No family wants to receive a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. However, this condition, which can be caused by multiple factors, affects over 6 million Americans every year. Due to its prevalence, there are many resources for dementia that your family can use during this time. Begin by building your support network, creating a plan to honor your loved one’s wishes, and finally, determining whether it’s time to move your loved one to a memory care community.
Table of Contents
- Building a Care Team and Support Network
- Creating a Flexible Plan That Honors Your Loved One’s Wishes
- Maintaining Quality of Life and Meaningful Activities
- Practical Strategies for Day-to-Day Living with Dementia Symptoms
- When Memory Care Communities Become the Right Choice
Building a Care Team and Support Network
In the early days after your loved one’s diagnosis, you’ll likely begin collecting information about the symptoms of cognitive impairment, treatment options, and support groups. While it’s essential to have the loving support of family and close friends, it’s equally important to build a strong care team. These individuals are the health care professionals who will collaborate with you to coordinate your loved one’s care.
- Primary care provider: Your loved one’s PCP may be the first one to suspect a dementia diagnosis during a routine exam. Conversely, you may first contact this provider after noticing signs and symptoms at home. The PCP’s role is to serve as the main provider for your loved one’s concerns and refer them to specialists for additional treatment as needed.
- Neurologist: A neurologist is an important cornerstone in dementia treatment for many people. Your loved one’s provider may diagnose the specific type of dementia they have and perform any neurological testing necessary. This could include cognitive and behavioral testing or scans such as MRIs.
- Geriatrician: Children see a pediatrician who specializes in the care of patients in the newborn stage through adolescence. Likewise, older adults have the option to establish care with a geriatrician or an aging specialist. This professional is often a primary care provider who has extra training in treating older adults, dementia, or even end-of-life care.
- Other medical specialties: If your loved one has other medical conditions, the specialists they see will need to be aware of their dementia diagnosis. This category could include an endocrinologist (for diabetes) or a cardiologist (for heart disease).
- Memory care specialists: These providers are often care professionals or trained nursing staff who have certifications in the field of older adult care, dementia, or memory care. They understand dementia on a day-to-day basis and can help guide the family as they make decisions for care.
Creating a Flexible Plan That Honors Your Loved One’s Wishes
While every dementia journey is unique, it’s common for dementia to worsen over time. It’s not always possible to know how your loved one’s disease will progress. This means it’s important to gather necessary information during periods of lucidity. Consider the following points of input, write them down, and keep them in a safe place.
- Care preferences: Would your loved one like to remain in their home, live with family, or be cared for within a memory care community? You may be surprised by their answer.
- Legal documents: Put clear plans in place for your loved one’s finances, health care wishes, and overall estate. Take this time to have conversations about end-of-life and medical decisions with your loved one and any others involved (such as adult siblings). You may want to meet with an attorney to draft, sign, or notarize any legal documents.
- Daily life: If dementia is an early diagnosis, your loved one will likely have several provider visits, therapies, and other appointments. Discuss how they would like to handle these appointments. Will you attend appointments and serve as their medical record keeper? Are you in charge of communicating with providers, or can they do this? When they are no longer able to handle their own care, who will step in?
- Prepare a list of questions to ask your healthcare professional during appointments, and be open and honest in answering any questions your doctor may have.
Even if your family gets along well and your loved one is amenable to talking about these difficult topics, you may still encounter some unexpected emotional roadblocks. If you need assistance having productive conversations with your loved one (or other members of the family), keep in mind that there are trained counselors who can help facilitate these discussions.
Maintaining Quality of Life and Meaningful Activities
People with dementia who maintain meaningful cognitive and social activities often experience a better quality of life and can even slow the progression of their dementia symptoms. It’s important to continue hobbies, foster social relationships, and seek out activities that bring joy to your loved one. Early symptoms of dementia may not severely affect activities of daily living, but as the condition progresses into the middle stage, daily tasks can become more challenging and may require reminders. At any stage, it’s important to focus on the abilities your loved one still has rather than focusing only on symptoms of their condition.
While many people choose to care for their loved one with dementia in their own homes, living at home with dementia may result in caregiver fatigue and a lack of meaningful activity for the person with dementia. Choosing a memory care program can offer engagement, purpose, and a built-in social community. It can also offer peace of mind for the family as they know their loved one is both engaged and safe.
Practical Strategies for Day-to-Day Living with Dementia Symptoms
If you and your loved one have decided that they will live at home for now, it’s important to establish routines that provide comfort and structure. Your goal is to reduce confusion and emphasize consistency. Consider doing the following to help them feel secure in their surroundings:
- Remove fall hazards and make slippery areas safe.
- Add labels to important items and declutter the home to simplify layouts.
- Stay physically active and build physical and mental activity into your daily routine.
- Prioritize nutrition, sleep, and stress management to support your loved one’s mental and physical health.
When Memory Care Communities Become the Right Choice
Home care is not always the best option for many people with late-stage dementia diagnoses. However, not all assisted living communities provide the same level of support. Memory care is specific to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and related diagnoses that involve memory loss and cognitive slowing.
At dedicated memory care communities like the Shores at Vivante, professional staff are trained to create safe, engaging environments. The staff works alongside medical providers and families to keep patients safe, supported, and engaged while relieving the caregiving burden on the family.
Memory Care at Vivante
Every person with dementia has their own unique symptoms, but the commonality is that most eventually need care beyond what the family can provide. Vivante’s memory care community honors individuality while providing experienced, compassionate support to help your loved one thrive. Contact us to learn more about our memory care programs to learn how we can assist your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
After receiving a dementia diagnosis, you and your family may need extra support and information. Read through the following FAQs to learn more about your loved one’s symptoms and prognosis.
How quickly does dementia progress after diagnosis?
Though no two cases of dementia are the same, there is usually a typical progression to the diagnosis overall. Providers typically divide the stages into early, middle, and late dementia. Usually, the early stage lasts around two years, the middle stage can last from two to four years, and the late stage may last one or two years. Keep in mind that the progression of cognitive decline varies widely by dementia type, the individual’s overall health, and whether there are support systems in place.
Can lifestyle changes slow dementia progression?
Yes. Physical activity, cognitive stimulation, eating a healthy diet, and socializing cannot cure the condition, but they can help slow the progression of certain types of dementia.
When should we consider memory care communities?
Choosing memory care is a big decision. Many families are hesitant to consider memory care until there are no other options, but planning benefits everyone when there is a diagnosis of dementia. In addition, the socialization, programming, and culinary services at communities like Vivante may slow the progression of dementia and help residents thrive.
Start conversations about memory care with your family, or even with your loved one with dementia, if they are receptive to the conversation. You may look for signs like safety concerns, the inability to perform regular daily activities, or extreme social isolation to determine whether it’s time to look for a memory care community.
Will my loved one know they’re in memory care?
It depends on the stage of your loved one’s dementia. In early stages, they may feel unusually forgetful, irritable, or even suspicious. They may understand that they are moving. Some people may be able to voice opinions and help make decisions in the process.
In later stages of dementia, your loved one may not fully understand that they are in care. However, the goal at any stage is to make your loved one feel at home. At Vivante, we focus on creating homelike, comfortable environments with a loving, supportive staff. This helps residents feel safe, engaged, and at ease.
How does Vivante’s memory care support quality of life?
We provide specialized programming and meaningful activities with trained, caring staff against the backdrop of a supportive community.
