For the millions of Americans living with dementia, Alzheimer's disease or other similar conditions, daily life can be filled with confusion, fear, depression and difficulty. Caregivers and loved ones also face huge challenges and it can be overwhelming to provide care and support. Still, there are some strategies to consider that can help make each day a bit easier for you and your loved one with dementia. Sometimes, the option of memory care at a facility for assisted living in San Diego can be your best choice.
People with any type of dementia obviously become confused and disoriented easily, and they do not tend to handle stress well. One way to help a person with dementia is to keep daily life as simple and straightforward as possible. Keep the house clean and clutter free, provide them with easy tasks to complete and avoid crowded or loud situations. Design a simple daily schedule so that your loved one knows what to expect throughout the day. Make sure the person doesn't have to deal with tasks such as paying bills or taking on responsibility for complicated tasks. At a community for assisted living in San Diego, the memory care facilities will be designed to be as stress-free as possible, which is one reason to consider this option.
It's unlikely that a person with a type of dementia can continue with a regular job and sometimes it's tough for them to handle paying bills or maintaining a home. However, there are plenty of tasks that your loved one can still handle and it's a good idea to provide a few daily jobs. A person can help sort and fold laundry, help prepare part of lunch or dinner, create a beautiful table setting, read to a grandchild, brush the dog or even head outside and sweep, rake leaves or pull weeds. People enjoy being useful, and a person with dementia needs both encouragement and praise. Activity also can lessen stress and improve cognitive focus. At an assisted living home in San Diego there will be specially designed activities that keep residents engaged and focused and entertained.
While it's true that losing memories can be very painful for the person with dementia and his or her loved ones, it's often the personality changes that are the hardest issues to handle. Sometimes people with Alzheimer's or another type of dementia are verbally abusive or even physically abusive to their caregivers and loved ones. When this occurs, it is best to try to either distract the person's attention or use a calm and soothing voice. This can be difficult, but if possible, keep in mind that it's truly not personal but rather a symptom of this disease. Still, often this is a big reason why you might consider assisted living in San Diego. The staff at a memory care facility is trained to deal with the difficult behavior common to some people with dementia.
Personality changes aside, it's often safety that is the biggest concern for caregivers. Your loved one with dementia might leave home and walk away, confused about time and place. Also, if they are ill or hurt, they can forget what to do in an emergency. Sometimes, a person might forget about food that is cooking in the oven or on the stove or leave water running for hours. Many people do consider assisted living for these reasons alone, they simply feel safer if their loved one is living in a memory care facility. With staff around throughout the day and night, this can be safer and even make your loved one feel safer, which can reduce stress.
When searching for memory care assisted living in San Diego, you should visit several different facilities and try to find one that seems to suit the personality of your loved one. Sometimes a smaller board and care home or a skilled nursing facility might be the best option. An eldercare referral service can provide you with a list of pre-screen facilities that might suit your loved one's needs. The transition into assisted living can be difficult, so set up their new apartment with items that are familiar, such as favorite chair, a favorite quilt, family pictures or any item that seems to generally bring comfort. Be patient, because this adjustment takes time and it's hard to watch a loved one in distress, but eventually most people do settle into memory care and often enjoy the activities and the reduced level of stress.
People with any type of dementia obviously become confused and disoriented easily, and they do not tend to handle stress well. One way to help a person with dementia is to keep daily life as simple and straightforward as possible. Keep the house clean and clutter free, provide them with easy tasks to complete and avoid crowded or loud situations. Design a simple daily schedule so that your loved one knows what to expect throughout the day. Make sure the person doesn't have to deal with tasks such as paying bills or taking on responsibility for complicated tasks. At a community for assisted living in San Diego, the memory care facilities will be designed to be as stress-free as possible, which is one reason to consider this option.
It's unlikely that a person with a type of dementia can continue with a regular job and sometimes it's tough for them to handle paying bills or maintaining a home. However, there are plenty of tasks that your loved one can still handle and it's a good idea to provide a few daily jobs. A person can help sort and fold laundry, help prepare part of lunch or dinner, create a beautiful table setting, read to a grandchild, brush the dog or even head outside and sweep, rake leaves or pull weeds. People enjoy being useful, and a person with dementia needs both encouragement and praise. Activity also can lessen stress and improve cognitive focus. At an assisted living home in San Diego there will be specially designed activities that keep residents engaged and focused and entertained.
While it's true that losing memories can be very painful for the person with dementia and his or her loved ones, it's often the personality changes that are the hardest issues to handle. Sometimes people with Alzheimer's or another type of dementia are verbally abusive or even physically abusive to their caregivers and loved ones. When this occurs, it is best to try to either distract the person's attention or use a calm and soothing voice. This can be difficult, but if possible, keep in mind that it's truly not personal but rather a symptom of this disease. Still, often this is a big reason why you might consider assisted living in San Diego. The staff at a memory care facility is trained to deal with the difficult behavior common to some people with dementia.
Personality changes aside, it's often safety that is the biggest concern for caregivers. Your loved one with dementia might leave home and walk away, confused about time and place. Also, if they are ill or hurt, they can forget what to do in an emergency. Sometimes, a person might forget about food that is cooking in the oven or on the stove or leave water running for hours. Many people do consider assisted living for these reasons alone, they simply feel safer if their loved one is living in a memory care facility. With staff around throughout the day and night, this can be safer and even make your loved one feel safer, which can reduce stress.
When searching for memory care assisted living in San Diego, you should visit several different facilities and try to find one that seems to suit the personality of your loved one. Sometimes a smaller board and care home or a skilled nursing facility might be the best option. An eldercare referral service can provide you with a list of pre-screen facilities that might suit your loved one's needs. The transition into assisted living can be difficult, so set up their new apartment with items that are familiar, such as favorite chair, a favorite quilt, family pictures or any item that seems to generally bring comfort. Be patient, because this adjustment takes time and it's hard to watch a loved one in distress, but eventually most people do settle into memory care and often enjoy the activities and the reduced level of stress.
About the Author:
Rue Nichols enjoys reading home health care blogs. For more details about assisted living facilities in San Diego or to find places to help with board and care Costa Mesa, please visit the Care Placement site now.
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