What to Expect As a Memory Care Nurse

As a nurse, you oversee patient care, whether long- or short-term. Your responsibilities may include turning or rotating patients, helping with basic needs such as eating, hygiene, and exercise, and taking vital signs while monitoring patient health.  In the case of a memory care facility, CNAs, RNs, LPNs, and so on take on all of these same responsibilities, as well as any additional tasks and duties that promote the health, wellness, and quality of life of patients living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

For more about the expectations of a Certified Nursing Assistant job in any healthcare setting, click here!

What is Memory Care?

Memory care is a specialized type of long-term care geared towards patients living with Alzheimer’s, other forms of progressive-degenerative dementia, and other memory-related conditions. 

Nursing homes and assisted living offer 24/7 skilled nursing care, while memory care facilities offer specialized security and structure for residents on top of other nursing duties. One of the biggest concerns outside of other major health concerns is protecting residents from wandering off or causing themselves harm. 

What to Expect from a Care Facility?

Working in memory care, nurses and nursing assistants can expect to develop closer, more personal relationships with their patients, something they might not see as often in a hospital setting. In this situation, a nurse would reassure patients who are uncertain or disoriented and give instructions to patients who might be at risk of wandering.

On the other hand, some patients may engage in aggressive behaviors due to their conditions. Therefore, nurses should be mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared to deal with aggressive patients. They should also expect to become familiar with the specific triggers for their patients, as well as what methods are most effective for calming them down if any.