The older Americans get, the more likely they are to suffer at the hands of dementia. Studies indicate that only 2% of Americans between the ages of 65 to 69 have dementia; however, the numbers quickly rise to 37% for Americans over 90 years old. Living with someone with dementia can be difficult. If you can't provide the constant care and attention needed, the only option left may be an assisted living facility. While an assisted living facility may offer all of the services and amenities needed, here are 3 additional things you should look for in order to be assured that it will be easy to keep the family together.
Around the Clock Visitation Hours
With everyone's busy schedules, it can be difficult for the entire family to find time to make trips to the assisted living facility together. If the assisted living facility has strict visitation hours, many people might not be able to make it due to conflicts in their schedule. To keep the family together, look for a facility that can offer around the clock visitation hours. Give family members and friends permission to visit whenever they want, so that they can still maintain a good relationship with person affected by dementia.
Separate Amenity Rooms for Family Celebrations
Depending on the amount of medical attention and care that the person with dementia requires, you might not be able to take them out of the facility for long. This can really limit the type of activities or celebrations that you can have as a family. With that said, many assisted living facilities have separate and private amenity rooms that you can book in advance for family celebrations. You can decorate these rooms to your liking. Some of these rooms even have kitchens in them, so that you can all enjoy home-cooked family dinners together once again. This is an easy way to get everyone involved and in one place at the same time.
Regular ActivitiesTthat Welcome Family Members and Friends
Assisted living facilities that welcome family members and friends to activities that they have scheduled and set up can also help keep the family together. If you've always taken walks with a parent that now has dementia, you should look for an assisted living facility that offer group walks to their residents and would welcome you to join whenever you please.
Conclusion
Losing a loved one to dementia can be difficult; however, you can still keep the family together as much as possible by finding an assisted living facility that goes over and beyond their duties of care. These services are not only beneficial for the family, but also beneficial for the resident, as it keeps their moods up.
For more information, check out sites like http://www.graceseniorcommunity.com.
Share26 September 2016
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