Assisted living or memory care?

What is the real difference between assisted living and memory care in Utah?

Memory care in Utah is a locked secure unit inside a Type II assisted living license, with a secure-unit admission agreement, a wander-risk agreement, discharge criteria and at least one direct-care worker inside at all times; regular assisted living cannot lock residents in.

Utah County's 44 assisted living licenses hold 2,395 licensed beds, and 523 of them, spread across 21 licenses, are secure memory care beds on DLBC's records.

Both settings help with bathing, dressing, meals and medications. The question is safety: whether your parent can be trusted to stay inside, find their room, and recognize danger without staff watching closely.

What signs suggest a parent needs memory care rather than assisted living?

The clearest signs are exit-seeking or wandering, getting lost in familiar places, leaving the stove or doors unsafe, accepting help from strangers, and confusion that persists through the day rather than only in the evening.

• Walking out at night or trying to “go home” while already at home.
• Missed medications despite reminders.
• New suspicion, agitation or fear that unfamiliar places make worse.
• A spouse who can no longer sleep because of night-time supervision.

A doctor's evaluation helps, but families often see the pattern first.

Can someone with early dementia live in regular assisted living?

Often, yes. Many residents with mild memory loss do well in an unlocked building with reminders and structure, as long as they do not try to leave and can still evacuate with no more than one person's help.

Choosing a Type II building that also has a secure unit can spare a second move later, because the resident can transfer within the same campus. Ask whether residents move between the two sides and how that decision is made.

How do the costs compare in Utah County?

Memory care usually costs more than regular assisted living in the same building, but no public Utah memory care median exists; compare written quotes for the total monthly charge, including care levels.

Utah's assisted living median is $5,233 a month. Expect secure-unit quotes above that, and ask whether the New Choices Waiver is accepted in the unit.