Written By: Care New England on December 6, 2023
Alzheimer's disease is irreversible and affects the brain cells progressively. Patients with this disease typically suffer memory loss and potentially the ability to perform simple tasks.
Alzheimer's patients will need additional care as the disease progresses and brings additional symptoms like:
- Severe memory loss
- Cognitive disabilities
- Wandering and getting lost
- Repetitive questions
- Behavioral and habit changes that can cause the patient to make poor decisions that can be life-threatening.
With these effects associated with Alzheimer's disease, memory care is a primal way to help Alzheimer's patients cope with the challenges that come with it.
What is Memory Care?
For patients with Alzheimer's disease, memory care is specialized care offered to enable them to cope with the deficiencies and disabilities. Memory care doesn’t aim to cure the disease, but to help patients, especially seniors, live as normal of a life as possible.
Memory care facilities bridge this gap by allowing family members to go about their usual activities while having peace of mind that their relative is receiving the best care. Family members maintain regular visits to ensure the care is as they expect. There is no doubt that memory care helps Alzheimer's patients in the following ways.
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Providing a Calm and Protective Environment:
One of the fears for those close to Alzheimer’s patients is wandering and loitering. Alzheimer's patients are known to be highly susceptible to wandering and even getting lost if left alone. Memory care facilities have safety and security features to ensure the safety of the patients inside, including doorbells and strict monitoring of entry and exit of personnel.
Memory care facilities usually have a simple design – to allow patients to easily get around. The utilities for the patients are kept so that it is easy for them to locate to avoid the confusion and disorientation that can come about with complexity.
The facilities often have gardens and courtyards outside to give the serenity of an outdoor experience which can have a calming effect on Alzheimer's patients.
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Specialized Round-the-Clock Care:
Memory care facilities have staff who are specifically trained to give quality care to Alzheimer's disease patients. There is also maintenance of a low staff-to-patient ratio to ensure a personalized approach to patients.
In memory care, the patients are engaged in brain-stimulating activities. Staff are also trained to compassionately take care of Alzheimer's patients in a specialized, non-drug approach which helps reduce medication used to treat Alzheimer's. This allows the patients to cope naturally in their set environment. This approach allows Alzheimer's patients to keep their brain activity in a natural setting free of drugs.
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Coordinated Care with Other Healthcare Professionals:
Alzheimer's patients are oftentimes senior citizens who may require health care beyond Alzheimer-related conditions. Memory care facilities go the extra mile by assessing the needs of their residents and determining which require specialized care that can be offered by other professional healthcare practitioners.
They liaise with healthcare professionals to make visits to other facilities and, if need be, provide personalized transport for the residents. This helps residents access medical care and checkups that may be vital for them.
Additional Supportive Therapies
Memory care facilities help residents affected by Alzheimer's by offering supportive therapies that are helpful to the management of the disease.
Therapies provided to Alzheimer's patients in memory care facilities include;
- Music therapy helps Alzheimer's patients relax, improve their cognition, and reduce aggressive behavior that may be observed in Alzheimer's disease patients.
- Occupational therapy is offered to aid Alzheimer's patients in coping with memory loss and reduce their cognitive abilities.
- Reminiscence therapy helps to improve the sensory abilities of residents to help them cope with memory loss.
Finding a Memory Care Facility
For specialized care for Alzheimer's patients, don't hesitate to call us at (401) 455-6403 to learn more about the memory care services at Care New England and Butler Hospital.
Disclaimer: The content in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and should not serve as medical advice, consultation, or diagnosis. If you have a medical concern, please consult your healthcare provider, or seek immediate medical treatment.
