As the U.S. population ages, the number of people with dementia who will need memory support will increase. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, more than 11 million Americans provide over 18 billion hours of unpaid care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
At many senior care communities, memory support is available and tailored to the specific needs of the residents living in those communities.
Advantages of a Memory Support Community in Assisted Living
“Mild cognitive challenges start to become more and more apparent as we age,” says Lea Ann Coates, Residency Counselor at Bethesda Hawthorne Place, an Assisted Living and Memory Support community in St. Louis. “This becomes an issue when forgetfulness starts to affect an individual’s ability to complete basic daily activities.”
When seniors move to assisted living communities, however, this worry can be resolved easily. For example, reminders from staff can be part of each resident’s care plan — something as simple as a prompt for changing clothes or a knock on the door when it is mealtime. The support could also be something much more critical to health and well-being, like complete medication management.
“Our support minimizes memory challenges for our residents and focuses on maximizing their abilities,” says Lea Ann.
However, there may be a point when memory issues become a safety concern in assisted living. Some typical red flags include:
- Residents losing their ability to find their way around the building
- Confusing day and evening hours
- Packing a bag or suitcase
- Trying to get ready to go to work
- Looking for a formerly-owned car
- Expressing the need to meet their children (who are now adults) at the school bus
“When our staff starts to document these thoughts or actions, it becomes time to assess for a move to a secure memory support neighborhood, because safety could be potentially compromised,” Lea Ann says.
Memory Support Neighborhoods in Assisted Living
A memory support neighborhood is a secure environment for residents whose memory challenges are beyond the occasional to moderate age-related forgetfulness.
In this setting, even though residents live in their own apartments, they need prompting, reminding, re-directing, and sometimes re-purposing for most of their activities of daily living. There is concern that should the resident leave the neighborhood without supervision, he or she would be unable to find their way home or may even exit the campus.
“Consistency is key in a memory support neighborhood,” says Lea Ann. “This means keeping activities, mealtimes, and personal care as close to a routine as possible. Residents become familiar with the ebb and flow of the neighborhood. This decreases the opportunity for confusion.”
Many memory support neighborhoods also tend to be home to fewer residents than their assisted living counterparts. Such is the case at Bethesda Hawthorne Place. “This means staff has more time to get to know residents, have more interaction with them, and provide more personalized attention due to their increased need for direction,” Lea Ann says.
The physical layout of the community is also important to make walking and way-finding easy. At Bethesda Hawthorne Place, the neighborhood is in the shape of a rectangle, so there are no dead-ends. That keeps residents from becoming frustrated by the need to turn around at the end of a hallway or having that hallway lead directly to an outside door that they are unable to exit.
“Increased activity provides focus and keeps the mind from repetitive thoughts that might be worrisome,” says Lea Ann. “Our neighborhood makes it very simple for our residents to keep moving.”
Learn more about the advantages of a memory support community in Bethesda’s assisted living. Contact us today!
