People suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer’s are expected to rise to 78 million in the year 2030 and to 139 million by 2050. The rapid increase in Dementia and Alzheimer’s cases makes it imperative to make certain decisions about providing specialized care and support to your loved ones. But when do you know that it is time to seek memory care?
In this blog, we will discuss the important signs that it is time for memory care support among your loved ones.
What is Memory Care?
Memory care is a specific kind of assisted living facility specifically designed for people who suffer from impairments of cognition, for instance, Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Memory care facilities offer a safe and supportive environment tailored to their unique needs.
Services
- Specialized Care: Trained professionals within these facilities manage specific conditions associated with cognitive impairments.
- Secure Environment: Locked doors or restricted access prevent wandering of Dementia or Alzheimer’s patients.
- Personalized Care Plans: Personal Care plans for each resident are prepared according to individual needs and preferences.
- Activities and Programs: Activities and memory care programs stimulate brain function and facilitate socialization.
- 24/7 Surveillance: Memory care communities provide 24/7 monitoring to the residents to ensure that they are safe and protected.
Common Signs That Indicate the Need for Memory Care
A professional memory care community will help individuals lead healthier and safer lives. Some of the symptoms or signs you should never neglect in your family members are the following:
Decline in Memory and Cognitive Function
Some of the most common signs of needing memory care facilities in a loved one include forgetting recent memories and growing cognitive decline, losing important events that recently happened, familiar names of people or places, or even an inability to trace conversations.
Safety Concerns
If the individual regularly loses their way, wanders, or falls, it may indicate that they need more care. Safety risk can also be a challenging self-care problem, like failing to become dressed and prepare meals.
Behavior Changes & Mood Swings
If at any one time a person discovers that they keep on getting lost, wandering, or falling, it may indicate that they should be handled more. Safety risk can also be some problematic self-care issue such as not becoming dressed and preparing meals.
Trouble Handling Routine Daily Activities
Cognitive decline would not be able to let the person do even routine activities such as cooking and cleaning, or checking checkbooks independently. Loss of cognitive ability brings along frustration, anxiety, and depression, which essentially lead to full destruction of the quality of life.
Social Isolation
It’s hard for them to maintain social relationships because they lose memory in old age. They become shy, rarely go out, and barely communicate. This reduces your loved one’s social life and affects his or her mental state.
Coexisting Medical Conditions
Most such underlying issues often involve medical conditions for example diabetes, heart conditions, or thyroid disease. Management of these conditions usually promotes a considerable improvement in cognitive skills and overall well-being of a person suffering from memory loss.
Caregivers Can Not provide Adequate Care
If the caregivers get overwhelmed, stressed, or unable to provide the level of care one needs, it simply indicates it is now time for professional memory care. Caring for an individual who has memory loss becomes physically and emotionally demanding; therefore, there comes a point when an ordinary caregiver is no longer in a position to meet all your demands.
Top Benefits of Memory Care Facilities to Your Seniors
Some of the most significant advantages that memory care facilities offer for elderly people are:
Offer a Safe and Secure Environment
Memory care homes aim to provide their residents with a safe and secure environment. It ensures that the residents are protected from wandering, accidents, or any type of risk. It also means securing access points, controlled environments, and well-trained staff members who monitor the well-being of the residents.
Provide Specialized Care for Seniors
The staff working in a memory care home has information regarding dealing with issues particular to cognitive loss. They create individualized care plans suitable to each of the residents’ different needs, fulfilling their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs.
Customize Meal Plans for Individual Needs
Memory care facilities offer individual meal programs tailored to the specific needs of every resident. The centers ensure that meals are delivered safely and in an emotionally nourishing way.
Promote Socialization Opportunities
Memory care facilities facilitate residents’ social interactions and keep them engaged through various activities, including group outings, games, and arts and crafts. It helps the resident connect with others and maintain a sense of community.
What You Should Look for in a Memory Care Facility?
There are some major factors that should be considered to ensure a safe, supportive, and high-quality environment while choosing a memory care facility to take your loved one under:
Incorporating Modern Technology
Incorporating advanced monitoring systems, such as wearable devices or sensors in the facility, helps monitor the residents’ safety and well-being.
Safety in Memory Care Units
Memory care facilities should utilize modern technology to provide their seniors proper care. Highly sophisticated monitoring systems can incorporate wearable devices or sensors to aid in tracking the safety and well-being of residents.
Evaluating the Quality of Care Facilities
Assess the quality of care. It should meet the highest standards of care. You should also ask current residents or their families for some feedback on what quality of care is, whether they are satisfied, and much more.
Assessing the Level of Supervision
The memory care units must offer emergency care 24/7 should any urgency or need arise for a resident. It must be top on their list of priorities to offer customized care plans that meet the particular needs and preferences of every individual there.
Designated Safe Outdoor Spaces
The facility should have an open area that is safe and secured for the residents to venture out. It can be in the form of gardens, courtyards, or paths for walking to stimulate the senses and keep the residents physically active.
Conclusion
Specialized support facilities for those with cognitive impairments are offered as memory care. For example, these offer great benefits to seniors like safety and security while undergoing special care plans that are designed with individual dietary requirements. Some key indicators showing that your loved one may need memory care must be considered.
Knowing the signs and benefits of memory care programs will help you decide on an appropriate way to support your loved ones with some kind of cognitive decline. Remember, a memory care facility can be that haven where they live a safe and meaningful life