When our loved ones begin to get older it can become impossible to take care of them.
It’s an unfortunate truth, but in the US alone around 5 million people struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. And it’s not the only condition that requires memory care.
It’s hard to commit our loved ones, but at times it becomes necessary simply to make sure that they’re healthy.
Let’s get to the bottom of it. If you’re still questioning what to do then look for these signs it’s time for memory care.
1. A Dementia or Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
The most obvious sign that your loved one needs some form of memory care is simple… if their diagnosis includes dementia or Alzheimer’s. These crippling conditions can be painful for the whole family.
When the diagnosis comes in many families will strive to take care of their loved ones but the truth is that sooner or later someone with these issues will need full-time care.
It’s a horrible situation and not one that anyone expects or looks forward to. You should begin to make plans for care before the condition progresses too far.
2. Declining Health
When someone begins to suffer from a condition that requires memory care they’ll often have accompanying health problems.
This cascade begins and will often spiral out of control in short order even when full-time care is given. A well-meaning family can only help for so long before it all becomes too much for them.
Compassion is great, but it can’t prepare someone without a professional background for the enormous amount of problems that may emerge in short order.
The cycle can be intense as physical and memory problems lead to injuries and missed medication doses. A care facility may be the only option for many families since staff on hand will are trained to react to these situations as they occur.
3. Consistent Disorientation and Confusion
If your loved one is still living on their own then they may become disoriented on a regular basis as their mental condition deteriorates.
Depending on the exact circumstances this can lead to them becoming lost, injuring themselves, or even causing incidents that require emergency service intervention.
Because the symptoms of dementia can vary so much and increase in intensity without warning it’s important to make sure that you pay attention to your elderly family members. The onset can seem sudden and all it takes is one badly managed incident to cause serious problems.
It’s doubly important if the family member still has their driver’s license intact. Or thinks they do, many people will continue to drive long after they should be and a minor accident can be disastrous for a frail and elderly person.
These symptoms are often the first signs that it’s time to move to a high level of assisted living, even if they are hesitant to follow through.
4. A Lacking Social Life
Many elderly patients begin to see a stark decline in their social life. This isn’t just sad, it can spell a worsening of symptoms. Studies show that maintaining social connections improve prognosis in patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Memory care facilities can help with this. Since it seems to counteract memory loss it often means that a person will be coherent for much longer than they would be if they were socially isolated.
In many elderly patients, it’s just a matter of outliving their friends, but a general decline in social relationships is also common as a person ages.
While it may just seem sad from the outside, a lacking social life is actually a serious environmental hazard for the elderly.
5. Aggressive Moods and Behaviors
In some cases, a dementia patient can begin to become aggressive as cognitive decline increases.
This is hard on family members and caregivers. Most people aren’t trained to handle these situations and the conflict will affect the whole family. Trained professionals and around-the-clock care is for the best when this happens.
In most cases the person doesn’t truly realize what they’re doing either, making it even harder.
6. Caregiver Burnout
The truth is that not everyone is cut out to take care of a patient going through physical and mental decline. As time goes on even the most loving and well-meaning caregiver may begin to burn out.
When that happens it’s hard on the family and it can lead to decreasing quality of care. It’s one of the most common reasons for a person to be placed in some sort of assisted living situation after all.
There’s a reason that professional facilities exist: it takes too much time, patience, and training to deal with a dementia patient for most to be able to do it alone.
In the end, dedicated facilities and services, trained staff, and a safe environment usually end up being the best options. It can be sad to see our loved ones needing care, but when the primary caregiver begins to burn out it may be time to look into other options.
Seeing These Signs It’s Time for Memory Care?
Your loved ones deserve the best care possible and with the complications of modern life, it’s not always possible to do it alone. If your family member is displaying these signs it’s time for memory care then you need a trusted facility to ensure their safety.
It’s not always easy, memory care can feel hard on the family and you might not know who to trust with such a vital task.
We offer several levels of care for the elderly and disabled, if you’re looking then we suggest you check out our memory care facilities to see if they’re the right fit.
