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Tips and Helpful Advice for Seniors and Caregivers

Ten Tips To Ease Transition into Memory Care

8/9/2016

 
When persons with dementia move into a memory care community, it can take from several weeks up to three months or more for the person to adjust and feel comfortable with the new environment and routine.  From my personal experience working with memory care residents at one assisted living for over a decade, I would say the average amount of time before the person settled in was no longer than a month.  Your loved one may be angry for a while, and may seem more confused than before.  This is a perfectly normal phase.  Rest assured, things will improve in time.  Here are ten tips to help ease the transition:
  1.  If your loved one has limited short-term memory, it may be helpful to reassure them that staying in this new place is “temporary”, i.e., “just for the summer”, “just for a few months”.  Telling them, “The doctor wants you to stay for a little while” may work if the person has a very good relationship with their doctor, and if they tend to place their doctor on a pedestal. “Stay for supper. You have a reservation, and the meal’s already paid for” might also be an effective approach.        
  2. Introduce your loved one to other residents and staff as though these people are already your friends.
  3. Avoid explanations like “You’re here so they can take care of you.” A person with dementia may not think that he or she is sick.  Likewise, “This is your home now!” is probably the least comforting thing you can say to a person who feels out of place.  Instead of trying to argue with the person, focus on empathizing with their feelings, then distracting them.  “I know it’s strange to be in a new place. Hey, I hear they have a lovely patio – let’s find it!”  Or, “Of course you don’t like it yet. You only just got here.  See how you feel in a few days! ” 
  4. “I’ll help you get used to it” might be reassuring to your loved one, especially if you actually follow up on that. Attend activities with your loved one, eat a meal with them and make conversation with their new “friends”.    
  5. Decorate your loved one’s room with items that define who this person is. You want staff to be able to know something about them the minute they walk in the room.  An example might be a person whose hobby was making quilts. You could put a beautiful quilt on the bed or on the wall, and bring her sewing box with fabric pieces, yarn, thread (no pins) patterns, measuring tape, etc.)
  6. Create familiarity in your loved one’s room by bringing their favorite chair or other significant familiar possessions.  Avoid photos from their recent past, (unless the photos are of grandchildren). Pictures of their mom and dad, or of you when you were a child, will be more relatable.  You could even write the names of the people under each photo to give staff members a good starting point for making conversation. 
  7. Hang items on the wall at 5’ or below, wherever your loved one’s line of vision is. They need to be able to see and touch their belongings.
  8. If allowable, distinguish the door to their room or apartment with their name or signature, hung about 4 feet up.  
  9. If allowable, hang an 8 x 10 photo of when your loved one was much younger to the side of the door or place it in a Memory Box Cabinet.  This is a wonderful tool to help people with dementia identify where they live.  Many persons with dementia think of themselves as much younger than they actually are. Staff members will also benefit from seeing this photo, it reinforces that your loved one is a complete person who has lived a long and full life.  
  10. Lastly, a tip for your benefit:  Please do not bring in items of great value that you would regret losing. Wedding rings often fall off fingers and get lost. Some residents with dementia are fond of giving things away. My own mother threw most of her valuable jewelry in the trash at one point.  Some families replace a wedding ring with a similar piece of costume jewelry in order to avoid losing that heirloom. Others simply promise their loved ones that they will keep it safe for them.
Many of these wonderful tips are taken from the wonderful guidebook, Moving a Relative with Memory Loss, by Laurie White and Beth Spencer, available throughWhisp Publications, 
Mark David link
3/29/2017 12:20:01 am

This information is good as for all, people needs to be aware of this.

steven paige
10/25/2017 12:34:54 am

my mom lives with me and has an Alzheimer's disease for about 8 years now. Her body is healthy but she has almost no speech, is pretty much always confused, sleeps most of the day away, is incontinent and requires constant care. The saving grace in all this is that her personality has not changed. She does get frustrated but mostly she has stayed her own sweet self. It is exhausting caring for her and working, and expensive but necessary to have help. I'm trying to keep her at home but I don't know how long this will go on and her needs are increasing almost daily. She will be 90 in a few she was adjusting to the medications Donepezil (Aricept), but they make her feel sick also. she had problems recognizing other family members and friends. or getting dressed..When the medication no longer helps, i searched for alternative treatment and i was introduced to Health herbal clinic who have successful herbal treatment disease. I spoke to few people who used the treatment here in United States and they all gave a positive response, so i immediately purchased the Alzheimer's disease herbal remedy for my mother and she commenced usage, she used the herbal supplement for only 2 weeks, all symptoms gradually faded away, . contact this herbal clinic via their email (voodoospell10@gmail.com) Call or WhatsApp with him (+2348135790702) herbs are truly gift from God

Mike Lee link
9/27/2018 09:58:32 am

Going and framing older pictures for people with Alzheimer's is a really good idea. My father was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's and we have all been worried about him. We want him to feel as part of the family social scene as possible while still getting him the care he needs.

Skyler Williams link
8/7/2019 03:38:44 pm

Thank you for your tip on how to talk to someone with Alzheimer's about them moving to another location. I think my mother has dementia but I can't take care of her myself. I will make sure to keep these tips in mind as I search for the right place to have my mother live.


Comments are closed.

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  • Home
  • Housing & Services
    • Locations
    • Independent Living
    • Affordable Housing
    • Cooperative Living
    • Independence Plus
    • Assisted Living >
      • What To Look For When Choosing
    • Memory Care >
      • Marysue's Blog
      • Tips For Caregivers
      • Care Partner Support Groups
      • Dimensions Program
      • Testimonials
    • Transitional Care
    • Skilled Nursing Care
    • Enhanced Care
    • Child Care
    • Stay By The Day - Short Term
  • Careers
    • Job Search
    • Working Here
    • Current Ebenezer Employee Updates
    • Career Areas
  • Resources
    • Adult Day Programs
    • Beauty and Barber Shop
    • Care At Home
    • Life Line Services
    • Fairview Home Medical Equipment
    • Fairview Partners
    • Hospice Care
    • Palliative Care Program
    • Fairview Caregiver Assurance
    • Tips For Caregivers
    • Care Management Services
    • Advance Care Planning
    • Spiritual Health
  • Blog
  • CEUs
  • Programs
    • Journey
    • Intergenerational Programming
    • Adult Day >
      • Ebenezer Ridges Adult Day Program
      • Ebenezer DayBreak Adult Day Program
      • Martin Luther Campus Adult Day Program
    • Life Long Learning
    • Deaf Services
    • Ebenezer Child Care
    • Spiritual Health
    • EverActive Exercise Classes
    • Volunteer
    • Giving To Ebenezer
  • Ebenezer Management Services
  • Fairview
  • About Us
    • Executive Team
    • Ebenezer History
    • News and Events
  • Ebenezer's Response to COVID-19
  • Stirlingshire