Dementia and Alzheimer’s aren’t guaranteed parts of getting old. Unfortunately, they are both common conditions for an older adult to struggle with. And depending on how far the condition has developed, a senior will eventually need extensive care. This is where a community that offers memory support is a huge benefit.
There are many ways that a senior (or anyone who needs memory care) can receive it at home, through things like special exercises or the caregiver taking special training. However, a community that offers this service has staff with specialized training, and they can ensure your loved one is safe and thriving as much as they can be.
What Is Memory Care?
Memory care can be offered in several places, such as assisted or independent living communities and other senior homes. In each case, the type of care is similar or the same.
Essentially, memory care is specifically designed to cater to the unique struggles that an older adult with dementia or Alzheimer’s may struggle with. Things like the potential for accidental self-harm, aggression, or simply extreme forgetfulness are all things that a memory care caregiver can deal with.
Benefits of Memory Care
Let’s look at 4 of the significant benefits of memory care for older adults.
Specialized Care
Many assisted living communities have 24/7 care from professional caretakers, including nurses and other specialists. However, a memory care home will typically employ staff trained in dealing with people struggling with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Some specific things they may be trained in handling include:
- Aggressive or angry outbursts
- Wandering and getting lost
- Difficulty sleeping
- Hallucinating
Safe Environment
Because those with dementia or its related illnesses have a habit of wandering or getting lost, it’s important that these people are in a safe space. The neat thing is that many memory care communities ensure their residents have a safe place to live while remaining as normal and homelike as possible. These enhanced safety measures may include locked doors, security staff, and sign-in/out processes.
Specialized Therapy
There are several therapies that are beneficial for people with dementia:
- Reminiscence therapy: Essentially, the senior is encouraged to recall and think about things that happened in their past, such as old relationships, jobs, or where they grew up. Things like music or family heirlooms, or treasures can help.
- Reality orientation therapy: The senior’s caretaker will go over basic information such as their name, day of the week, or the time. This helps keep the aging adult’s brain active. This is not a therapy that works for everyone, as it can sometimes lead to frustration if the person isn’t struggling to remember this basic info.
- Cognitive orientation therapy: This therapy is typically used in a group setting. The facilitator asks the group to do mentally stimulating activities such as following a recipe and cooking, doing things like crosswords or search and find word games, and even just talking about current events around the world or country.
In an assisted living community, there is sometimes access to some of these therapies. But in memory care, they will almost always incorporate some of them into the daily lives of their residents.
Specialized Community and Amenities
In addition to the specialized therapy, the community and its amenities will also be geared toward those with memory issues. For example, there will likely be a big focus on residents socializing during different activities.
Something that commonly happens with those with dementia is losing touch with friends and loved ones. So encouraging them to socialize and participate in different brain-building activities such as dance lessons or playing cards can be incredibly beneficial.
Memory Care vs. Assisted Living
In many ways, there is often a large overlap of similarities between memory care and assisted living. Both will likely include 24/7 care by medical staff. Each one will typically offer access to specialists as well. Encouraging a well-balanced, healthy diet through home-cooked meals is another similarity they have.
The only real significant difference is that the memory care community will focus more on caring for those with cognitive problems. This includes the training, the type of meals provided, or extra security measures like locked doors and color-coded walls.
How Can Fairways at Naples Help?
It can be an overwhelming diagnosis if you know someone struggling with dementia or Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, you may be able to manage as the caregiver. However, there usually comes the point where specialized care is required.
For memory care in Naples, FL, call us at the Fairways at Naples. Our staff is happy to answer all your questions. We can also book you a tour so that you and your loved one can take a look at the community for yourselves.
