You’re not alone if you’re struggling to care for a loved one living with dementia. Did you know that 48% of family caregivers care for an older adult with some form of dementia? According to the World Health Organization, more than 55 million people live with dementia worldwide.
Watching a loved one suffer from dementia is heartbreaking and takes a lot of work. Family members often struggle to manage the everyday emotional and physical needs of a loved one with dementia.
People with dementia need specialized care, especially as symptoms progress. Memory care programs like Notre Dame du Lac Assisted Living’s Harmony Memory Care specialize in caring for memory loss or dementia residents. Memory care communities ensure residents’ safety, quality of life, and dignity. More importantly, memory care enriches the lives of its residents and allows family members to enjoy the company of their loved ones without the stress and responsibility of everyday caregiving.
Here are some of the many ways memory care communities enrich the lives of their residents:
Highly Trained Staff
Memory care communities are staffed with a team of professionals trained to work with people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Memory care residents need specialized care to help them navigate a complex and progressive disease.
These communities employ healthcare professionals and caregivers who are experts in dealing with the complexities of dementia.
Memory care specialists create customized care plans designed to meet each resident’s individual needs.
In addition, memory care professionals offer compassionate and needed support to residents and their families.
Personalized Programs & Activities
If you think memory care residents sit around doing nothing, think again! Residents can choose from a variety of programs and activities that are designed to improve cognitive stimulation and the health of people living with dementia. Community outings, music therapy, and fitness classes are just some activities available to residents in memory care communities.
Residents have access to beautiful outdoor patio areas, sitting areas, and dining rooms designed in colors and décor to calm and soothe residents with dementia. In addition, memory care communities offer many social opportunities, allowing residents to interact with and meet new people.
Personalized Care Plans
The type and amount of treatment needed for people living with dementia vary depending on the stage of dementia and the health of the individual. Individuals in the early stages of dementia are often more independent, whereas those in later stages require around-the-clock care.
Memory care communities offer care plans created to support residents’ needs at every stage of dementia. Most of these care plans are designed to promote the brain health of residents living with dementia. Physical activity, cognitive training, and specialized diets are all part of individual care plans meant to meet the needs of memory care residents. Personalized care plans are also created to assist residents who need daily help with personal care like bathing, dressing, toileting, and feeding.
Safety & Security
The safety and security of residents are the number one priority for memory care staff. People with memory loss are prone to wandering. Memory care communities ensure the safety and security of residents with on-site security, 24-hour supervision, alarms, and keypad entry systems.
If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, contact a memory care expert to discover how a memory care program can benefit you and, more importantly, your loved one.
About Notre Dame Health Care
Notre Dame Health Care (NDHC) offers a range of post-acute programs and services to the community, including an Assisted Living Residence; Adult & Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care; Post-Acute Recuperation; Short-Term Rehabilitation; Skilled Nursing and traditional Long Term Care; Specialized Memory Care; and an educational resource center which serves our employees and community. We embrace the individuality, spirituality, and wholeness of each member of our community, including our residents, patients, families, volunteers, and staff.
Notre Dame Health Care is proudly non-profit and honored to carry on the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to care for the sick and vulnerable and to educate for life through our NDHC Educational Bridge Center.
Notre Dame Health Care
555-559 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
(508) 852-5800
notredamehealthcare.org