Receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be devastating, both for the person receiving the diagnosis and their loved ones. If your parent, grandparent, or other loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, you may be struggling to both cope with the news and figure out how best to care for them in this challenging time and in the future.
While it may not be time to start considering memory care options yet, at St. Anthony’s, we’re here to help every step of the way.
Supporting Your Loved One After Diagnosis
The days and weeks immediately following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis are some of the most important for showing your loved one care and support. Symptoms are hopefully relatively minimal at this point, making it a good time to start making plans and finding out your loved one’s wishes, but first and foremost, you need to be there to listen and help them process the news. They need to know you are there for whatever they need, even if that’s a distraction or reassurance that they aren’t alone.
When your loved one is ready to start the conversation about their future care, help them research Kansas City memory care. Look into different care options and consider what you should look for in memory care, including what is particularly important to you and your loved one. Above all, listen to your loved one’s needs and desires for their future!
Choosing the Right Level of Care
Your loved one’s care needs will likely increase with time, but as of right now, they could be safely living independently right now. While 24/7 care and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) may be necessary in the near or distant future, they may not need it yet! Still, your loved one may find it helpful to transition to memory care in stages, just as their diagnosis progresses in stages.
During the first few stages of Alzheimer’s, symptoms are usually relatively minimal. An individual may have some basic forgetfulness or noticeable memory difficulties, but not so much as to affect their ability to function independently. At this point, your loved one may want to consider moving to a multi-level care facility like St. Anthony’s that offers amenity-rich independent living. Downsizing and becoming familiar with senior living will make the transition to more involved care much easier for your loved one and for you!
As Alzheimer’s progresses, they may face more severe memory loss and other symptoms that require 24/7 care and surveillance. If you are your loved one’s primary support system, help them make decisions on moving to a senior care facility and watch for signs of disease progression that may change the anticipated timeline. Progression may look like:
- Struggling to express thoughts in speech or writing
- Getting lost or struggling with directions, even in a familiar neighborhood or store
- Failure to maintain daily hygiene (bathing, changing clothes, brushing hair)
- Abnormal levels of paranoia or nervousness
- Inability to hold a conversation
- Or a lack of awareness in potentially dangerous situations (i.e., leaving the oven or stove on, or going out for a walk and forgetting the route home)
Alzheimer’s progression looks different for everyone, which is why it’s essential for those facing memory loss to have a loved one who knows them well and can identify out-of-the-ordinary behaviors. Your support is invaluable!
Getting Help IS Caring for Your Loved One
It’s normal for the loved ones of those with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis to feel like moving them to a memory care facility is shirking responsibility and not caring for them, but this is not at all the case! Caring for someone in the later stages of Alzheimer’s is a lot, and by getting them expert help in a loving community, you are empowering them to live a fulfilling life despite their diagnosis!
Here are a few ways that helping your loved one transition to memory care could be better for them than home care.
Keep Your Loved One Safe
It’s common for those with dementia to become forgetful and wander off. This requires around-the-clock monitoring, which can limit you from doing simple things, like even running a quick errand or leaving the house for work.
To ensure safety, our St. Anthony’s memory care facilities have a monitoring system and top-notch security to help keep your loved one secure. These safety measures include a gated campus, secure memory care entrances, video surveillance, and other methods of keeping track of memory care residents for their own safety. Our non-invasive wander monitoring system at St. Anthony’s ensures your loved one is well looked after without compromising their privacy.
Trained, Professional Care Staff
Memory care provides your loved one with around-the-clock care from dementia-certified caregivers who get to know your loved one personally and provide them with the love and attention they need at all hours of the day and night.
Kansas City memory care employees are required by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to receive dementia-specific training, so you can rest assured that any memory care facility in our community will have trained staff ready to support your loved one! At St. Anthony’s, we go the extra mile by prioritizing team development and dementia certification with our administrators and non-memory care employees, so everyone is certified to provide memory support at every stage of the process!
Takes the Stress Off Your Shoulders (and Theirs!)
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is stressful, and it’s not your full-time job! When you delegate this 24-hour care to trained professionals in a loving community, you can focus all your energy on loving your parent or grandparent well without the pressure of being the sole person responsible for meeting their needs. You get to be a partner in their care instead of the only one providing it.
Memory care also reduces stress for your loved one by giving them a community of peers and staff who love them and care about making their life enjoyable. With flexible, familiar routines, your loved one will still have the freedom to make their own choices with the guidance of caregivers who take the time to get to know them and their interests.
Experience Compassionate Care in Every Detail
If you’re looking for Kansas City memory care options for your loved one, we’d be honored to welcome them home to St. Anthony’s Senior Living. We genuinely care about every senior in our community, and it’s our mission to provide them with a loving environment where they can thrive.
Contact us to learn more and schedule a tour today!
