With an estimated 44 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, providing appropriate care and attention to these individuals becomes crucial. Memory care services are a form of long-term care designed to meet the needs of a person with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or other types of memory impairment.
Finding the right support system and proper memory care neighborhood is a top priority when someone you love is living with memory impairment. While informal or family caregivers can provide compassionate care, professional care may be the best option as dementia progresses.
What makes the decision hard on many is the feeling or thought that they are “abandoning” their loved one by transitioning them to a memory care community. If a person we know is physically injured we do not hesitate to seek professional care, so searching “memory care communities near me” to find care for a loved one living with a memory impairment should be no different.
Being a family caregiver can be gratifying, but this task has many layers to navigate, especially when your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or any neurodegenerative condition. The Pavilion Senior Living, with memory care communities based in Lebanon and Carthage, Tennessee, would like to help family members better understand memory care services and what you can expect from these communities.
When is it Time for Memory Care?
With the nature of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, knowing when it is the right time to transition a loved one into a memory care community can be challenging. While the earlier stages of dementia can be mild and more manageable, the situation can become more strenuous for a family caregiver as the condition progresses.
The care your loved one receives is crucial, as is the need to provide a safe, secure, and comforting environment surrounded by compassionate caregivers who know the ins and outs of dementia.
Recognizing the time for memory care is highly subjective and is based on each family’s unique situation.
If committing to a memory care community is too challenging at this time, you can utilize respite care services like those offered at The Pavilion Senior Living. These services allow your parent or loved one to experience life in a senior living and memory care community with no commitment. Respite care also allows the caregiver to take a break to handle other commitments or responsibilities.
What You Can Expect from a Memory Care Community
Memory care communities aim to provide a warm and welcoming environment through lighting, scents, sounds, and an easy-to-navigate layout. In addition, these neighborhoods feature a variety of security and safety measures to ensure residents do not wander, get lost, or find themselves in unsafe situations.
Though the approach may change from community to community, when you search “memory care communities near me,” results will typically feature a thoughtfully crafted plan of care that highlights the current trends in dementia care while incorporating the distinct likes, needs, and wants of each individual they serve.
Memory care services aim to allow for as much independence as possible while protecting and ensuring the safety of each resident.
A Unique and Thoughtful Approach
What you can expect from The Pavilion Senior Living’s memory care program is a hospitable environment where your loved one will be surrounded by warm-hearted caregivers dedicated to helping those living with memory impairments and specially trained in managing the challenges associated with memory loss.
Our memory care is person-centered, focusing on the individual and crafting a customized care plan instead of a “standard” plan of care. The Pavilion Senior Living communities are built around our core values:
- Trust
- Respect
- Compassion
- Personalized care
- Integrity
Our memory care communities feature a wide array of activities to promote connection, engagement, and social wellness. We also feature specialized programming, a secure living environment, assistance with the activities of daily living (ADLs), and medication management.
Being diagnosed with dementia does not mean your loved one cannot continue to grow or have meaningful experiences. As a matter of fact, our Alzheimer’s and dementia care communities focus on each individual’s strengths and interests to enhance their quality of life and promote cognitive function.
Easing Your Loved One’s Transition
Reduce the Surprise Factor
Feeling comfortable and familiar with any new environment or circumstance can drastically ease the situation. However, it is the unknown that often causes anxiety. To help ease your loved one’s move into memory care, reduce the surprise factor as much as possible.
Take a tour of the community with your family member. Attend events and participate in activities held at the community prior to move-in day. By doing so, you are familiarizing your loved one and yourself with the new environment.
Make it Feel Like Home
Just like referring to your family member’s new memory care community as home will help it feel as such, there are other ways to cultivate this feeling. For example, bring sentimental items, such as family photographs, to decorate their apartment.
Speak with team members in the community and ask what restrictions are in place in reference to furniture. If your loved one has a favorite chair or something similar, and if the memory care community allows it, bring it with you on moving day.
Filling your parent or loved one’s new space with familiar items will help them to feel more comfortable and at home in their new surroundings.
Keep Your Loved One Out of the Moving Chaos
Moving is stressful for anyone, but this process may cause unnecessary anxiety for your loved one and can lead to agitation, a common symptom of dementia. This is especially true if they are already hesitant about moving into a memory care community in the first place.
Keep your loved one out of the chaos of packing and moving as much as possible. Instead, take advantage of respite care services at your loved one’s new community. This will help them get familiar with their new home and grant you the time to handle the packing and moving duties without causing your loved one additional stress.
Provide Caregivers with as Much Information as Possible
Get to know the caregivers and other team members at the memory care community well before moving day, and share as much information about your loved one with them as possible. Provide information such as their personal and medical history, their likes and dislikes, and any key elements of their personality.
This will help to form quality relationships between your loved one and the caregivers before the transition, easing anxiety and helping everyone to feel more comfortable.
Connecting Through Memory Care
One of the primary concerns family members have about the senior in their life joining a memory care neighborhood is maintaining a meaningful connection with them. At The Pavilion Senior Living’s memory care communities, we strive to provide ample opportunities for you and your loved one to connect. In addition, we encourage family members to come by as often as they can, as a familiar and loving face can drastically shift the outcome of a resident’s day.
Family members or loved ones are always welcome to visit and participate in our daily activities! You can stop by and engage with your loved one during our activities or schedule a meal with them throughout the week. Family is everything, and we want you involved as much as possible.
Doing your research can go a long way in helping you know what to expect from your loved one’s memory care community, but this can be an overwhelming process. At The Pavilion Senior Living, we are always here to help guide you on your senior living and memory care journey, and we believe that the best way to fully grasp what we offer is to see it for yourself!
If you have any additional questions regarding our memory care services or would like to learn more about what we have to offer, we encourage you to contact our team and schedule a red carpet tour of one of our communities.
Updated: June 2023
