Hi, Jonathan, and welcome to TP. I am also in the US. I'm sorry to hear about your family member.
You may have already figured this out, but assisted living is a step up from independent living, and a step below memory care or full nursing care. Some communities or companies only offer one type of care (say, assisted living or full nursing care) and others have a range of levels of care on offer. They also operate differently in terms of payment. Some of this will depend on the laws of the state in which they operate, and all states are different.
Also, each assisted living facility is a bit different in terms of physical layout (which can make a difference), staffing levels, and what they offer.
Can someone with dementia move into assisted living? As long as the facility is okay with it, and they offer the needed care, sure. Just know that since dementia is a progressive disease, eventually they will get worse and need a higher level of care and at some point, will have to move out of assisted living into either dementia care/memory care, or full nursing/skilled nursing care.
Generally speaking, assisted living in the US will offer:
-some sort of private room or apartment, with an en suite bathroom
-cleaning services if wanted
-laundry services if wanted, and often there are facilities for residents to do their own laundry
-3 meals a day
-may or may not have a fridge, sink, et cetera in the resident's room
-may or may not have access to a communal kitchen
-activities daily
-planned outings anywhere from once a week to once a day
-dispensing and overseeing of medications
-some assistance with ADLs (activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, etc)
-possibly some medical care at the facility, such as primary care physicians who come in, or access to PT/OT
-possibly some transport to outside appointments
-maybe some nursing care, such as dressing changes
and the list goes on. My mother lives in a small, modest, not fancy assisted living facility and my aunt lives in a very fancy assisted living facility, and they both get good care. The staff is more important than how often they redecorate the living room. There may be some features you want to look for, such as an enclosed garden/courtyard, or a secure entry, or a swimming pool. Assisted living communities really vary widely and my best advice is to look at as many places as possible.
Again, and I can't repeat this too often, they are all different as to what they offer. Make sure they offer more care than you think your relative needs right now, and that they feel he will be a good fit for their community. Most places will have a long conversation with you and may also do an assessment of the prospective resident. They want it to work out, but there are a lot of factors to consider.
Another important factor is how close the facility is, to family. If there is no family nearby, now may be the time to move your relative closer to whoever would be visiting the most and/or who holds PoA, et cetera.
Many states will have some sort of oversight for nursing homes and other care facilities and have a website where you can see results of state inspections and so forth.
A good resource to find a list of assisted living/nursing home facilities in an area is to contact the local Area Agency on Aging, or Senior Council, or Office on Aging, or Council on Aging, or some such name. Google "blank county California area agency aging" and see what you get.
The Alzheimer's Society of America is also be able to guide you to resources in your area.
Call them at 1-800-272-3900, 24/7, and they can give you the name of your local office.
I hope that gives you a place to begin.
Best wishes to you and your family and don't hesitate to ask questions.
