If you're considering Artis, DON'T, just DON'T. They're all peaches and cream until you sign your…read morelife away with legal documents, give them a non-refundable check for lots of money, place your loved one there, and then find out the real story. Note that they are a "for profit" company, and they are currently about 12% more expensive than equivalent memory care facilities in Boca Raton (by my own research).
I am currently a full-time caregiver for my wife who has Parkinson's, dementia and full incontinence. As a part of planning for the future, I wanted to see what memory care facilities were like. How did my wife tolerate them? How was the care? Etc. I talked with the Artis sales lady, had a brief tour, and eventually signed up for a two-week minimum "Respite Care" residency. "Respite" wasn't the goal. This was a trial for me, my wife, and Artis. I intended to visit often and check out the care. They required an up-front, non-refundable check for $5,600.00. I moved my wife into her room, then visited unannounced over the next couple of days. Maybe I shouldn't have been, but I was shocked at the environment. Imagine the worst movie scenes of insane asylums. There were about three or four people, probably with Alzheimer's, who were constantly screaming at the top of their voices. They disrupted all of the group activities that made up the better part of the day (meals, TV room, group presentations). Once, I visited while the staff were serving lunch, and the screaming was still present. My wife had a big BM in her pull-ups, and they were going to sit her down at a table for lunch! Members of staff were unavailable (they were very busy). I ended up changing her myself in her room. I decided that I was not going to subject my wife to that nasty environment, and I checked her out after two of the 14 days. I asked for some of the money back, but of course they totally refused and pointed out the legal documents specifying the "non-refundable" fees. Yes, they are legally correct, but on a human scale, they could have been more flexible. Upon checking out, I found that there was at least one missed care item. My wife needs Miralax every day in her tea at breakfast. The bottle I gave them still had the seal in place!
Instead of a Artis, or a place like it, there might be another option for you. If there is any way you can manage it, and for approximately the same price, you can have a live-in caregiver. That way, instead of random nurses performing all of the care actions, spreading themselves over multiple patients, you always have the same caregiver who is trained in the specific needs and methods required for your loved one. That's the next test I am working on.
See the review by Ayla A. above. I totally agree with her!