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Every year, at least 10 million people around the world are diagnosed with dementia. The life-changing and debilitating condition that affects memory, cognition and even the ability to perform simple activities is affecting more than 50 million people. Plus, with the elderly population growing, these numbers are expected to increase immensely over the next few years.

 

Memory care is now one of the most important pillars of the medical world. The practice that deals with patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other dementias focus on improving their quality of life by slowing down disease progression, preserving memory and offering independence through the following four best practices.

 

Practices

 

1. Promoting proper nutrition

 

Studies have proven that a lack of proper nutrition and the inadequate consumption of food and fluids could easily speed up the progression of the disease due the decline in the patient’s overall wellbeing.

 

Therefore, a good memory care facility always conducts screenings to assess the patient’s nutritional needs for the healthcare team to plan the appropriate care depending on the patient’s life circumstances and preferences. Mealtimes are also used as a form of socialization where patients can interact with other people while enjoying their food.

 

2. Creating meaningful activities

 

Throughout the day, patients are given the opportunity to enjoy different activities that will not only allow them to functional normally but also help deal with their condition more effectively.

 

Memory care staff always promotes independence by allowing patients to make their own bed, tidy their room, water the plants, and perform self-care activities so they still feel a sense of purpose despite their inability to remember things. This will make them feel more empowered as they tackle their disease and ensure that they continue to live a good quality of life.

 

3. Ensuring socialization

 

Socialization and interaction are very important parts of memory care because they help patients keep the functional abilities, promote better self-esteem and enhance their quality of life.

 

Healthcare teams usually plan activities that allow patients to enjoy great conversations and share experiences with their carers, family members and the staff. But memory care also respects the need for space and alone time of some of its patients.

 

4. Keeping things simple and attainable

 

Patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia have difficulties coping up with their condition and it can get extremely frustrating for them to not be able to do activities that they used to be capable of.

 

That is why it’s very important for memory care staff to keep routines, schedules and approaches as simple as possible. This means focusing only on what makes an activity successful and getting rid of non-essential things that can only cause worry and frustration.

 

As the medical world still works on finding a cure for dementia and Alzheimer’s, memory care plays a very crucial role in ensuring that everyone suffering from these medical conditions are not only properly cared for but also allowed to enjoy the best years of their life despite the limitations posed by the disease.

 

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Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper

A loved one with Alzheimer’s disease should be mentally and physically stimulated. In fact, even if his or her mental or physical abilities have declined due to dementia, it doesn’t mean that enrichment stops.

One of the things you can do is to get involved to keep your loved one happy as they start to live in a nursing home. Thus, you need to help seniors as they move into Alzheimer’s care facilities.

 

Ideas to Keep Your Senior Happy In a Nursing Home

 

Make The Transition Easy

Needless to say, moving into a nursing home for seniors can be stressful even for the family. So you need to help them by ensuring that the move will be smooth. Some of them might feel that they are still capable to care for themselves, causing them to think there is no need to leave home.

• • Explain to them that going to move into a nursing home will be helpful for them
  • Bring furniture, pictures, and objects to make their room feel like they are at just at home
  • It would greatly help if the spouse can move in with them

 

Tending To Relationships

Seniors will have the opportunity to build new relationships in nursing homes, as it strengthens old ones. This can improve their health as it promotes happiness. This is because strong relationships can make people happy to prevent physical and mental decline as time passes by.

• • Encourage them to interact with others in Alzheimer’s care facilities
  • Visit as often as possible
  • It would help if friends or neighbors can visit them
  • Any questions or concerns must be addressed to the staff

 

Participate in Activities

Seniors can build relationships with others easily through activities. In fact, regular activities can help them stay in shape, both physically and mentally. Most Alzheimer’s care facilities host activities for the whole day. So, even those suffering from disabilities or illnesses can participate in some activities that are fit for them.

• • Listening to music
  • Petting a cat or dog
  • Reading
  • Walking
  • Playing bingo

 

Maintaining Health Care

If a senior will live in a nursing home, there is a possibility that he or she has an illness or disability that will need long-term care. Thus, you can keep them happy and healthy.

• • Regularly visit your loved one and monitor the health status
  • Voice out your concerns to the staff
  • Take necessary action if things will not improve

It is important to note that happiness and quality of life are synonymous. So seniors can greatly benefit from the help of the staff of the nursing home, other residents, and more specifically the family members.

The next time you want to visit a loved one in Alzheimer’s care facilities, be guided that they too need regular checking so that they will remain safe and content. Take note that the best nursing homes will pay attention to the concerns of their residents so that everybody is satisfied.

 

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Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper

The elderly population is set to overtake the younger generation in the coming years. This also means that more people will be put into memory assisted living to allow them to live a better quality of life as they deal with health conditions that are related to growing old. Memory loss is one of the most common health conditions suffered by the elderly population.

But memory assisted living facilities can sometimes help improve and preserve the memory of residents through these ways:

 

Adequate sleep

It’s not uncommon for older people to have difficulty sleeping or getting enough hours of sleep each day, especially with the different changes in their body.

But research from the National Sleep Foundation revealed that adequate sleep trigger brain changes that help strengthen memories and move them from the short-term to the long-term.

Memory assisted living facilities to offer the right environment for residents to sleep comfortably for at least 6 to 9 hours every day to strengthen their brain cells and preserve their memory.

 

Memory training

With the goal of helping the elderly keep their memory healthy for the longest time possible, several organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Association of Retired Persons have developed several directives related to memory training.

These include lifestyle modifications in diet and nutrition, physical activities, and cognitive training that allow for the elderly in memory assisted living to keep their memory active.

