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Having a care plan for your senior loved one who has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or any form of dementia is a practical step to providing them with their current and future needs. Health professionals recommend exploring and searching through local memory care programs before the crisis occurs to avoid choosing and spending on the wrong memory care. Many people are not familiar with this type of senior care unless there’s a friend, acquaintance, or a family member who has availed of memory care in the past.
A type of assisted living care, memory care is designed specifically for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or any form of dementia. This program is usually embedded within an assisted living community or a nursing home, or it may also be a stand-alone care facility. Most of the traditional assisted living communities provide services including assistance with daily routines from showers, toileting, dressing, medications, housekeeping, and more.
In this article, we’ll take a look at what a memory care program is and how it would help an elder family member with dementia.
Contents
Signs of Worsening Dementia of Seniors
Before finding your senior loved one a memory care service, first, you must understand the common symptoms of dementia. If these symptoms arise, it is time to consult a doctor.
Behavioral changes
This is one of the most common signs of deteriorating dementia for seniors. For instance, the once normally independent and active senior suddenly becomes sluggish and negligent. Such changes can also be in the form of a decline in basic hygiene or a more introverted personality.
Confusion and anxiety
Seniors who develop dementia usually show early signs of confusion and memory loss. But aside from missing a set of car keys, clear and risky warning signs of memory loss include missing medication consistently or getting lost when walking around.
Deteriorating physical health
Physical weakness, limitations, or a loss of significant amounts of weight are among the other signs of dementia that should be a cause of concern. Most of these symptoms might cause accidents or other physical harm.
3 Benefits of Memory Care
Here are the top three benefits of memory care service for seniors diagnosed with dementia:
1. Trained caregivers
Health personnel who work in memory care facilities undergo additional training to learn how to best communicate and handle seniors with dementia. For instance, they are trained how to identify problems and intervene early. They also learn how to handle common behavioral challenges including wandering from home and aggression due to behavioral changes.
2. Life enrichment activities
This is another reason to consider taking your senior parent to a memory care facility. Daily life enrichment activities are designed to help senior residents feel productive, sociable, and empowered. Activities in memory care often include art classes, music therapy, physical exercise such as biking, and pet therapy. Memory care programs usually provide secure outdoor areas for senior residents to connect with nature.
3. Healthy dining services
Seniors with dementia usually struggle to maintain healthy diets because of loss of appetite or a loss of hand-eye coordination that makes it hard to hold kitchen utensils. Vision changes, which are common in elders with Alzheimer’s disease also pose additional challenges. Dining services in memory care facilities are dedicated and designed to work around these several challenges and create a conducive environment and a mealtime that promotes good nutrition.
Memory Care at Blue Skies Homes
If you have a member of the family who has been diagnosed with dementia, start searching for memory care. We encourage you to consider Blue Skies Homes at the top of your list.
Blue Skies Homes is committed to providing your senior loved ones their full independence and the suitable senior care that they need. Our services include individual-centered care, assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), management of behaviors, and medical needs, among others. Schedule a visit today and find out all our available senior care services!
