When a loved one receives a dementia diagnosis, caregivers often have to seek out an at-home memory care provider. If you’re not sure where to start, you’re far from alone.

Memory care, or dementia care, is an intensive, specialized level of care that caters to the patients’ personal needs and interests. Ideally, dementia patients are kept engaged, active, and above all, safe by their caregiver.

Memory care can be performed in the home or in care facilities, although a vast majority (80%) of patients with dementia receive care at home, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). At-home memory care can be provided by individual, independent aides, or by accredited agencies, which may offer a team of trained memory care staff.

Navigating the memory care space for the first time can feel overwhelming, which is why caregivers should first get assurances from the patient’s doctor, according to Emily Shubeck, senior associate director of quality care at Alzheimer’s Association. The patient’s level of need will help determine what type of dementia care they should seek out. For example, a patient who needs 24/7 supervision will require a different care plan than someone who only needs help remembering to take their medication.

“It’s important for the caregiver to talk to the primary care physician first to find out about the specific needs and what they qualify for,” says Shubeck. “They can determine the appropriate level of care.”

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of prospective memory care providers, it’s critical to gather as much information as possible. This means asking a lot of questions — and knowing which ones to ask.

Here are the most important questions to ask at-home memory care providers, according to Shubeck and other experts.

Discuss training and experience

At a baseline, providers should meet all state requirements when it comes to offering senior care. Additionally, they should be trained in memory care.

There are several kinds of memory care trainings and certifications. Often, memory care providers are also trained in activities of daily living (ADLs) or other home health aide skills. In fact, anyone can become trained in memory care, including family caregivers with no home aide background. Agencies often mandate particular trainings among their staff.

One common training is the Certified Dementia Practitioner training from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, which involves taking an eight-hour seminar conducted by approved instructors. Some of them offer specialized methods, such as Montessori-based memory care training or virtual reality-based training which puts the home health workers into the headspace of a dementia patient.

“Anyone seeking dementia care needs to inquire if the person doing the memory care has a program that is designed for their loved ones.”
— TOM BRENNER, GERONTOLOGIST AND CO-AUTHOR OF “THE MONTESSORI METHOD FOR CONNECTING TO PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA”

The dementia care training should align with the patient’s needs.

“Anyone seeking dementia care needs to inquire if the person doing the memory care has a program that is designed for their loved ones,” says Tom Brenner, a gerontologist and co-author of “The Montessori Method for Connecting to People with Dementia.” “Is it based on a program that they can research, get involved in and be a part of?”

Questions from the experts for all memory care providers:

What memory care training have you done?
How does your training align with the specific needs of my loved one?
Are you also certified in other skills, including ADL, CPR and others?
Do you provide a continuum of care? In other words, if my loved one requires more care than they currently need, will you be able to provide it, or will they need a new option?
What memory care have you provided in the past? Can you give me an example of a challenge you faced while providing memory care, and how you overcame it?
Why do you do this work?
For individuals, specifically: Will you submit to a background check? Do you meet all state regulations when it comes to providing senior and memory care?
For agencies, specifically: Are all aides licensed, bonded and insured?

Get the rundown on communication

Communication is critical when it comes to memory care providers. The provider should be highly communicative with a patient’s care team — from their family to their physicians — in order to provide the most seamless experience possible, from their family to their physicians.

“The whole team is collaborative, so communication style is very important,” says Shields-Rios.

Here are questions that memory care seekers should ask providers about their communication style.

Questions for providers

What is the intake process? What kind of information will you be looking for regarding my loved one?
What is the plan in case of an emergency or ER visits? How will the patient’s caretakers, physicians, and other care team members be notified?
How can I participate in memory care in a way that would be most productive? How often will you be updating us?
Can you give me an example of a time when you had a challenge with communication with a family, and what adjustments you made?
What technology do you use to communicate?

Questions for agencies

What happens if a memory care provider cannot make it? What is the backup plan, and how will this be communicated?
Do you provide a rotating staff of memory care workers, or just one?
What if we are unhappy with the memory care worker we are assigned? How do we communicate that to the administration privately?

Zero in on activities

Seniors with memory loss should be engaged throughout the day in ways that cater to their personalities and interests. Memory care seekers should ask for a detailed list of a provider’s activities to ensure that their loved one is receiving enough purposeful stimulation.

Specific questions to ask include:

Can I see a calendar of the activities that you are planning to do with my loved one?
How will they spend their downtime?
How will you determine which personalized activities will best suit their needs?
How much will they move around or go outside?
How much will they be interacting with you, and others, in a social way?

Get a clear idea of costs

Memory care fees vary. According to the AARP, at-home memory care alone will add $1,000 to $4,000 per month to other forms of care, which can include homemaker or home health aide costs.

These costs vary widely, so it is important to ask the following questions up front:

Based on my loved one’s needs, how much will memory care alone cost on a monthly basis?
Can I see an itemized list of services provided and their cost?
Will the cost change if my loved one becomes in need of a higher level of care?
Do you accept Medicaid?
How do patients typically pay for the services?
Are there additional costs to the patient, such as PPE for the provider?

The bottom line on interviewing a memory care provider

Don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions and voice all of your concerns in advance. Home health aides and caregivers should be working together to promote easy communication and full transparency, so that their loved one is receiving the best, most personalized care possible.