2 Reasons To Utilize A Memory Care Facility
Choosing to put your elderly relatives into a home can be a very difficult choice, but it can often be for their own good when they have memory issues, Alzheimer's, or dementia. Memory care facilities are assisted living homes that specialize in the care of people with the aforementioned conditions. You should consider utilizing a memory care facility, because they can help manage wandering and medication.
Manage Wandering
Wandering is a major risk if you have a relative with dementia or Alzheimer's and usually consists of your relative simply leaving the house on his or her own. The problem with this is that the memory issues that often come along with those conditions can often cause your relative to be unable to find his or her way back home, or it can cause him or her to put himself or herself into dangerous situations.
With a memory care facility, the risk of wandering will be greatly reduced, as there will be staff on hand to ensure that your relative is unable to simply walk out of the facility unsupervised. For example, many of these facilities will incorporate multiple daily head counts by visiting each of their patients' rooms in order to make sure that they are still there and safe. In addition, these facilities will often have staff watching the exits at all times as well as installing alarms that will sound if anyone attempts to leave the premises after it has closed to visitors for the day.
Manage Medication
Another reason to utilize a memory care facility for a relative who suffers from Alzheimer's or dementia is because it can sometimes be quite difficult to make sure that your elderly relative takes any of his or her daily medication. One reason for this is that your relative may not remember to take his or her medication, or that he or she even requires medication in the first place. In addition, you may not have enough time to ensure that all of the medication is taken every day, especially if your elderly relative requires multiple medications throughout the day.
In some cases, patients with dementia may also become aggressive and difficult when you try to give them their medication, which can often be more than you are able to deal with. However, if your elderly relative is in a memory care facility, the facility can maintain a strict medication schedule to ensure that no medication is missed. In addition, the staff at these facilities are quite used to dealing with aggressive or difficult patients and will know how to handle it without any problems.
Visit a local memory care facility like Valley View Retirement Community to discuss how they can help you with a relative that is dealing with Alzheimer's or dementia. These facilities can help keep your relative as safe as possible by preventing or managing any wandering behavior while also making sure that your relative takes all of his or her medication when needed.