 

Proper nutrition

A study by the Harvard Health Publications revealed that foods that are highly saturated in fat increase bad cholesterol in the elderly that clog the arteries and cause significant damage to the brain.

This is why memory assisted living facilities don’t only provide the right living environment for residents but also ensure that they get adequate nutrition that’s rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats to increase good cholesterol levels and keep the brain healthy for a longer time.

 

Mental exercises

One of the biggest benefits of sending an elderly loved one to memory assisted living is the fact that they can be given mental exercises like learning a new skill or practicing a hobby that has been proven to improve memory and cognitive function.

Residents can also stay social with their peers and they are allowed to spend time with family members to maintain and improve their mental health. According to research, a simple 10-minute interaction every day can already help with a senior’s memory in a lot of ways.

 

Quality of Life

Finally, being in memory assisted living allows residents to enjoy an excellent quality of life that would otherwise be difficult for them if they are staying at home with the limitations that they have because of their condition.

This will help them to not only keep their memories but also build new experiences as they enjoy independence without having to worry about daily chores or access to healthcare whenever they need it.

 

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Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper

The United States is expecting its highest senior population rate as more than 76 million baby boomers enter into retirement. This also means that nursing homes will have to accommodate more residents and that could have a huge impact on the quality of care being given in these facilities, especially in preventing infections.

In the effort to keep the home-like environment in nursing homes, four practices should be implemented to make sure that residents are safe from infections and given the best quality of life possible:

 

Proper Hand Hygiene

Although healthcare workers in nursing homes want to be seen more like friends, they still need to implement strict measures, especially in terms of maintaining good hygiene within themselves and the residents.

Hand hygiene is particularly important for residents before meals and healthcare workers should also practice hand hygiene and wear appropriate gloves when taking care of residents since they’re more vulnerable to infections.

Protective gowns and gloves should also be kept in the rooms of high-risk residents to keep healthcare workers safe while taking care of them.

 

Proper Wound Care

If residents have any open sores or wounds, they need to be cared for properly to avoid infections. Healthcare workers have the responsibility to make sure that their residents don’t incur any injuries or sores, but if they do, they need to be cleaned and covered with a bandage.

Wounds also need to be checked regularly and proper medications should be given for pain and to prevent infection.

 

Proper Isolation

In a regular hospital setting, anyone with an infected wound or uncontrolled secretions would instantly be isolated in a private room and kept from away from other patients.

But in nursing homes, isolating residents could lead to anxiety, depression, and social stigma. This is why healthcare workers need to implement measures that keep residents with infections separated from other residents without fully isolating them or making them feel like they’re in a hospital.

Personal protective equipment like gloves, masks, and gowns should also be readily available for healthcare workers to use in caring for residents.

In the case of an outbreak, however, strict policies need to be implemented to protect the entire community even if it means isolating residents temporarily.

 

Proper Preventive Measures

The most common mode of transmission for infection in nursing homes is through the hands of healthcare workers who spread pathogens as they transfer from one resident to the other.

This is why it’s very important for these facilities to have proper preventive measures among healthcare workers, especially in caring for vulnerable residents who have wounds, infections, and antibiotic-resistance.

As more Americans enter their retirement years, the need to improve the quality of service in nursing homes also becomes more important.

Aside from these four important practices, other measures specific to every institution should be implemented to make sure that all residents are not only safe from infections but also other health conditions that could affect their quality of life.

 

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Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper

The numbers say it all. Every 65 seconds, an American develops Alzheimer’s disease that by 2050, it is expected that there will be more than 14 million people in the United States with this condition, most of which will be living in facilities for Alzheimer’s.

It is also the 6^th leading cause of death in the country with 1 in 3 seniors dying from Alzheimer’s or dementia.

With Alzheimer’s disease having no clear cause or any known treatments yet, getting screened will allow for early detection of the disease so that lifestyle changes could and other modalities can be implemented to maintain your quality of life.

 

Why should you get Screened for Alzheimer’s?

Many people living in facilities for Alzheimer’s knew about their condition when it was already in its advanced stages. Some would also say that there’s no point in early screening when Alzheimer’s is untreatable. But getting an early diagnosis can actually be beneficial in a lot of ways.

For one, you’ll be able to change the way you live so you can preserve cognitive function and slow down the progress of the disease.

By eliminating many of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s, you’ll be able to keep yourself healthy for a longer time than not knowing that you’re already aggravating your condition with bad lifestyle choices.

Early screening also gives you a better chance at benefiting from different treatment options for Alzheimer’s and you can even participate in clinical trials. This means that you’ll be able to try medications, interventions, and modalities that could help you get a better prognosis from the disease.

 

When should you get Screened for Alzheimer’s?

Loss of memory is usually the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease, but it can also be a symptom of other medical conditions that need to be ruled out. So if you begin to notice that you’re becoming forgetful, it’s best to get screened to see if your memory loss is related to Alzheimer’s or any form of dementia.

You should also get yourself screened if you have family members with Alzheimer’s or dementia, especially your grandparents, parents, or siblings who got diagnosed with the disease in their 30s or 40s.

Also, remember that women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men, so you should considering screening if you’re a woman in your 60s.

 

Why go through Screening when Alzheimer’s is not Curable?

Finally, some people would disagree about early screening saying that it’s useless since Alzheimer’s is not curable, after all. But if you think about it, getting screened will give you more time to come to terms with having the condition and prepare yourself and your family for the journey ahead.

While you’re still able, you can make all the necessary changes to keep yourself healthy for a longer time and slow down the disease process. You’ll also be able to increase your quality of life and be as independent as possible while you’re at it.

 

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Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper