A memory care community can be as small as a private home with only a few residents, as large as a wing or dedicated area within an assisted living facility or nursing home, or a caregiver who works in the home of the patient. It is important to note that there are several different stages of memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease and that in the early stages many seniors may still be able to function independently and stay in their homes. It is up to both a doctor and the family members to determine when an aging loved one should be moved into memory care. As Alzheimer’s Disease progresses in the senior, it will become clear when they are no longer able to meet their own basic needs or become a danger to themselves, their family, or their caregivers. Memory care can be offered at many different levels within senior housing. Assisted living facilities, nursing homes, retirement communities, group homes, and continuing care communities may all offer memory care areas within their walls. This is helpful in keeping seniors in one community even as their level of care changes.