A person spends most of their life relying on their parents to some extent. From childhood through adulthood, our parents typically know us best. As such, it’s always difficult when senior dementia takes over and the parent becomes the one that now needs to rely on you, the adult child.
When most people think of senior or elderly care, nursing homes come to mind. However, nursing homes are just one of the options available. Private-pay senior living communities come in a variety of options, with many providing assisted living and memory care.
Here’s how you can find the right dementia care for your loved one.
Challenges of Dementia Care
Why might a person seek dementia care in the first place? Acting as a caregiver for a family member with memory loss, Alzheimer’s, or one of the many forms of dementia, has its challenges. When misplacing items or forgetting names, familiar faces, and events happen more frequently, you may find sooner than later you’ll need to be with your loved one throughout the day every day.
A few tips for dementia care that can help include keeping a routine, writing down reminders, and supporting their emotional health. It is important to know, however, the amount of care you’ll need to provide will increase and you may not have the proper training to provide the specialized care needed.
When adult children or caregivers need to regain their independence and accept they may not be able to care for their parent or loved one, the search for a memory care community typically begins. We recommend you start that search earlier than later.
Plan for the Future
Before finding a senior living memory care community for your family member, you’ll want to develop a care plan and be sure all affairs are sorted out.
One of the biggest concerns is finance. It’s easy for persons with dementia to fall vulnerable to exploitation and potential scams. Talk with your loved one to assess their current situation and consider assigning a power of attorney. A power of attorney, or POA, is a legal authorization that gives someone the power to act on behalf of another person. Most commonly, this is used to help manage a friend or family member’s financial affairs while they’re indisposed or unable to themselves.
Alzheimer’s Treatment and Memory Care
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s or a way to reverse its progression. However, there are ways to manage symptoms and make them more comfortable throughout the day. Choosing to move a loved one into a senior living community that provides memory care is one of those options.
Memory care is a type of care specifically tailored for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Some examples of memory care include brain games, morning mental workouts, and daily physical activities. Personalized and structured programs work best and are encouraged daily. Daily structure helps lower stress while keeping a person’s brain active.
At a senior living community, like any of the Dimensions Living Communities, your loved one will be surrounded by caregivers and others who support one another.
Dementia Care Options
Your loved one’s health and safety are of the utmost importance. However, most family members are not as familiar with how to manage someone needing skilled care such as those with progressive memory loss. In fact, not every senior citizen with dementia has a support network available to help them throughout the day.
When choosing a dementia care community, be sure to ask about their resident to caregiver ratio, specialized memory care programming, and community credentials.
Caregiving
Caregiving is a labor of love and requires a lot of patience. As a caregiver, you take on responsibility for another person and their well-being. While you don’t need any specific skills to act as a caregiver, in a later stage of Alzheimer’s you may find yourself unable to provide the grooming, bathing, and dining assistance needed.
Finding a New Home
According to statistics, there were over 55 million people living with dementia worldwide as of 2020. In other words, what’s happening to your loved one is now not so uncommon. It’s always best to ensure the best care is provided for your loved one and reaching out to experts in dementia care for help is almost always the best decision.
Dimensions Living Senior Communities is a top choice when considering memory care for your loved one. Contact us today to learn more about our specialized memory care programs.
