You care about your family. With so much stressful news bombarding social media and local television stations on the regular, you want to make sure they live every single day to the fullest no matter what. Assisted living is a term that has a bad reputation, with a major contributor being misinformation about what, exactly, it offers elderly residents. Some think a nursing home is a far-removed facility that all but cloisters away entire populations out of sight and out of mind. Others fear their loved one won’t be receiving the daily care they need to combat debilitating conditions like Alzheimer’s.
You have enough to worry about without stressing over the inevitable transition from home to specialized care. The list below will walk you through why assisted care is a helpful and flexible resource for millions of people in America.
Do you have a member of the family that’s starting to show the mental and physical side-effects of age? There are millions of others in your situation as we speak. It’s estimated over 70% of Americans turning 65 or older will require long-term care at some point. The United States will see over 20% of the population being considered elderly in just two to three decades, meaning conversations about a memory care nursing home will become even more common.
It can help to know the difference between nursing homes. A memory care facility is designed with the express purpose of managing the symptoms of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most debilitating and accounts for over 80% of all dementia diagnoses. Unable to be slowed down or cured, it manifests as memory loss, difficulty completing day-to-day tasks and trouble verbalizing. Additional symptoms sometimes include severe mood swings, falling, hallucinations and trouble sleeping.
Over five million people in the country live with Alzheimer’s. If your loved one is one of them a memory care facility will help them with basic and complex tasks to make their condition more comfortable. Memory care units usually have 24-hour care for residents and are regulated in over 20 of the 50 states. Around-the-clock nursing staff help elderly persons every day with bathing, dressing, eating, walking and traveling, though there’s even more to offer at the average assisted living home. Local events, healthy food and community-oriented hobbies all contribute to a high standard of life free of stress.
A nursing home isn’t a punishment for aging, nor is it a dull and lifeless place for your loved one to live out the next stage in their life. Turns out this is a common train of thought many come to concerning nursing care and is one of the major reasons many outright avoid this resource. Over 55% of respondents to a nursing home survey found that the greatest fear for long-term care is being a burden. A little knowledge about what’s actually waiting out there for you and your family can ease these fears and help smooth over this next phase of life.
A memory care facility helps residents with Alzheimer’s and various stages of dementia live a happy, secure and relaxing life. Rather than live in fear of exaggerated stereotypes, take a tour of a local assisted living facility and learn how both you and your loved one can benefit from around-the-clock care.