Dementia Specific Care Options

Dementia-Specific Care Options

Not all assisted living communities offer the same services.  Some communities have developed services and programs designed specifically for people with mild or moderate mental frailty.  Some have special programs or special areas of their building designed specifically for this need.  Other communities elect not to meet this aspect of aging; these communities may focus more on physical frailty.

Knowing the provider’s commitment to allowing a person to age in place is critical to the process of choosing a senior care community.

Statistically, more than half the people age 80 or older experience some type of memory loss.  It’s becoming more of a standard within assisted living to serve residents who need support with reminders and encouragement.

The first stages of this aging process are easy to overlook.  Perhaps an older adult has not recorded checks in his/her checkbook, or bills have gone unpaid.  Or perhaps it is difficult for the person to recall what has happened in the immediate past.  And even memory loss caused by disease, illness or medications may not be obvious to family and friends.

When a person with memory loss is taken out of their current living environment, it is possible that the older adult will show increased signs of confusion, agitation and inability to function without help for a period of time.  This is because the person has fallen into a routine where familiar processes no longer required them to consciously process information.

If a person is displaying signs of memory loss, it is likely the memory impairment is further along than family members recognize.  All of us are quite adept at masking our shortcomings.  Older adults work hard and are typically quite successful at disguising their memory loss or covering up their limitations by employing tactics which diminish our awareness of their frailty.  Many times these cover-ups are just the coping mechanisms that automatically kick in to compensate for an impairment.

Older adults employ many different tactics to try to divert attention from their impairment:

• Humor to try to avoid any focus being applied to their diminished capacity
• Attempt to play upon emotions of guilt for talking about their frailty
• Make excuses for specific incidents of memory loss
• Denial of the problem completely
• Avoidance: becoming reclusive or feigning illness to avoid interactions with other people.

By making the move to a care community earlier in the process rather than later, the elder has a greater likelihood of returning to a level of comfortable routine within the new environment.  And, as the memory loss increases, there are new friends, staff and support systems in place to help assist with changing needs.

Making a move to a memory care community or adult care home specializing in memory care is best achieved by enlisting the help of a professional referral agent.  Without their assistance, it is difficult to be objective and realistic about what our loved one may need.