Deciding on memory care for a loved one can be difficult. Here’s a guide to help you recognize signs of cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and safety concerns – all crucial factors to consider when navigating this important decision.
Christopher Ravn
Key Takeaways
1. Safety concerns arise as dementia patients start falling and some of it may lead to death due to home accidents.
2. The benefits of memory care units for those with dementia, Alzheimer's, or any form of memory loss are that they provide an environment tailored to reduce stress, provide familiarity, and improve the quality of life.
3. There are many stages of dementia and as they enter the final stage, stage 7, the patient will lose the ability to care for themselves.
Table of Contents
1. How To Know When Memory Care Is Needed For A Loved One
2. When Is Memory Care Necessary For Alzheimer's And Dementia Patients?
3. How To Assess The Need For Memory Care In Alzheimer’s And Dementia Patients
4. At What Stage Of Dementia Should You Not Live Alone?
5. Is It Better To Keep A Dementia Patient At Home Or In A Care Facility?
6. How Do I Tell My Mom She’s Moving To Memory Care?
7. Frequently Asked Questions About How To Know When Memory Care Is Needed
How To Know When Memory Care Is Needed For A Loved One
- Determine if your loved one is having issues bathing, eating, or even dressing up.
- Observe if their memory has started to decline, and they struggle to manage their finances or take their medication.
- Changes in behavior, such as aggression, wandering, and agitation affect their daily lives and those around them.
- Unable to cook a proper meal or having issues with weight management.
Recognizing Cognitive Decline
- Unable to remember where keys are placed, deadlines, names, or faces of people.
- Repeating or asking the same question and looking profusely at tasks, appointments, and other information.
- Issues with remembering new tasks, conversations, or the latest events.
- Feeling disoriented or confused about their surroundings, routines, and personal information.
- Unable to find the right words, keep up with conversations or understand written or spoken language.
Behavioral Changes
Dementia patients experience behavioral changes, as this can be seen through their aggression, anxiety, and agitation. This is an issue for both patient and the caregiver.
Agitation is seen in the patient’s movement, irritation, and restlessness. This is due to a myriad of factors, such as pain, disturbances, sleep, and stimulants from the environment. Aggression is another common behavioral issue seen as physical aggression and verbal abuse. It is due to the patient struggling with discomfort, pain, or an unknown medical condition.
Anxiety is another behavioral change that affects around 50–80% of dementia patients. The patient shows signs of worry, fear, and apprehension due to depression, experiences cognitive decline, or realizes that their cognition is declining. The patient starts to wander or is unable to find their way around places as they enter the advanced stages. Sleep, external stimuli, and cognitive decline are a few potential causes of this.
Safety Concerns
Safety concerns arise when dementia patients start falling at home, which in some cases may lead to death. Falls are to blame for about one-third of fatalities and this is not to be compared to falls in younger adults because. As it is, elderly patients have brittle bones, and it is not easy for their bones to heal. Other issues to look at are unsafe behaviors such as leaving the door unlocked or the stove lit, which cause severe accidents and injuries.
When Is Memory Care Necessary For Alzheimer's And Dementia Patients?
- Exhibiting erratic behavior changes such as aggression, anxiety, and agitation.
- Struggling with daily activities such as bathing, using the washroom, cooking, eating, or even dressing up.
- Decline in health due to infections, malnutrition, or weight loss.
- Issues with incontinence
- Feeling frustrated as they are unable to communicate effectively.
- May become disoriented or confused, thus increasing the risk of falling or wandering off on their own.
- Dementia patients may experience complications such as pneumonia or urinary tract infections.
- Caregivers experiencing emotional and physical exhaustion.
Stages Of Alzheimer's And Dementia
- Early stage (Mild Cognitive Impairment)
Family members or close friends can spot noticeable or subtle changes in patients. This could range from issues with planning, mood swings, feeling withdrawn from social functions or mentally challenging tasks. The patient may also experience issues remembering themselves, their phone number, or being confused about the day and time. - Middle stage (Moderate cognitive decline)
This stage showcases more pronounced symptoms where patients get confused, angry, or act up. They may also experience issues with their sleep or prolonged sleep throughout the day, start to become suspicious, delusional, or have compulsive behavior. - Late stage (Severe cognitive decline)
At this stage, the patient’s symptoms are severe, as they experience loss of awareness, issues with sitting, swallowing, and walking, severe memory decline, or inability to initiate conversation. The patient will need extensive support for their daily activities.
Need For Specialized Care
- An enhanced diet for those who were living alone or had to cook for themselves
- Specialized care for dementia patients
- Removing the burden of caregivers so that they may resume their daily roles.
- Activities such as brain games, exercise, and gardening may assist with mental cognition and physical health.
- Safety features such as alarm doors and colored spaces may help reduce the risk of wandering.
- Daily routines to provide a sense of familiarity and reduce stress
How To Assess The Need For Memory Care In Alzheimer’s And Dementia Patients
- Changes in behavior such as aggression, agitation, or wandering.
