have some of the expenses covered.

The process needs two assessments on following criteria: behavior screening and maintenance scale. All specialty facilities need a minimum resident score on the self-maintenance scale. Applications must undergo further screening as well to proceed into specialty care. Typically, they'll undergo a mental status exam, behavior screen, clinical history, and screening for physical functioning.

Personnel & Training

At least two workers should be on duty always in assisted living facilities in Alabama. All facilities should consist of a medical director licensed to practice medicine in the state. The director will be responsible for implementing care policies and coordinating medical care in the facility. Every facility must also hire a registered nurse as well as a unit coordinator to manage routine operations daily.

Residence / Facility

Private bedrooms or living units should be at least 80 sq ft for a single person and 130 sq ft for two individuals. The maximum number of people that a living unit can accommodate is two. Furthermore, there should be a sink and toilet per six residents and a shower per eight residents.

Facilities should also comprise fire detection and alarm systems that are up to building codes. There are no mandatory rules regarding the design. For instance, regulations don't dictate the need for outdoor spaces or circular hallways.

Eviction Rules

Generally, a person can face eviction in Alabama if the memory care community can't manage his or her medical condition, including the degree of cognitive impairment. For instance, a facility would have to discharge a resident who has a medical emergency and requires full-time nursing care.

Another reason for eviction would be a case where a resident's mental state worsens to the point of needing physical restraint for other peoples' safety. However, Alabama’s state regulations don't stipulate that eviction can occur because of nonpayment. The agreement must stipulate the grounds for eviction at move-in, so you must examine the document to establish whether the failure to pay promptly could lead to an eviction.

When is Your Loved One Ready for Memory Care?

Since dementia develops gradually over time and given that the symptoms differ broadly from disorientation and memory loss to personality changes, the disease is unlike several others. The disease manifests differently in people and at different rates, so it can be hard for those experiencing memory loss and their loved ones to recognize when they require specialized care.

Increased demands might overwhelm you and it might be difficult to establish the right time for transition into a community designed specifically for dementia. Here are the signs to watch for in a loved one who's ready for memory care in Alabama.

Safety Concerns

Disorientation or confusion-caused wandering could lead to safety issues. If your loved one has dementia and still drives, he or she is at risk for car accidents. Those who tend to walk may end up lost and a state of panic might make them vulnerable to dangerous behavior such as crossing the road at the wrong time.

You'll also discover that falls occur more often because those with memory loss tend to forget location of the staircase or not notice items that might be a tripping hazard. If you're concerned about their safety, perhaps it's time you considered a local memory care facility in Alabama.

Increased Health Needs

Physical changes are very often the first visible signs in people with Alzheimer or dementia. If your loved one has lost weight recently, they must be forgetting to eat, or vice versa. Medical complications may also arise when a person with memory loss forgets to take their medication or overdoses on them, causing a medical crisis.

When You're Overwhelmed as a Caregiver

It's difficult to take care of a family member with dementia because you have your life as well. In this case, stress is inevitable, particularly as the disease deteriorates to include uncontrolled behavior and communication loss.

Even if you try to conceal it from your loved ones, it is not going to help you or the person you are caring for. If you recognize that caregiving is draining you mentally, emotionally and physically (and it does), perhaps it's time to consider memory care in Alabama.

When Your Loved One Shows Signs of Isolation

People with dementia usually start withdrawing themselves as their world becomes confusing. The mental effect of Alzheimer's may cause someone to retreat and residing at home makes it easier to isolate oneself, even with other family members present. As the condition progresses, less stimulation and more confusion can turn into a self-reinforcing circle.

Questions to Ask Memory Care Communities during a Tour

If you're thinking of shifting your loved one to an Alabama memory care community, you'll have to research on the options available in terms of cost and facilities. You'll need to take the time to tour them individually. You might also consider talking to friends or colleagues with similar experiences to help you through the decision-making process and narrow down your choices.

As you search for the right memory care community in Alabama for your loved one, make sure you ask them the right questions to put your mind at ease. Ask questions concerning personnel, the kind of facilities provided and also inquire from other families with loved ones at the facility to establish whether the community is suitable.

Memory Care vs. Assisted Living

While assisted living facilities in Alabama might feature memory care facilities on the premises, they aren't synonymous. Assisted living denotes a long-term care choice that merges support services, housing, and health care as required.

Services offered in this type of care in the state of Alabama include transportation and medication management. Seniors in this form of care can usually choose between shared space or a private room in an apartment, based on their preferences and budget. If a loved one is still active but can't live independently and requires assistance with daily activities such as dressing, bathing, or eating, assisted living would be ideal.

Alabama memory care, on the other hand, is a unique type of long-term professional nursing that caters specifically to patients with dementia, Alzheimer's, and other kinds of memory issues. Also termed special care units, they typically offer supervised care 24x7 within a separate floor or wing of a residential facility.  

If dementia or Alzheimer's isn't an immediate concern and relative independence is evident in your loved one, he or she is better off with assisted living. However, if complex needs related to memory impairment are evident, you will need to look for a memory care facility near you.

Transitioning a loved one to a memory care facility can be a tough decision for anyone. It is, however, important to remember that such a transition will give the patient that much-need support, necessary to improve their life quality.