Mild forgetfulness often accompanies normal aging, but seniors with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia have increasingly severe memory issues that impact their daily lives. Memory care services help your senior loved one navigate these difficult changes in memory and take some of the stress away from you. Even if your parent hasn't yet started to exhibit signs of severe memory loss, you may want to consider whether memory care might be necessary in the future, especially if there's a family history of dementia.
Here are five reasons you shouldn't ignore memory care when contemplating whether your parent needs special services during their senior years.
1. Memory care gives your parent access to trained professionals who can monitor the progression of dementia.
In an assisted living community with memory care services, doctors and nurses track your parent's mental health and memory abilities over time. This helps them determine whether medication or brain-boosting exercises are improving the condition and ensures that your parent has help completing any tasks that might become more difficult over time as memory loss progresses.
2. Seniors in a memory care program get assistance with their physical health needs, too.
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease can cause seniors to forget important health monitoring tasks and medication schedules. Having someone on hand who knows when your parent needs to check blood glucose levels or take blood pressure medication every day makes it easier to keep them on schedule.
3. Getting proper care for Alzheimer's and dementia keeps your parent safe.
A memory care community is designed to provide a familiar, consistent environment so seniors with Alzheimer's disease and dementia experience less confusion. In a home environment, items left out could present a trip hazard, and appliances left on might cause fires. Residing in an assisted living community with memory care services reduces these risks. An assisted living community designed for patients with memory issues also typically has secure doors and gated areas to prevent wandering.
4. Entering a memory care community can help stabilize a senior's financial situation.
Unexpected accidents, inconsistent transportation needs, and fluctuating care requirements all cause financial instability for seniors living with a memory condition. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease may also make a senior more prone to forget about payment schedules or previous expenditures, leading to overdrawn accounts or unpaid bills. Because assisted living provides all basic services for the seniors living there, your parent doesn't have to worry about whether the electricity got paid this month or if there's enough food in the house.
5. Social isolation can worsen dementia and lead to other conditions, such as anxiety or depression.
Memory care communities provide mental stimulation, social interaction, physical activity, and programmed activities that could help improve brain health and possibly even slow the progression of dementia. Physical exercise may help boost blood flow and slow the progression of memory issues. Activities tailored to each senior's interests help reduce boredom and keep the mind engaged. A dedicated memory care community provides a balance of all of these things to keep senior residents as healthy as possible.
Brightview Senior Living Wellspring Village™ memory care neighborhoods provide personalized care for older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other memory conditions. Found in eight states, these village-like communities provide the care and security dementia patients need to thrive. Because these neighborhoods are each attached to a full-service assisted living community, residents who are anticipated to develop memory issues in the future can move from general assisted living into a memory care neighborhood as needed.
Fill out our online form below to schedule a personal visit and see if a Wellspring Village™ memory care neighborhood is the right option for your family member.