Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative condition that causes its victims to forget recent events or familiar tasks. The progression of the disease varies with the individual, but this brain ailment eventually causes confusion, personality and behavior changes and impaired judgement. At some point, most people with Alzheimer’s disease will eventually be unable to care for themselves.
When this happens, a program of care that recognizes the specialized needs of an Alzheimer resident becomes necessary. Because many people with AD are actually physically healthy, many are able to remain living at home for a time. However, because AD often causes people to become confused or even lost in their own surroundings, at-home care requires the dedicated help of family members or care givers, carefully planned routines, safety precautions and continuous monitoring of the disease progression.
Once it is too difficult or dangerous for a person with Alzheimer's to remain at home, a long term senior living facility must be selected. In order to retain the highest quality of life and dignity for the AD resident, a senior living community that specializes in the care of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia or memory related disorders should be considered. In order to retain the highest quality of life and dignity for the AD resident, a community that specializes in the care of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is best. When people with dementia are forced to live in an environment that does not address their special needs, their level of functioning can diminish as they face a daily struggle to keep up with others.
A senior living environment that specializes in Alzheimer's and Dementia care should offer a customized residence as well as a staff that is trained on dementia care issues. The memory-impaired resident needs an environment that is familiar and connects them to life experiences through meaningful activities of choice. A senior living community that creates a reassuring environment with structured routines to limit stress and confusion as much as possible is best.
The ideal senior living residence for the memory impaired will use short corridors that are color coded or visually cued to help the memory impaired independently find their way around their environment. The senior living community should provide access to enclosed outdoor areas that allow residents to wander freely without becoming overwhelmed or lost. It will offer common areas that draw residents into meaningful life enrichment activities, and encourage residents to decorate their rooms with personal possessions such as family photographs or furniture.
"A memory care residence that is properly designed will reduce confusion and disorientation while fostering independence, which is critical for the well being of the residents," said Juliet Holt, director of dementia care programs for Brookdale Senior Living, one of the nation’s leading provider of assisted living residences. "The more a person with dementia can do for themselves, the better they are going to feel about themselves."
Because families of Alzheimer's residents are often unprepared for the behavioral changes and other challenges that can accompany dementia, senior living staff can provide support to families as well as care to the residents. Qualified AD caregivers will strive to understand the needs and frustrations of the residents and their families. Staff members should treat residents with respect and dignity and not attempt to modify behavior that cannot be changed. Instead, they should take cues from the residents, paying close attention to changes in physical condition or behavior. This is especially important because the person with dementia may be unable to verbalize their needs as they change.
Brookdale Senior Living’s Clare Bridge communities are memory care residences that offer a unique design which encourages a "sheltered freedom," which allows the right amount of stimulation, and fosters independence.
The company’s Clare Bridge communities focus solely on the care of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. These and other select communities offer secured environments and programs for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia, in which trained staff provide memory care services and help ensure Daily Moments of Success for residents of Brookdale communities.
Clare Bridge communities combine a home-like residence with life enrichment programs and 24-hour trained staff. By design, the living spaces at Clare Bridge communities create a reassuring environment to help individuals with memory impairments feel at home. Recognizing the need to wander as characteristic among individuals with dementia, Clare Bridge communities feature an interior walking circuit and outdoor garden areas that allow residents to explore without becoming overwhelmed or lost.
Living quarters at Clare Bridge communities are typically divided into recognizable neighborhoods. Within each neighborhood,residents will find dens, dining rooms, courtyards, and gathering spots including sunny atriums and garden rooms. Other unique building features include specially designed work spaces, fenced off walking paths and memory boxes filled with pictures and mementos, which are mounted outside each resident’s living quarters.
Equally as important as the Clare Bridge community’s physical plant is its services and programming. Clare Bridge residents live in an environment created expressly to foster remaining skills and interests while minimizing confusion and agitation. Assistance with personal care and hygiene, mealtime assistance and medication monitoring are provided by trained staff. Life enrichment programs help residents to enjoy new experiences and participate in life-long rituals, hobbies and tasks.
These programs help to improve self-esteem while nurturing independence and self-help skills. Exclusive to Brookdale communities, including Clare Bridge, is Optimum Life®, a culture where whole person wellness is achieved through fulfillment in six key dimensions - physical, emotional, purposeful, social, spiritual, and intellectual. Through the six dimensions of wellness, opportunities are provided for residents to choose a healthy lifestyle that adds value and fulfillment to their lives.
For further information about Brookdale Senior Living and its Clare Bridge communities, visit Alzheimer's and dementia care living options.
Best Wishes,
Kevin W. O’Neil, MD, FACP
Medical Director
Brookdale Senior Living
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