Mental illness can be difficult on a family. It's even harder when it is a loved one with a mental illness or dementia. No matter how much you want to keep them home and safe, there will come a time when you just can't take care of your loved one at home. When that happens you want to make sure that they are somewhere safe.
There are many mental health care homes that will accept people with mental illness. The question is how so you choose the right one. There are many things that go into choosing the right home. Those include things like the appropriate amount of support. You also want to look into the way the facilities are set up.
There are different levels of mental illness. Thus, there are different levels of mental health support. Not all levels of support are appropriate for all people. Likewise, many nursing homes, and similar facilities, aren't set up to deal with people with mental illness. That's why the first criteria should always be the available level support.
It's important here to mention that people with dementia should be considered separately from people with mental illness. While it might appear that some of the same issues would apply, they are different. In the early stages of dementia an assisted living home might be the appropriate place. But as the dementia increases the patient should be transferred to a locked ward. It should be a ward that specializes in dementia so that the person is as safe as possible.
One choice is long term hospitalization. Those are only appropriate for the least stable people. Those are the people who aren't able to be in touch with reality without heavy medication, and aren't that stable on the medication. They are locked wards, and people are only allowed in under close supervision. It isn't appropriate for most people with mentally illness.
No matter what level of mental health support you are looking for, you need to make sure that the people are trained. They should have at least some experience in dealing with people with mental illness. Some mental illnesses can be very difficult to deal with, and can be trying to someone who doesn't know what they are doing. Make sure the majority of the staff has some training. It will keep everyone safe.
If living at home is the best choice for a stable person who is also high functioning, then assisted living is the next best choice. In one of these facilities a person is able to have their own apartment. There is medical and support staff on site. That allows a person to get everything they need to have, but still be able to live with some independence. Many people like living in these facilities for that reason.
Other choices include mental health care homes that have staff in the home at all times. People here can't function as well, and may either share a room, or have their own room. Generally the residents of these homes have some freedom. Some will be locked, some won't be. It depends on the kinds of mental illnesses that the facility takes.