Families shoulder the burden of making sure their loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia receives the best possible long-term dementia care. It’s a stressful and challenging journey for most family members, who may struggle with physical, emotional, spiritual and financial concerns. Families need a good partner in caring for their loved one so that they receive the social support they need from trained caregivers and successfully deal with the many decisions that must be made regarding their loved one’s care program.
Research on families of dementia patients indicates that they struggle with a number of issues:
- Feelings of guilt over the decision to place mom or dad in a long-term dementia care home;
- Insecurity about who the primary decision-maker will be once their loved one transitions to long-term care;
- Lack of clarity about the types of decisions they will need to make over time, such as palliative treatment, hospitalization decisions, medication choices;
- Expectation confusion over their role and the role of the long-term care providers;
- Lack of communication or understanding about end-of-life care planning and the role of hospice in their loved one’s final days.
At the heart of all of these issues mentioned above is the need for effective, compassionate and ongoing communication between the dementia care staff and the family members who are involved in care-giving decisions. Further, not all memory care communities provide caregivers who are specifically trained in caring for dementia or Alzheimer’s patients.
When you’re seeking a dementia care community, make sure that you’re confident in the caregiver’s training and the staff’s commitment to good communication with you and other involved family members.
Family-based care
Good dementia care requires the community to join with you in providing ongoing social support to you and your family. Look for a family-based care philosophy that makes you a fully engaged partner in decisions and daily care.
Top-quality training
Look carefully at the training caregivers receive. Does staff regularly update their educational knowledge with information on the latest behavioral and care-giving strategies? Does the community follow a patient-centered dementia care philosophy which puts the patient’s dignity and humanity at the core of all care decisions?
Personalized care planning
Good communication goes both ways, and so it’s critical that you and the memory care staff develop a personalized care plan for you, your family and your loved one. Be sure to meet the entire care team so you feel confident of their commitment to providing care that’s specific to the needs of your loved one. One-size-fits-all does not work with dementia patients. Tell the staff about your loved one’s likes and dislikes, favorite past hobbies, music, etc. If your mom is a “touchy-feely” person, let them know it’s good to hold her hand or hug her regularly.
Finding the right dementia care home gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your loved one is safe, respected, well cared for, and that you will continue to be a big part of their daily life, even when you can’t physically be at their side. How can we help you to share the care for your loved one?
Having trouble finding the ‘right’ dementia care program?
We work hard to offer state-of-the-art dementia care programming and accommodations without losing the quaint, small-town feel our residents have come to love.