90-year-old mother cannot remember details for more than a few minutes. Should she be in memory care?

My first thought is to check her meds. I actually put a spread sheet together of all my mother's meds - what she was taking, dosage, what time of day she was taking them, and what the side effects were of each drug. Not surprisingly, 4 of the 9 medications she was taking could cause 'confusion', and 7 of the medications could cause 'dizziness', among other effects. Looking at the spreadsheet, I was able to put together a plan when to take each med so as not to overload with all the effects at once (i.e., the meds that would cause the confusion, I had her take only 1 of them in the morning, 1 in the late afternoon and then 2 in the evening). And then some of the meds were being given for the same symptoms. After I figured out everything, I reviewed everything with her doctor (who, 'should' have known these things, but because they are so short staffed and timed, don't have the time to do such indepth research). We were able to eliminate duplications so that mother only needed to take 5 of the 9 meds.

So that would be my first thought. Second thought is to have her professionally evaluated to determine if there is cognitive issues and what kind and how bad.

If all her needs are being met in the facility where she is, there is no need to move her. If she is losing weight, unclean, or ill... you might consider moving her to another facility - skilled nursing or memory care. Start researching facilities and let them know your concerns. They can let you how they would handle the problems you mention.

No don’t worry about it or make big deal about it

RLWG54: Yes, perhaps your mother DOES require residence in a memory care facility depending on her level of cognitive decline, which sounds significant.

Talk to her primary care doctor about cognitive testing. They have short tests like SLUMS that when scored one can tell if normal age appreciate forgetfulness or mild to severe memory loss.

a work up by a neurologist is helpful too.

if she is not wandering or unsafe things have happened in the home … that’s when a more supervised secure unit like memory care is needed.

you could as for a in-home referral for Occupational therapy and physical therapy to come out and assess needs in her home or apt. Eg… remove rugs….OT can do testing to and make recommendations on level of supervision needed.

one always looks for the least restrictive environment to ensure safety at the level of her memory loss. Maybe AL works best. Just get some more eyes on it with the testing

This is a question for her PCP and the facility staff to help answer by providing her with a current " level of care needs" assessment . Ask her PCP for this, share your observations of her and, express your concerns which probably center around her safety, quality of life and, care provided. Obviously someone in AL receives less staff intervention care than someone in " memory care" or other " skilled care" .

Memory care is only needed when the resident is a flight risk, imo.

Just because she can't remember doesn't mean she should be locked up and usually drugged into compliance.

My dad had a house mate that couldn't remember from one end of a greeting to the other but, he was a cheerful, friendly man that didn't cause any problems, so he didn't need locked doors. Is this your mom?

If she is safe and well-taken care of and can function where she is from day to day, she does not need Meory Care. "Memory Care" means a higher level of care needs than just "memory." Does she "remember" to wash and brush her teeth and eat and use the bathroom properly? If so, she probably does not need Memory Care.

As Long as she Follows a routine and schedule she is Ok .

I would talk to the administration where she is.
Honestly if they thought that she needed Memory Care they would probably have asked for a meeting.
the biggest concern is...will mom wander? If so then she needs to be in a secure area. (and you never know if and when the wandering might begin)

Have you spoken with the administration at the ALF. I would do this intensively to get a good idea of how the staff feels she is doing safety wise, and care needs wise. They will be excellent judges of this as they are working with her every day.

You can ask the admins to evaluate whether she is getting the right level of care. If her memory is so bad that she's not getting to meals, taking meds, hygiene, doing laundry, or taking advantage of any programs, events, classes, etc. then maybe yes to MC. More info from you would be helpful.