We all shop for items every day, but it’s not too often that we shop for a retirement home. So what are the tips you should keep in mind when you start
shopping for your loved one’s forever home? Here are a number of things to keep in mind:
Next, you’ll have to plan your loved one’s move. First, if they are still living in a house or apartment, you’ll either have to list their home or make sure your relative has paid their apartment in full. Listing their house will take some time as you’ll need a realtor to stage your loved one’s house. Likely, your loved one’s realtor will suggest moving some of their furniture out to create a more open floor plan. If your relative is in an apartment, he or she would have signed a lease and their apartment’s manager will want to make sure they have paid for their lease term in full before he or she moves out.
Make sure you find out what furniture and items are permitted in your relative’s new place. If he or she is going to a retirement home aka an independent living home or an assisted living home, then the apartments, suites or rooms are likely furnished. Ask the staff what your relative is allowed to bring. Likely this will include clothes, framed photos and other small sentimental items including favorite personal care items.
Moving is a stressor for just about anyone who’s involved in the move. Your relative is no different. Think of ways to make your aging loved one feel upbeat and confident about their move. Some aging seniors will feel depressed at the thought that this is their final destination. It’s on you to make them feel more upbeat about the move.
Some ideas include taking your relative out to his or her favorite breakfast or lunch restaurant. This way you can reassure your loved one that they are loved very much and you and other relatives and friends will visit them regularly. You might even invite other close relatives or friends who can help you make their transition more comfortable. It’s a good idea to stay with them for an hour or two until he or she is feeling less stressed and more relaxed in their new digs.
You might even help your relative meet a friend or two and a staff member or two before you leave. Remember, leaving their last residence might just flood them with memories of all things past. Sometimes this includes relatives or friends who have passed and it may just bring up their own mortality so anything you can do to relieve their stress like get them involved in a favorite hobby or activity that might relieve any anxiety that this move created.
Once you can tell your relative has let his or her guard down and is adjusting to the new surroundings, this is the time to let them know you’re leaving but you will be back to visit. Additionally, give them your number and the numbers of other relatives and friends so your relative knows that family and friends are only a text or phone call away,.
I would not include all of the paragraphs below in every blog. Maybe one of the paragraphs but not all.
Village Green is an award-winning assisted living and memory care community that offers many housing options tailored to meet your loved one’s needs. Both independent, assisted living and memory care communities offer seniors the opportunity to form social relationships, pursue hobbies and interests, and remain active. View our campus floor plans including studio, one and two-bedroom apartments.
For the convenience of families living in and around Houston, Texas, Village Green offers assisted living and memory care communities in in The Woodlands, Cypress, Champions, Conroe, Kingwood, Tomball, Rockwall, Mckinney, and Highland Village. All our locations are state-of-art, purpose-built with our residents’ needs in mind. We invite you to visit, tour, and see for yourself how our assisted living and memory care campuses exceed your relative’s needs.
Schedule a Tour with us Today!
To contact us online, visit our site or to inquire by phone, call 281.208.5876. At Village Green, we are here to help you and your loved one find a new, loving forever home.
At Village Green Alzheimer’s Care Home, we are thrilled to learn about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug Aducanumab as it’s the first drug to target an underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen accomplished a milestone as it unveiled the first drug to treat Alzheimer’s in 20 years and the first of its kind to treat brain damage observed in patients diagnosed with the mind-robbing disease.
Currently, there are over six million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s so there are millions of families interested in learning more about Aducanumab - marketed as Aduhelm - to see if their mother, father, or loved one is a candidate for the new drug.
Families all over the U.S are trying to determine if their loved one is a candidate for this highly anticipated new medicine.
Unfortunately, the FDA decision to approve Aduhelm for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease did not specify the patient population who could benefit from this new drug. Aduhelm was tested on patients in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s before the disease had a chance to rob most of the memories from this test group. The drug was not tested on those diagnosed with moderate dementia, a stage in the disease where patients begin losing the ability to provide self-care and feed themselves.
One top US health insurer, Cigna Corp., stated it is likely that payers, including the federal government’s Medicare program for seniors, will cover the use of the drug only in the patient population it was tested on. This means patients with a moderate or advanced diagnosis of the disease are not candidates only those with the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s. Biogen has estimated that around 1.5 million affected Americans are eligible for treatment with Aduhelm.
Alzheimer’s is estimated to account for at least 60% of those with dementia, which involves a decline in memory, reasoning or thinking skills, and a basic ability to function, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Patients who take Aduhelm will likely need both cognitive testing and confirmation that their dementia is due to Alzheimer’s. This is confirmed via a lumbar puncture to examine spinal fluid or through a special brain, scan to verify the presence of amyloid in the brain. Aduhelm targets amyloid-beta, which is a type of plaque that forms in the brain and causes brain functioning decline and memory loss in patients diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimers.
Aduhelm is designed to reduce amyloid-beta, a protein that forms sticky deposits or plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. It binds to the beta-amyloid plaques – and slows down the process that would eventually lead to widespread destruction of brain cells. Amyloid is thought to begin forming years before any signs of memory loss appear, making treatment to those diagnosed early as the most likely benefit from the breakthrough drug. The drug is designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, allowing patients to remain as independent as possible for as long as possible. It is not a cure for the disease, it’s a medical drug treatment.
No. Aduhelm is given as a monthly intravenous infusion. Most patients will likely need to travel to specialty infusion centers to receive the treatment. Biogen reported in April of 2021 that it was working with 600 US centers to prepare for the pending launch of the drug. Check with your loved one’s Alzheimer’s doctor to see if your relative qualifies to receive Aduhelm treatments.
