When Donald was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, his family wasn’t totally surprised, but it was tough to handle. His adult children, spouse, and even friends had recognized some of the early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s, most notably memory loss that was affecting his daily life. They did the best they could to support him, even after diagnosis, but as he grew older and the symptoms became more pronounced, it was more and more difficult to handle. Finding out more about memory care at an assisted living facility should be an option to consider.
Nobody in his family had ever had direct experience with Alzheimer’s, either supporting somebody else or witnessing the progression of symptoms. They really didn’t know what to expect, even though they had been well briefed by Donald’s doctor and had conducted thorough research online.
When his memory was failing, he was becoming agitated. He was scared, frightened, and feeling isolated and alone. There were times he couldn’t recognize his own wife of 53 years. He was worried about how things were progressing and didn’t want to put his family in difficult circumstances.
Yet, for him, there were no other options. He simply had the wrong idea of what assisted living could offer. He did not want to go somewhere and be neglected, abused, or forgotten.
His family made an appointment to take a tour.
They found a local memory care assisted living facility and scheduled a tour. Even in the midst of a pandemic, this facility did offer on-site tours, but to limited numbers of families and seniors. They had to go through a checkpoint, wear a mask, and so forth, but they felt safe and realized the facility was truly protecting its residents and staff.
What he discovered was that certain staff members had extensive experience supporting other seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. They understood how to best deal with memory-related challenges, outbursts, confusion, anxiety, and so forth.
They were also licensed and certified, some of them at least, to administer medications, which would be a great relief to Donald’s family. Even though there was no cure for Alzheimer’s, there were treatment options they had discovered early on that could help temper some of the symptoms, and they wanted to continue what Donald’s doctor prescribed.
Both Donald and his family enjoyed the benefits of memory care assisted living.
Even though memory care assisted living is first and foremost about a senior who has been diagnosed with some form of dementia, like Alzheimer’s, it can offer benefits to many other people, especially those who had been supporting him.
Donald’s family hadn’t fully realized just how much stress and pressure had been on them these past several years. Acting as caregivers supporting him through this difficult time had taken a significant toll on their life.
They only realized just how big the toll was when they had separation, time to themselves, and time to return to their own lives. Memory care assisted living can offer much to many, and it is definitely worth looking into for a senior who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
If you or an aging loved one is considering a move to an Assisted Living Facility for Memory Care Services in Marietta GA please contact the caring staff at Woodland Ridge today. 770-431-7055
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