Do you know when to seek memory care for a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia? Not everyone with Alzheimer’s or dementia needs to live in a memory support community. If your loved one simply needs more assistance with daily living, an assisted living apartment may be the perfect solution. Assisted living includes help with dressing, meals, medication management, light housekeeping and laundry.
However, if they are showing additional challenges, it may be time to speak to a memory support specialist.
When to Seek Memory Care: Disorientation
One of the indications it may be time to seek memory care support includes disorientation. Some signs of disorientation include:
- Wandering from home at strange hours
- Leaving for historic reasons, like walking to the school bus to pick up their children when their children are fully grown
- Leaving home and being unable to find their way back
- Forgetting the meaning of stop signs or stop lights.
Disorientation can put the person at risk for injury and may place them in an unsafe environment or situation.
When to Seek Memory Care: Changes in Behavior
Many people do not realize that Alzheimer’s or dementia may impact the behavior of their loved one. Someone who was gentle may now become easily agitated and angry. It may cause confusion, leading to depression. They may forget daily hygiene. Inability to drive or forgetting social events may lead to isolation.
When to Seek Memory Care: Decline in Physical Health
Physical health is at risk when a person is unable to manage their medications. They can forget to take them, forget when they last took them or take too much. Also, they may forget meals or not realize that groceries are expired. Also, incontinence may be a symptom for aging adults. A person with dementia may need assistance to manage this condition.
When a Caregiver Needs Help
A person with Alzheimer’s or dementia will need to rely on the assistance of a caregiver(s). Sometimes, a caregiver is unavailable due to the caregiver’s own health, distance or obligations such as a career or raising children.
The Harbor, our memory support facility, offers families and caregivers peace of mind. In addition to assisted living services, the entrance-controlled area provides activities to avoid isolation and keep the mind sharp.
If your loved one or someone you know with Alzheimer’s or dementia is experiencing any of the signs above, contact our memory care senior living specialist.