Getting the news that your parent or relative has dementia can be devastating. What comes next maybe even harder. You may be saddled with the heart-wrenching task of researching and choosing a loving memory care facility for your loved one. Deciding on which memory care facility is best may seem overbearing. Especially since the Internet offers a wide array of memory care facilities with locations, floorplans, amenities, staffing, meals, and activities.
First, what are your parent’s or relatives’ daily needs? If your loved one needs help with activities of daily living (ADL), then you’ll need to find a facility that helps with bathing, dressing, and eating. If this is the case, you'll want to talk with memory care facilities offering ADL. Your primary goal should be to find a memory care facility that’s loving, highly skilled in assisting memory care patients, and appears to be a happy, homey and safe environment. If your relative has a heart condition, diabetes or any other life-threatening condition that requires daily medication, then you’ll want to talk to the nursing staff about how they’ll administer daily medication.
Sometimes seniors diagnosed with dementia can get angry, resist care or display other signs of aggression or distress. You’ll want to ask the memory care homes you consider how staff reacts when residents with dementia occasionally get angry, resist care or show other signs of aggression or distress. You’ll want a closer look at memory care facilities that say their team redirects residents who show signs of anger or distress. It’s important to find out the staff’s reactions to your relative’s anger or distress. Are they caring and considerate or are they numb or bothered? It's also key to know whether staff seems interested in getting to know your relative. Do they seem genuinely attentive and sincere? Or are they treating your relative like a number or like he or she doesn’t matter? The type of staff you want around your loved one are those that are pleasant, well-trained, involved and understand that your relative is more than their condition or disease.
You’ll want to look for an easy-to-navigate but spacious facility that boasts plenty of common areas, 24x7 care team support, eye-catching courtyards, activity rooms, stunning private suites, attractive semi-private suites, and a gourmet meal plan with snacks in between. Ask about daily activities as there should be a mix of activities, therapeutic sessions that encourage movement, socialization, and healthy behaviors.
There’s no doubt you’ll want vibrant memory care home where your loved one will thrive. You’ll want to see a state-of-the-art facility that’s in a league of its own. At Village Green, we offer premier home environment care in a loving family atmosphere for your loved one. Village Green allows your relative to continue living with dignity, respect, freedom, and choice. Our home environment enables seniors with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and other memory impairments to maintain the highest quality of life while providing peace of mind to their family and friends.
Absolutely! Having an aging relative that either experience occasional symptoms of dementia or has an official diagnosis and exhibits full onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s is more common than you think.
Memory care is a form of senior living that provides intensive, specialized care for seniors with memory lapses. Many assisted living facilities and independent care homes have created special memory care units for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.
For the most part, memory care is designed to offer a safe, structured environment with set routines for residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Like assisted living, staff provides meals and helps seniors with personal care tasks.
What differs from assisted living is memory care employees are specially trained to deal with the specific issues that typically arise with residents who have dementia or Alzheimer’s. Caregivers working in memory care understand that they need to check in with residents more often and provide additional structure, support, and an extra ear to listen to their needs and concerns so they can feel valued as they go about their day.
After you’ve narrowed down your search to five or less, it’s highly recommended that you visit each memory care home on your shortlist. Here are some questions you’ll want to ask:
Is the facility clean and inviting? Walk the layout yourself. Is it large enough that your loved one wouldn’t get frustrated or feel claustrophobic or overcrowded with too little space? It’s equally important that your relative wouldn’t feel lost in an environment that feels too large. You’ll also want to see if there’s a safe walking area where residents go for strolls, bird watching, and to enjoy the sunshine, trees, flowers, and nature in general.
Ask the facility director what kind of education and ongoing training the staff has to work with memory care residents. Find out how many nurses are available to care for residents at any given time. Watch to see how attentive the staff is and how fast they attend to resident requests and needs. Pretend that you’re searching for your forever home and ask yourself would you be happy there.
Are there enough activities to satisfy your relative’s interest? Ask for a list of all the activities (group and solo) offered at each memory care home. Do the residents look forward to mealtime or do you notice most residents seem completely uninterested? You’ll want to request to see their menus so you can see what they’re serving for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Ask what snacks they serve between mealtime. If you’re able to you might want to have a meal at each facility so you can gauge which memory care home has the best chef.
Ask for all the monthly costs and whether the memory care facility takes Medicaid or private insurance.
Knowing all the monthly costs involved and whether the facility takes Medicare or private insurance will help you figure out whether your relative can afford memory care or an assisted living facility. Typically, individuals with Alzheimer’s live four to eight years after diagnosis yet some live as long as 20 years, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Often, some memory care facilities offer more medical care than others. Ask what health conditions or behaviors might cause your relative to relocate to a higher and more expensive level of care within the memory care facility.
Levels of care can vary depending on the facility.
At Village Green, we have a program to meet every level of care. As a state-certified Alzheimer’s care facility, Village Green provides a resident-centered program designed to meet the specific and unique needs of those with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other residents with memory impairment.
The environment at Village Green promotes a higher quality of life. Also, it includes secure exterior doorways, increased space for activities both inside and outside the community, a beautiful serene courtyard and cozy independent areas. The decor, as well as the layout of the entire community, is designed to calm and soothe our residents.
Also, special attention has been given to color, lighting, texture, furnishings, and other homey features. As a result, these specially chosen accommodations help alleviate frustration and confusion for memory care residents. Memory orientation, such as visible signage, enhances the resident’s sense of time and location.
We offer wonderful amenities at Village Green Alzheimer’s Care Home:
View Our Delicious Meals
Like everything else at our home, meals are prepared with great care, taking into account resident’s dietary concerns as well as their taste buds. All the food purchased is fresh and nutritional. All meals are homemade and prepared by one of our full-time cooks, otherwise known as our “Pallet Pleasers”.
We refuse to use canned food products. We have summer and winter menus and we serve a wide variety of delicious foods. Three home-cooked meals are prepared each day – the main meal is served at lunch and the lightest meal is served in the evening. Residents also receive beverages and healthy snacks throughout the day.
Village Green Alzheimer’s Care Home Menu Sample is provided for family members and friends to view.
Check Out Our Fun Activities
Activities take place throughout the day and into the early evening. The activity program consists of therapeutic activities based on the needs, abilities, and various levels of acuity of each resident. Also, our activities include parties, movies, exercises, religious programs, arts, crafts, games, as well as small group and individual activities.
Our team receives ongoing training on the latest methods of caring for residents with memory impairment. The team’s compassionate interaction with residents reinforces socialization and may help reduce depression which can result from fear of isolation and loneliness.
Village Green Alzheimer’s Care Home Activities Sample Calendar is provided for family members and friends to view.
Take a Look at Our Unmatched Amenities
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.