- Issues with daily tasks such as consuming medications, dressing, and bathing.
- Decline in health, which requires constant medical attention.
- Issues with communicating or having a conversation.
Behavioral And Emotional Signs
- Sudden outbursts or intense moods change from feeling happy to sad to annoyed.
- Feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or not being interested in activities that they once enjoyed.
- Avoiding people or social settings, showing disinterest in hobbies and isolating themselves.
- Showing aggressive behavior, anger, and irritation toward others or themselves.
Cognitive And Physical Signs
Dementia or Alzheimer’s patients may experience cognitive and physical decline as their disease worsens. This could range from speech issues to walking, spatial coordination, and speech impairment. They may also face issues with daily activities such as dressing, bathing, and managing their medications.
- Having issues remembering recent events or conversations.
- Unable to find the right words or keep up with the conversation.
- Short attention span or issues concentrating.
- Getting lost or having issues identifying the place or time.
- Issues with making decisions or solving problems.
- Issues with balancing or walking.
- Unable to perform daily activities such as bathing, eating or dressing.
- Problems with balance or walking
- Speech issues and coordination
- Depending on others or needing constant assistance with their daily activities.
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At What Stage Of Dementia Should You Not Live Alone?
As your loved one starts to require assistance for their activities of daily living (ADL), such as eating, drinking, bathing, and using the washroom, it is important to consider the challenges that they may face. This includes issues with cooking, driving, personal safety, and even living alone.
There are many stages of dementia and as they enter the final stage, which is stage 7, the dementia patient will lose the ability to care for themselves. At this stage, they may face severe motor and communication decline and may lose their ability to even walk or talk. This would entail full-time care and support for their daily lives, which would require them to bathe, eat, and dress up. Thus, it is imperative to ensure that the patient does not live on their own once they are at stage 7 as this may pose a risk to their safety and well-being.
When Is Home Care No Longer Safe For Patients?
- Forgetting traffic rules which lead to accidents or injuries.
- Unable to remember their address, lose their bearings, or be at risk of exploitation.
- Consume incorrect dosages or combine medications that may lead to severe reactions.
- Forget to take their medications or meet their doctor’s appointment.
Is It Better To Keep A Dementia Patient At Home Or In A Care Facility?
When it comes to deciding whether to keep dementia patients at home or in a care facility, it may be tricky as you will need to determine how long can a person with dementia live at home. This also depends on their preferences, needs, and support structure. Let us look at some pros and cons of home care:
- Sense of comfort and familiarity
- Ability to keep their independence and autonomy
- Offers personalized care and attention
- It helps with costs for those who need little assistance.
- It is draining on the caregivers, which leads to stress and burnout
- Does not have the resources and thus may trigger feelings of loneliness and isolation
- Unable to provide the necessary safety and security for those who wander or are at risk of falling.
- Does not have adequate medical care and supervision as care facilities.
Benefits Of Memory Care Facilities
Memory care facilities provide a range of benefits for patients suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s and other memory-related conditions. Therefore, it is designed to provide comfort, safety, and other needs for their residents. It has specialized programs to stimulate cognitive function and 24-hour supervision. The staff is trained to support patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s-related conditions. It has safety features such as constant supervision, secure exits, and activities designed to provide residents with a sense of purpose and foster communal well-being.
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View Our LightHow Do I Tell My Mom She’s Moving To Memory Care?
- Speak to your mom in a calm and relaxed manner.
- Show empathy and understanding about her feelings.
- Speak to her by using “I” phrases such as “I am worried about your health and safety.”
- Tell her about the memory care benefits and how it may help improve the quality of her life.
- Get another family member to be part of the discussion to help her feel more invested.
- Consider that there may be resistance from your mom and be patient and understanding.
Addressing Concerns And Emotions
It is important to address the concerns and emotions of dementia patients, as they may go through anger, excitement, or fear. Thus, memory care is important to make them feel safe and supported in an environment that is tailored to suit their needs. Thus, memory care assists dementia patients in processing and coping with both negative and positive memories. This helps to enhance their emotional and mental well-being.
The safety aspect of memory care is that it focuses on the safety and security of residents suffering from memory issues. By addressing emotional needs and providing patients with a safe environment, it may help to reduce stress and anxiety and thus provide a sense of calmness and security for residents.
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Frequently Asked Questions About How To Know When Memory Care Is Needed
How Do You Know When It's Time For Memory Care?
- Determine if your loved one is having issues bathing, eating, or even dressing up.
- Observe if their memory has started to decline, such as having issues with daily tasks, managing their finances, or even taking their medication.
- Changes in behavior, such as aggression, wandering, and agitation, which affect their daily lives and those around them.
- Unable to cook a proper meal or having issues with weight management.
When Should A Loved One With Dementia Not Live Alone?
As your loved one starts to require assistance for their activities of daily living (ADL), such as eating, drinking, bathing, and using the washroom, it is important to consider the challenges that they may face. This includes issues with cooking, driving, personal safety, and even living alone.
