For those who are new to caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or are beginning to feel overwhelmed and unsure if they’re able to provide the best care for their loved one, helpful tips and advice are within reach.
If you are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, you’re facing a unique challenge. In addition to maintaining your relationship with the person, you must now begin to take responsibility for their care. As you process their condition, you also must learn what is needed to provide them with the best care possible.
It’s ok to ask for help. Consider your options and resources for providing care, including a professional memory care program.
How to Provide the Best Care
Whether you’re new to caregiving or have done it for years, there is always more we can learn about how to provide the best care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.
The good news is that the foundation of proper care is built on a consistent list of considerations that applies at any level of memory loss and ageing.
This care includes providing your loved one with the following essentials:
- Nutrition, which likely includes special dietary needs
- Medication disbursement and management of conditions, such as diabetes
- Physical activity to maintain strength, flexibility, and their level of independence
- Life enrichment, which could encompass their cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual needs
- Regular appointments with dedicated healthcare professionals
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapies
- Safety and comfort within their environment
With these points in mind, your loved one may one day need around-the-clock care as Alzheimer’s progresses. You’ll need to enlist the help of family, friends, or in-home professionals to make sure there is someone available to be with your loved one at all times. Another possibility is to consider relying on a memory care program.
How Memory Care Can Help
Caregiving for your loved one can begin to feel overwhelming. This is normal, especially as the care they deserve may need to become increasingly customized and complex. Instead of putting pressure on yourself to serve as sole caretaker, you can confidently ensure that they receive the best care by helping them transition to a proper memory care program.
Transitioning to a dedicated memory care program can give your loved one the level of care they need, while providing your family with the resources and peace of mind that your loved one is in the best hands.
The Benefits of Memory Care
A quality memory care program will offer a full spectrum of support throughout all levels of Alzheimer’s. An essential element of any memory care program is understanding and appropriately adapting the care to the degree of memory loss. This understanding should be an important consideration when planning care.
Beyond the professional services of a senior living community, where there is access to doctors, nurses, medical and non-medical attention day and night, there are other supporting programs.
On-site therapies for your loved one can contribute to a more enriching daily life. For example, a memory care program will provide group activities with other seniors who need the same level of care and will allow them to socialize like they may not have been able to before.
They will also receive nutrition that best meets their needs at each level of care, such as recipes filled not only with nutrients, but also flavor, and that support brain health.
As you want what is best for your loved one, take time to consider and weigh all of your options. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about resources, including memory care programs and senior living communities. Your concerns are normal and you don’t have to carry the responsibility of care on your own.
Memory Care at The Kensington
Although we understand the debilitating patterns of Alzheimer’s and dementia, we continually seek ways to support residents’ strengths, despite deteriorating recall.
We honor the past, savor the present, and look toward making the times that lie ahead manageable, comfortable and ultimately, peaceful.
It’s our promise to love and care for your family as we do our own. Though Alzheimer’s can be a difficult journey, it is one that your family doesn’t need to go through alone. At Kensington Place Redwood City, we are proud to serve as your caregiver-partner so that your time with your loved one can be more enjoyable. At Kensington Place Redwood City your loved one is in compassionate, capable, and professional hands.
We have thoughtfully designed a state-of-the-art, personalized memory care program that benefits all kinds of resident and family situations.
The Kensington Difference
At Kensington Place Redwood City, we are a unique senior living community that provides two “neighborhoods” to suit every stage of memory loss. With state of the art therapies and care that’s exceptionally knowledgeable, you can be rest assured the care provided will fit the needs of your loved one.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is experiencing memory loss – no matter the stage – Kensington Place Redwood City may be able to help.
Call us today to learn more.
Recommended Additional Reading:
Activity Ideas for Residents That Maintain Social Distancing
The Importance of Caregiver Mental Health
Caregiver Reading Room: Top 10 Books on Caregiving
Cooking: Good for the Soul, Therapy for Memory Loss