Provo Senior AdvisorWhat should a Utah County family do right after a dementia diagnosis?
In the first months, get legal and financial documents in place while the person can still sign, review driving and home safety, learn the likely course of the illness, and connect the main caregiver with support.
A durable power of attorney, a health care directive and a list of accounts, passwords and insurance policies save enormous trouble later. An elder law attorney can also discuss Medicaid planning if long-term care is likely.
What support does MAG offer dementia caregivers?
MAG Aging & Family Services runs a caregiver support program for people caring for someone 60 or older, with classes, free support groups, dementia education and an annual caregiver conference; call 801-229-3804.
MAG's Friendly Callers program (801-229-3820) matches isolated older adults with volunteer callers, and adult day care can give a caregiver several hours a day of rest.
When does someone with dementia need memory care?
Memory care becomes necessary when the person wanders or tries to leave, is unsafe without close supervision, or needs more care than family can give, provided they can still evacuate with one person's help as Utah's secure-unit rule requires.
In DLBC's November 2026 report, 21 Utah County Type II assisted living licenses have secure beds, 523 in all, and 7 of those buildings are secure from end to end. See assisted living vs. memory care.
How do we plan for the later stages?
Plan for a possible move to a nursing care facility in late-stage dementia, when two-person transfers or continual nursing are needed, and talk about hospice wishes before a crisis.
Ask memory care buildings about their discharge criteria up front, and ask nursing homes whether they have secure beds. Several Utah County nursing homes report secure beds on the state's monthly report.
Which Utah County settings can care for someone with dementia?
Depending on the stage, people with dementia in Utah County live at home with help, attend adult day care, live in regular assisted living, move to a secure memory care unit inside a Type II license, or move to a nursing care facility.
Many families move through several of these over the years. Choosing a campus that offers more than one level can reduce the number of moves, which matters because each move is hard on someone with memory loss.
Side by side
| Early stage | Later stage | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Home, adult day care, assisted living | Secure unit or nursing home |
| Planning | Legal documents and wishes | Hospice and comfort care |
| Caregiver | Education and support groups | Respite and shared care |
Sources: Utah Admin. Code R432-270, Utah DHHS and DLBC pages, MAG Aging & Family Services, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited; see our editorial standards.
