A Guide to Memory Care

 

If your mom has just been diagnosed with a form of dementia, we want you to know that you’re not alone on this journey. Navigating this diagnosis for your loved one will take time as this is a new adjustment for the whole family, but with the right care program and support system in place – your loved one can still thrive with dementia. At Lester Senior Living, we’ve helped many people who have walked a mile in your shoes. Our specialized memory care suite is equipped with trained professionals, dementia-safe apartments, top of the line security measures and enriching cognitive activities to ensure your loved one is in the best hands possible. If you are looking into a professional memory care facility in NJ for mom, let us give you a quick guide on what you can expect from our team at Lester. 

Personalized, around the clock care

Our specially trained staff members are not only available morning to night to assist all of our residents, they also take the time out of their day to really get to know each person in memory care in order to establish the best care routine unique to them. One thing is for sure, the care we provide at Lester Senior Living is not one-size-fits-all. We truly understand how overwhelming it could be for seniors to move into a new place, while navigating a memory disorder and will do everything we can to make them feel comfortable with their new life. This involves establishing a daily routine that makes sense to them. While we hold group activities and mealtimes as a baseline, if a memory care resident would like to eat earlier or later – we do not discourage this at all. Food is available 24/7 and there are plenty of activities held at all times throughout the day to better accommodate your loved one’s preferences. As long as mom or dad is happy, healthy and thriving at Lester Senior Living – that’s all that matters to us, not if  they ate breakfast at 8am on the dot. 

Daily programs to sharpen cognitive skills 

Like exercising our bodies, exercising our minds is just as important as we age – especially for those with dementia. Seniors who engage in memory-stimulating activities regularly have a greater chance of strengthening their cognitive abilities and keeping unfavorable dementia behaviors at bay. At our memory care suite, we make it a daily priority to provide residents with a variety of activities that exercise the brain. Some examples include group trivia, sudoku and crossword puzzles, arts and crafts classes, reading books in our community library and morning stretches. As we mentioned earlier, establishing a unique, daily routine is crucial for seniors with dementia – and having fun activities to look forward to each day will provide your loved one with more meaningful experiences under our care. 

Dementia-safe spaces and wander management 

One of the scarier symptoms of dementia is when your mom or dad forgets where they are and decides to wander off until they can find something familiar. Wandering off can be very dangerous if your loved one is not residing in a specialized memory care unit. Here at Lester, we have security personnel onsite and 24-hour alert fobs that memory care residents wear to enforce their safety at all times. On top of this, all apartments in our memory care suite are open floor plans, specifically designed to promote the safety of those inside living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. These dementia-safe apartments include enhanced safety measures like grab bars in the bathroom and emergency call buttons in each room. They also do not include features in normal senior apartments that could cause harm like stoves or clothing irons.

Dementia care in New Jersey 

As we’ve discussed, the approach to memory care changes with each person in our care. When our caregivers first meet you and your loved one, you will find that they really take the time to get to know your loved one, their specific wants, needs and even what they don’t like. This initial evaluation is essential to determining mom’s intensity of care, as well as what activities would be best for her to take part in. By providing the necessary support along with meaningful experiences each and every day, your loved one with dementia can have a fulfilling life here at Lester Senior Living. 

For more information about our dementia care program in NJ, please call us today or visit our website at: https://jchcorp.org/

Original Source: https://jchcorp.org/a-guide-to-memory-care/