Most memory care units, or special care units, are housed within assisted living or nursing home facilities. They provide many benefits including staff that are trained in dementia care, offer individualized care that minimizes the use of risky psychotropic medications, and create a home-like environment with activities designed to improve residents’ quality of life. To assist you in finding a suitable facility, consider the following steps.

Make a list: To identify memory care residential units in your area, ask your parent’s doctor for a referral or use an online search tool. It is beneficial if the facilities on your list are close to family and friends who can visit often, as regular visits often enhance residents’ overall wellbeing.

Research your options: Once you have made a list, call your local long-term care ombudsman. Long-term care ombudsman regularly visit assisted living and nursing homes and address complaints and advocate for quality care. They also provide information to the public regarding facilities, including which facilities have experienced problems in the past.

If you are considering a memory care unit within a nursing home facility, use Medicare’s nursing home compare tool (Medicare.gov/care-compare). This online tool provides a five-star rating system that can utilize maps and filters to help identify providers that fit your parent’s needs.

Call the facilities: Once you have identified a few potential facilities, contact them to find out if they have any vacancies. Also, you should ask other questions such as if they provide the types of services your parent needs, their fees and if they accept Medicaid.

Tour your top choices: During your tour, notice the cleanliness and smell of the facility. Is it homey and inviting? Does the staff seem responsive and kind to its residents? Taste the food and if possible, talk to the current residents’ family members.

Other areas to ask about are staff screening and training procedures, turnover rates and their staff-to-resident ratios. Confirm that they provide quality activities to keep your parent engaged and learn how they respond to residents who may wander or become confused. It is also a good idea to make multiple visits to the facility including an unscheduled visit in the evening or weekend when the facility is more likely to be understaffed.

Since transitions can be unsettling it is best to find a facility that your parent will be able to stay at for the foreseeable future. It is best to find out what, if any, health conditions might require your parent to leave the facility or move to a higher and more expansive level of care.

To help you choose a facility, the Alzheimer’s Association provides a list of questions to ask at CommunityResourceFinder.org/Alz/Tips – click on “Tips for choosing a residential care facility” under Housing Options.

Paying for care: The average cost for memory care in an assisted living facility is approximately $6,000 per month. The average cost increases to over $8,500 per month for memory care at a nursing home care. However, keep in mind though that the costs can vary widely depending on location and services.

Given that Medicare does not cover long-term care, most residents pay for care from either personal savings, a long-term care insurance policy or through Medicaid (if available) once their savings are depleted. If your parent is a veteran, they may be able to get funds through the Veteran Affairs’ Aid and Attendance benefit. To learn more, ask the facility director or contact the regional VA benefit office at 1-800-827-1000.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

The SSI program, which stands for Supplemental Security Income, is a program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that provides monthly cash benefits to people that are disabled or over age 65 based on financial need.

Currently, around 7.5 million people are receiving SSI benefits, but many more are now eligible as the SSA recently expanded access to benefits by modifying some of the rules. Here is what you should know.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for SSI, an applicant must be age 65 or older, blind or disabled, and a U.S. citizen or lawful resident. Recipients must also have limited income and assets.

Individual income must generally be under $1,971 per month, or $2,915 for couples. Countable income includes wages, pension payments, unemployment, Social Security benefits or gifts from friends. In-kind distributions such as free food or shelter are also included.

Assets must also be less than $2,000 for individuals or $3,000 for couples. This includes cash, bank accounts, other personal property, and any asset that could potentially be converted to cash. A personal residence, household goods and one vehicle, along with life insurance policies and burial funds valued under $1,500, do not count towards countable assets.

In 2024, the maximum SSI payment is $943 a month for an individual or $1,415 a month for a couple. However, the amount a recipient receives in SSI benefits may be reduced based on income, living situation and some other factors.

To help determine whether an applicant is eligible for SSI, the Social Security Administration’s benefits screening test is available at SSAbest.benefits.gov. This online questionnaire takes approximately five minutes to complete and screens for a variety of benefits, not just SSI.

It is important to note that most states – except Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia – supplement the federal SSI payment with payments of their own. In some of the states that pay a supplement, an applicant may qualify for the state payment even if they do not meet the federal SSI eligibility criteria.

How to Apply

If an applicant believes they may be eligible for SSI, they can begin the application process and complete a large part of it online at SSA.gov/apply/ssi. If the applicant is disabled, they can apply for both SSI and Social Security Disability at SSA.gov/disability. An applicant may also call 800-772-1213 and set up an appointment with their local Social Security office.

To expedite the application process, applicants should have their Social Security number, birth certificate or other proof of age readily available. Information about the home where they live, such as a mortgage or lease with the landlord’s name is also required. Payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, burial fund records and other information about the applicant’s income and assets may also be needed. In addition, proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status is necessary. If they are applying for SSI because they are disabled or blind, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals and clinics that have information related to their condition will also need to be provided.

For more information visit SSA.gov/ssi or see Social Security’s online SSI publication at SSA.gov/pubs/EN-05-11000.pdf.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.