Friday, April 12, 2013

Memory Care Enhances Quality of Life for Residents and Their Families


By G. Eric Walker
Executive Director of Sales and Marketing
IntegraCare

Memory Care communities offer vibrant, warm, and welcoming environments focused on the unique needs of each resident so they can live life on their terms.

Often, we forget that memory loss, whether it’s from Alzheimer’s, Dementia or another medical condition, isn’t a prison sentence for our loved ones or just something to “deal with.”  These misperceptions can make the decision to move your loved one into an assisted living facility difficult.

Memory loss doesn’t define your loved one. He or she shouldn’t be treated like a lost soul, but as a treasured individual with plenty of life ahead. That’s why IntegraCare modeled our Pathways Memory Care program after a community or neighborhood where everyone depends on each other to improve quality of life. Our memory care includes six vital objectives to ensure your loved one enjoys their new residence:

Focus on his or her remaining abilities and skills
Provide meaningful activities to promote a quality of life
Create environments that give your loved one a sense of belonging
Help residents purposefully use their time
Provide avenues for non-verbal and verbal communication
Support positive behaviors and reduce the risk of negative behavior

How are these objectives achieved? Since the Memory Care program is modeled after a community, everyone has a role in making the community successful. At IntegraCare this means living our mission to improve the quality of life for our employees, residents and their families.

We do so by including recreational, sensory and memory activities into our residents' daily routine. We encourage residents to participate in productive work that resembles the typical work they did in their prior lifestyle. Family members help in this area by providing a resident profile, which we use to create the activities.

The Memory Care program has a caring staff, which is specifically trained to work with the challenges of memory loss.  When you move your family member in, the staff becomes an extension of your family. Our staff not only listens, but they also make sure your loved one receives the help, time and attention he or she needs.

Moving your loved one into an assisted living facility is a difficult decision. You may feel like you’re giving up or upset because you know your loved one wants to stay at home. But often, it’s the best decision for you and for them.  It’s our goal as senior living providers to ease this decision. Your family is our family.

For more information about Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and memory loss, please visit www.integracare.com/Memory-Care-FAQ. You may also follow the company on Twitter or Facebook.