Unlike SNFs, locked facilities have doors that lock from the inside and walking areas that are secured. Although locked facilities or wards are often designed for treatment of younger psychiatric patients, a dementia patient who wanders or who exhibits difficult behaviors may be accepted. Where voluntary consent is not possible, an LPS conservatorship must be obtained for placement. Contact your local county mental health association for further information. State-administered psychiatric facilities may be funded fully or partially with public monies and are subject to the availability of funds from the patient's county of residence.
Options are often limited, depending on geographic location and the patient's ability to pay.
Less restrictive options include privately operated group homes and half-way houses. Admission criteria depend on the needs and limitations of the individual. Life-long living and coma management programs also exist in some hospitals or SNFs. The costs of these residential placements vary greatly. A number of publications are available which provide check lists to help families and caregivers evaluate the physical environment, staffing patterns, activities and services of various types of residential facilities.