What You Should Know About Memory Care
When you have aging parents, there is a chance they could suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's or some other form of memory loss. When it is severe enough that they need care, assisted living homes or memory care may be needed to help them lead comfortable lives. What should you know about memory care?
Household Duties
Your parents may be able to stay in their own homes if their symptoms aren't too severe. In either case, whether they are able to stay at home or if they must move into an assisted living home, they will receive help with their household duties. This includes laundry, housekeeping, meal preparation and more. If they are able to, they can help perform the duties along with specially trained nurses or caregivers but if they are unable to do their own housekeeping, it can be taken care of for them.
Personal Care
When a person has memory loss, they are likely to forget the need for daily hygiene care. Memory care includes personal care in the form of showers or baths, hair care including shampoo and brushing daily, teeth brushing or care for dentures. Memory caregivers will help the person with memory loss with performing these tasks on their own if possible but advanced care is available. When they live in their own home, a schedule is arranged for a good time for the caregivers to come and help with these tasks.
Simpler Design of Home
If your parent is living in a memory care home, you will find that the design of the building will typically be simpler and more direct than those of most assisted living or retirement communities. This is done because Alzheimer's or dementia patients can get stressed and disoriented fairly easily and lose their way. If the building's design is simple and secure, the resident is more likely to feel safe and secure with lower stress levels.
There are gathering places like a secured courtyard for fresh air, a TV room or library but you may not find a swimming pool or hairdresser on site like with other homes.
Health Care on Site
The majority of memory care homes do have some form of health care on site, with trained nurses and personal care workers. For more advanced health care, however, the resident would have to go to a hospital or a more advanced care facility. In some cases, memory care homes do have more advanced healthcare but this is usually if they are a part of a health center or hospital.
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