Aduhelm is different from other drugs on the market as it’s the only one that treats symptoms. In clinical trials, this drug delayed the progression of the disease by about 20 to 40 percent depending on the outcome measure in patients who had success with the treatment. Aduhelm is administered intravenously through a monthly infusion, starting with a low dose that increases over the first six months of treatment. It is extremely important that a patient continues these infusions through the highest dose to confirm the potential benefits, which are generally not seen during the first year of treatment. As it stands, this is a long-term treatment with no recommended end.
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Our mission at Village Green Alzheimer’s Care Home is to enrich the lives of our residents and bring dignity and respect to their golden years. We will nurture the unique needs of our seniors and promote purposeful meaning to each day in a warm and loving home.
Unlike many memory care operations, we offer convenient facilities in and around Houston, Texas, Village Green offers assisted living and memory care communities in The Woodlands, Cypress, Champions, Conroe, Kingwood, Tomball, Rockwall, Mckinney, and Highland Village. All our locations are state-of-art, purpose-built with our residents’ needs in mind. We invite you to visit, tour, and see for yourself how our assisted living and memory care campuses exceed your relative’s needs.
Contact one of our specialists today to make an appointment to discuss your relative’s unique memory care needs at one of our convenient campuses.
Many daughters want to know what their moms should pack as they prepare to move to either an independent or assisted living community? Packing for a move to a senior living community can be hard and emotional since it signals that this is the last and final move your parents will make. This is why it’s important for daughters, family members, and friends to help out with packing clothes and personal items so that parents feel loved and supported.
Packing is also an opportunity to organize and declutter. Think of it as a downsizing event as you can help your mom make a donations pile of items she decides she doesn’t want to bring to her retirement home. Any clothes that are ill-fitting, out of style, have stains, broken zippers or missing buttons are better off in a discard pile. So at this point, you have a stack of clothes that are going with your mom to the retirement home, and two piles, one is a donation pile and the other is a discard pile. The discard pile contains clothes that even Goodwill will say no to.
You’ll want your mom to be relaxed and comfortable prior to, during, and after her move so you’ll want to make sure her favorite clothing items are packed to move with her. Clothing items that are important to pack include shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, leisurewear, swimsuits, robes, nightshirts, pajamas and any accessories they like to wear like scarves, belts, and. She will also need a two-week supply of socks, panties, and bras. Keep in mind that her new residence will likely have less wardrobe space than her current home, so choose wisely when selecting which belongings make the move.
It's a good idea to have enough clothing to last your mom for two full weeks. That way when it's laundry day each week your mom will have a full week's worth of clothes to wash and never have a day where she doesn't have something to wear.
Imagine having someone wash your clothes each week. This is one of the pluses of moving into a retirement community. Your mom will never have to wash her clothes anymore. This means that all the clothes you help your mom pack must be machine washable. You also don’t want to pack any items that will shrink or fade in hot water or in the dryer. You’ll also want to avoid taking any delicate items that need to be hand-washed unless your mom insists and she’s willing to wash them herself. There’s also a good possibility she may not have a rack to hang hand-washed clothes on. Any items that need dry cleaning should be donated unless your mom's retirement home has a dry cleaning facility or you or another family member are willing to dry clean some of her favorite clothes.
Don’t forget to pack shoes, sandals, slippers, and sneakers. Make sure the slippers are non-skid so wearing them won’t cause a slip or fall. Winter boots and rain boots are items that should make the move too.
You’ll want to consider adding name tags to your mom’s clothes so they don’t get lost or accidentally get delivered to her neighbor. Misplacing clothes is the downside of having someone do your mom's laundry. If your mom frowns on the idea of having name tags on all her clothes and accessories, then she should compile a list of her entire wardrobe and have a staff member sign off it. This list can be brought up in case she ever has a clothing item missing.
There are numerous personal care items that your mom will want and need. Here’s a list of must-haves for her bathroom cabinet, closet or dresser drawer if there’s not enough space:
Store your mom’s out-of-season clothing, shoes, or boots in her closet. You can also store some on a dedicated shelf in her dresser. If there still isn’t enough room in her bathroom or bedroom, consider getting some plastic drawer shelving to store her out-of-season clothing.
Your mom is better off wearing costume jewelry rather than her valuable pieces though she still may opt to wear some expensive jewelry like her wedding ring or diamond studs as they have sentimental value. Leave the remainder of pricey jewelry with a trusted family member or friend and add the valuable jewelry to your mom’s wardrobe list. If she doesn't already have insurance on her jewelry, this is a good time to consider opening a policy that covers lost or stolen jewelry. You can also consider purchasing a small safe to keep in your mom’s bedroom or opening a safety deposit box at her bank.
Village Green is an award-winning assisted living and memory care community that offers many housing options tailored to meet your relative's needs. Both independent, assisted living and memory care communities offer seniors the opportunity to form social relationships, pursue hobbies and interests, and remain active. View our campus floor plans including studio, one and two-bedroom apartments along with our cottages here.
You’ll quickly see we have impressive private suites, each featuring peaceful surroundings in a calm home setting designed to recreate what your relative has enjoyed his or her entire life. Interior spaces are decorated similar to tasteful private homes. Enclosed walking areas provide residents the opportunity to safely enjoy and explore their campus surroundings.
Schedule a Visit with us Today!
To contact us online, fill out the form and we'll get in touch with you or you can inquire by phone, call 281.208.5876. At Village Green, we are here to help you and your loved one find a new, loving forever home.
