Boomers And Parents :: Senile Dementia Articles :: Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Facilities
Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Facilities
If your parent has been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimers and you can not care for them on your own, research your options to find the most appropriate place for your loved one. The choices vary as do the prices. Because their symptons can deterioate slowly an assisted living situation may work at first, there is a level of independence there with three meals provided a day and snack foods available between meals also games and exercise programs and transportation to shopping malls and doctors. They often have a nursing home on the premises so when your parent can no longer function in assisted living they can be transferred into it. Do your homework before hand especially if you live out of state, and make sure that if it was neccessary for your parent to move into it immediately it is the home you would choose for them. However even if you and your siblings are unable to care for your parent in one of your homes they really need to live in the same town as one of you. You would have a very hard time moving them as Dementia progresses. In a resturant they may start crying, or they may lay down on the pavement in the parking lot. Diapers would be very hard to change on a adult in a public facility or on a airplane. Also once we moved my aunt into a permanent situation where others cared for her 24/7 we visited her at least twice a week, talked to the caregivers and were able to feel good about her care. Facilities can also be sold and what was once an appropiate place for your parent could become a dangerous place for them.
Though it is more costly (about double) there are Alzheimer's disease dedicated facilities that treat Alzheimer's patients only and focus solely on their specific needs. With my aunt we researched this type of place but did not really see how it was a better place for her to be although it was new and beautiful. It had a very polished look to it but smelt of urine and I visited it at 11 am. Time enough to take care of what ever had happened in the night?
Another choice is a small licensed residential care home. We started out with my aunt in a licensed residential home for respite care on a few days basis. We would get away and come back renewed. It had 10 to 15 residents. Some were as young as fourty. The one thing they all had in common was the inability to care for themselves. It did not matter what time we visited which was often it never smelled nor was there a overbearing smell of disinfectants. As far as having a doctor or registered nurse at the facility we could not see the need for that. If your parent has a heart problem or something of the nature that may need emergency care that would be different. Instead it had ladies who were very very nice and that is what we all need and deserve, people who do not lose their patience with our inability to understand and who genuinely like to care for people.