Making the decision to move a loved one into Memory Care can often be difficult. They may be resistant to the move. You may experience feelings of guilt for no longer being able to provide care. You may question whether Memory Care is even appropriate for your loved one.
Making the decision to move a loved one into Memory Care can often be difficult. They may be resistant to the move. You may experience feelings of guilt for no longer being able to provide care. You may question whether Memory Care is even appropriate for your loved one.
Recognizing the Signs
While people with early-stage to middle-stage dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, may do well at home or in traditional assisted living, below are some signs it may be time for a move to Memory Care Assisted Living:
- Wandering or getting lost in familiar settings.
- Asking or trying to go “home” to a residence they no longer own.
- Requiring frequent redirection.
- Memory loss is affecting their health. The person mismanages their medications, forgets to eat, or misses doctors
’[1] appointments. - Personal care or activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and routine household tasks, are neglected or too difficult to manage independently.
- Items are often misplaced, particularly in random or odd places.
- The person is withdrawn or no longer participates in activities they once enjoyed.
- They are easily agitated or appear depressed.
If any of the above describe your loved one, they may do well living in a Memory Care Assisted Living community. Ideally, Memory Care staff is specially trained to understand different forms of dementia. This includes what causes challenging behaviors, how to manage them, and how to connect with the person and reassure them that they are always heard, safe, respected, and cared for.
The Benefits of Memory Care Assisted Living
It all starts with a conversation and free assessment by our trained professionals and experts in Memory Care to work with you to determine the appropriate level of care needed and the next steps for your loved one. Once ready to make the move, you can look forward to the following benefits of our Memory Care communities, which can help to greatly improve your loved one’s quality of life:
Secure Environment for Safety
Our Memory Care neighborhoods are secured. Many people living with dementia will wander at least once, and some will wander more frequently. This behavior can be quite dangerous for a person living with dementia, and the worry can be taxing on caregivers. With secure living environments and appropriate activities, their risk of wandering is significantly diminished.
Specialized Life-Enrichment Activities
Unlike nursing homes or assisted living facilities that don’t have specialized Memory Care units, Welch Senior Living’s Memory Care neighborhoods offer robust life-enrichment activities specifically designed by trained, highly skilled Life Enrichment Coordinators for people living with dementia. These activities allow residents to engage in a meaningful way. Residents are far less likely to isolate and will feel secure in a smaller, more predictable environment that our communities can offer given the family-like environment and our home-like households. You are likely to see improvements in your own mood, as well as your loved one becoming more engaged.
Medication Management
The Wellness Teams in our Memory Care neighborhoods are available to assist residents with their medication management. Gentle reminders and encouragement to take medications on the appropriate schedule are delivered by trained staff. Thus, the risk of forgetting important medications or inappropriately taking medications is removed.
Encouraging Independence
Our Wellness Teams encourage residents to maintain an appropriate level of independence to boost their self-confidence and physical and mental health. Service plans are specifically developed and revised alongside you and your family to best meet the needs of each resident. We are here to provide a helping hand. Our Wellness Teams assist with or provide support with day-to-day tasks, such as laundry, housekeeping, meals, and more.
Healthy, Tailored Meals
The healthy meals provided by our Chefs within each Memory Care community can be tailored to specific diets, helping to improve your loved one’s overall health, particularly if they were experiencing unhealthy weight loss and not eating well prior to moving into the community. No more forgetting to eat or eating foods that don’t provide the nourishment needed for a healthy body and mind.
Peace of Mind for Families
No less important than any of the above benefits, the Memory Care neighborhoods throughout each of our Welch Senior Living communities provide “peace of mind” for friends and family. Worry over whether your loved one will wander, forget to eat, mismanage their medications, etc., is removed the moment they’re welcomed through our front doors. While you will continue to be care partners alongside our Wellness Teams, you will be better able to relax and enjoy time as simply a friend or family member of your loved one.
Article authored by:
Laurie Guthrie, MSW, LCSW, CDP
Welch Senior Living
Regional Memory Care Coordinator
Senior Clinical Social Worker
781-878-6700 x270