It’s never easy to watch loved ones go through hardship. Alzheimer’s is an especially difficult disease, for both the afflicted and for those who love and care for them. There comes a time when the Alzheimer’s patient is unable to live alone and they must either have specialized home care or move to a place where their specific needs will be met. In the early stages, some people find that Alzheimer’s patients can be cared for by family members, but as the disease progresses, most patients have needs that exceed what family or friends can provide. At this point, patients and families often turn to assisted living.

Offering Aid and Care

Assisted living facilities offer aid and personal care for those who need help with daily activities such as bathing, eating, or dressing. Most often, these facilities cater to seniors who are too frail to live safely by themselves, but these programs are also open to people with disabilities and conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia, as long as the staff has the proper training to care for their special needs. There are facilities that cater strictly to Alzheimer’s or dementia patients, but many assisted living facilities have a special unit to house these patients in addition to their other residents. In addition to aid and personal care, most assisted living facilities also offer meals, housekeeping, laundry services, transportation, group activities, and programs to entertain and assist their residents.

Special Needs for Alzheimer’s

Facilities that accept Alzheimer’s patients should have safety precautions such as monitoring systems or locks to prevent wandering. Caregivers at these facilities will be trained to handle not only the physical needs of the patients, but also the mental issues that arise, such as memory loss, combativeness, and anxieties. Nursing care may be included, but medical staff is not required by law as it is in nursing homes. Medication is kept and distributed by the staff, so that the proper dosage and time of administration can be monitored and documented.

Choosing a Facility

Before choosing an assisted living facility for the Alzheimer’s patient, every prospective place should be evaluated for care capabilities, cleanliness, safety, staff expertise and ability to give personalized attention, structured activities and schedules, licensing, insurance, and proper patient rights policies. Basic care is the most critical aspect of any assisted living facility, but it’s also important to choose a place that feels right to the patient and the family in terms of atmosphere and comfort. While some states allow Medicaid coverage for Alzheimer’s care, most facilities are privately paid, so cost is a factor in choosing a new living place for the Alzheimer’s patient. Families and Alzheimer’s patients must also take into consideration their future care needs—the speed of degeneration for Alzheimer’s may vary from patient to patient, but in all cases, the patient will degenerate and require greater care up to and including nursing care.

Peace of Mind

Dealing with Alzheimer’s is heartbreaking, and finding a new home for someone suffering from this disease can be difficult. But knowing what to expect from a facility and knowing what to look for in terms of the right facility for the patient can go a long way towards giving both the patient and the family peace of mind.