Assisted living vs. nursing home, any advice?

I moved Dad to Al so he would have help while he would regain strength, and I could bring him home. I feel now I should have paid to keep him at the skilled nursing facility so they could have monitored him more closely and helped with his needs. The facility had a full time nurse, and I expected they saw, had things reported to her from the aids while helping toilet or bathe. But they didn't . Just handed out meds to the aids, and said nothing. Even though I saw Dad every day, He wore baggy comfort clothes and I didn't realize he was losing so much weight, or that he had a huge pressure sore on his lower back. By the time I realized he was struggling, more lethargic.. and got him to the hospital, it was too late. He had a UTI and went septic.

didntknow: I agree! The reason is that the Alzheimer's will progress.

What is a MC unit?

MC stands for Memory Care. It's a euphemism, not that that matters especially, for a secure facility staffed with people who are trained in dementia care.

Memory Care (MC) is, as Countrymouse said, a secure (read locked) facility for those whose dementia/memory losses are beyond living alone. In the early stages, one might be able to remain in home (perhaps with some oversight) or move to an assisted living place, but as it progresses, it becomes too hard for the person to maintain any kind of independence (except in their own mind.)
As a side note, Memory Care is another flavor of assisted living. AL residents may need some help managing their meds, help with ADLs and so forth (many have walkers and wheelchairs, but are still functioning mentally.) In a Memory Care unit, there are/can be a number of residents who also have walkers and wheelchairs, but the deciding factor is the dementia. Our mom still manages to take care of the basics (wash, dress, toileting, eating) but cannot remember what she said or did two minutes ago. So AL would NOT be a good choice as she sometimes needs help finding her room or could just walk out the door (residents are NOT locked in or specifically watched in AL - they might catch someone who has dementia sneaking out, but if distracted by another, no one is there to watch them! This is one reason why they have a locked down unit for various dementia residents. There is also a little more help provided, so it does cost more.)

As to those saying SNF - it depends on the person's medical needs. If they are in the least self-caring and mobile, even with walkers or wheelchairs, there is no need to go to a SNF. If one has excess medical needs (for example a feeding tube) then yes, move to SNF. Having ANY level of dementia does not = SNF, only the later more extreme levels.
Our mother is beyond AL, but nowhere near needing SNF.  She gets up and washes, dresses and feeds herself in the dining area (they are given choices for the meals too.)  She requires very little assistance, but cannot be left in an open environment.  She recently moved a little in level, asking and talking about her mother as if she were still alive and asking to go back to her previous residence (one gone about 40 years, the other sold 23+ years ago) and repeats statements and questions many times, but still does NOT need SNF!

LoLo1169, I read so many different descriptions of AL and MC on this site, the care must be vastly different depending on where you live. I am in S. AZ, Snowbird capital of the USA I believe. Our traffic triples this time of year. So perhaps we have some options available that other areas do not offer yet, I am sure as they prove effective and affordable options we will see that they are expanded throughout the nation. My dad lives in an Assisted Living house, 8 people max, laws regulate how many can be in a home based on certain criteria, ie # of rooms, sprinkler system, etc. I am sure this varies state to state. We currently pay 1,300.00 per month for a shared room, this includes all of his meals, snacks, med management, laundry, housekeeping, daily activities and trips to the store, they also allow him to keep his pocket pooch (6lb chihuahua) and are very helpful with the dog. He has residents that he shares this home with that are wheelchair bound, paralyzed from the chest down and all that entails, yes, this man pays more because he requires more care, however, all medical services come right to this home, the manager of the house, is a phone call away to schedule whatever is required, no limits on how often the NP will come out if she is requested to come see an ill patient. If it is beyond her skill, the doctor will come or he will be transported to hospital. I know that insurances play a part in these fine services, my dad was cancelled from his medicare alternative plan because he moved out of his covered area. What a blessing that was, it opened all of his choices for what plan and coverage he wanted, no pre-existing as he was cancelled by the insurance co. I bought the best plan offered, I figured after a year we could change but, for less than 200.00 monthly it gave him choices. Not so with the medicare advantage plans (medicare replacement is what they really are), so please look at what is available in your area and do the best you can to find a good fit for your mom where she can stay put, my dad will live in the same room he has now until he passes. Everything I have read says that it is extremely hard on dementia patients to move, sometimes causing rapid decline. Oh saying that, one of the old gents at my dads has had to have signs put up for him, Bathroom that way, D****ie room, etc. took him some time but he figured it out. He has pretty severe dementia and can not remember 1 minute ago but can navigate the house and if needed someone asks him and he receives help, so few people make it more like a family, yes with warts and all but, not remembering does have its bright side. Good luck with your decision, I know it is not an easy one and in reality, No one wants to live at any of these kinds of places. So best fit for mom and know you are doing the best you can in a hard situation. Also, ask what price they can really do, I got a discount by asking if they could take him for less money. God Bless you.

I’m in NY and don’t quite understand how Medicare is paying for your Dads assisted living. In my area the AL facilities are $4000/ mo and Medicare doesn’t pay for it at all. It would be private pay. I didn’t know Medicare had different rules by state. And there are very very limited Medicaid beds in these facilities.