WHAT IS MEMORY CARE?

It is a stage in life that is difficult for loved ones to address. A family member has started to experience memory loss, which makes it a challenge to complete standard daily activities. Where do you turn for help in taking care of a loved one who has started to experience memory loss?

The answer is by moving the loved one into one of the best retirement communities in Denver, Colorado.

Our assisted living facility in Denver, Colorado specializes in helping family members deal with the memory loss experienced by a loved one. We offer the most comprehensive list of memory care services, but just as important, we make sure you and everyone responsible for the care of a loved one knows the answer to the question, what is memory care?

What Do I Need to Know About Memory Care?

Memory care represents a specialized type of healthcare for adults living with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. It focuses on ensuring the safety of residents who experience memory loss, as well as implementing several programs to boost memory skills through strategies such as repetitive mental exercises.

Although the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease often go unrecognized, the signs of acute memory loss are not hard to detect. The key is to intervene before memory loss becomes an issue that threatens the safety of a loved one. Even if you have the time to care for a loved one who suffers memory loss, you can expect one day to need the professional support of a caregiver who specializes in providing memory care services.

What Are the Services Provided in a Memory Care Facility?

Residential memory care centers offer many of the same services and amenities that are offered to residents of assisted living centers in Denver. This includes a private apartment, with three meals scheduled throughout each day. Where memory care services differ from assisted living services concerns the offering of activities for dementia patients. In addition, most memory care facilities in Denver incorporate safety strategies such as locked doors that send out an alarm whenever they are opened.

At MorningStar at Observatory Park, our facility offers the most comprehensive list of memory care services of any facility of its kind throughout the greater Denver metropolitan area.

What Are the Benefits of a Memory Care Center?

Although the transition to a memory care facility can take a huge emotional toll on both a new resident and family member, the benefits of making the move far outweigh the short-term emotional duress issues.

A memory care facility in Denver provides a secure setting that keeps residents safe and gives family members peace of mind. Your loved one benefits from social interactions that include daily activities such as exercise programs and games that stimulate memory skills. Your loved one receives dedicated personal care services, which include bathing, cooking, and cleaning. You can expect care that is provided by caregivers who specialize in providing dementia-related care. Your loved one benefits by eating a healthy diet, as well as having quick access to healthcare professionals.

Your responsibilities as a daily caregiver decrease in number, which allows you to return to your normal role as a family member first.

Learn More About One of the Best Retirement Communities in Denver

With a foundation built on honoring God and valuing our residents, MorningStar at Observatory Park offers the most comprehensive list of memory care services of any senior living center in Denver, CO. Learn more by scheduling a tour of our facility.

WHAT FACTORS DEFINE THE BEST MEMORY CARE SERVICES?

Determining whether to transition a loved one from a home living environment into one of the retirement communities in Denver, Colorado is one of the most difficult decisions you can expect to make during your lifetime. At our assisted living facility in Denver, we make the difficult decision much easier to make for several reasons. One of the most influential reasons why we attract an incredible amount of interest concerns our three types of lifestyle options, which are independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Your loved one can start in an independent living arrangement, and when the situation dictates it, move into an assisted living or memory care environment.

Let’s look at some other factors that you should consider for choosing the best memory care facility.

Safety

Resident safety encompasses many criteria, with the most important criterion being protection from criminal acts. Our senior living center in Denver has installed a comprehensive camera surveillance system to discourage criminals from committing acts that harm our residents. Another important safety issue regards preventing memory care patients from wandering throughout our facility.

Any memory care facility that you choose should lock all exits and entrances throughout each day.

Innovative Therapies and Technologies

Retirement communities in Denver such as MorningStar at Observatory Park that implement the most advanced therapies and technologies separate themselves from other assisted living facilities. For example, the use of robotic pets has started to gain traction at some senior living centers in Denver because interacting with artificial pets stimulates memory skills. If your loved one requires special attention paid to certain issues, ensure the assisted living facility in Denver that you choose is equipped with the right technology to make it happen.

Around the Clock Registered Nurse Coverage

Some senior living centers in Denver, CO only offer registered nurse coverage during the day. The lack of registered nurse coverage at night can leave residents highly vulnerable to facing serious, even life-threatening issues. Any memory care facility under consideration should confirm that the facility positions a registered nurse on every floor 24 hours a day. Registered nurses typically have more knowledge and experience than CNAs who can facilitate daily care such as monitoring vital statistics.

Low Turnover Rate

As with any type of business model, a high turnover rate for employees indicates a serious underlying problem. Assisted living facilities that have to deal with a high turnover rate deliver inferior memory care services because they lack labor resources. A high turnover rate at any of the retirement communities in Denver also might force facilities to hire less experienced and knowledgeable employees.

Read Online Reviews

Online reviews found on sites such as Yelp and Google should not be the only factor you consider when choosing a memory care facility in Denver. However, online reviews can help you confirm the presence of the other factors on this list. The key is to read as many reviews as possible to determine if there is a common theme that stands out for an assisted living facility in Denver.

Consider Highly-Rated MorningStar at Observatory Park

MorningStar at Observatory Park checks all the boxes that need to be checked when deciding on a senior living center in Denver, CO. We enjoy an industry-low turnover rate, as well as implement the most cutting-edge therapies and technologies to improve resident care. Our safe facility protects residents against issues such as slip and fall incidents. You also can expect registered nurse coverage 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?

It is natural to slow down as we age into our 50s and 60s. However, how much of the slowing down is attributed to the typical aging process and how much of it is attributed to a memory decline medical condition called Alzheimer’s disease? At our senior living center in Denver, Colorado, our highly-trained caregivers know the answer to the question, what are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease represents a brain disorder that worsens over time. Physiological changes in the brain develop, which lead to the deposits of certain proteins that cause the brain’s mass to shrink. Around 6.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, with more than 70 percent of patients being at least 75 years old.

Let’s review the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Memory Loss

Everyone experiences some type of memory loss, but with Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss gets much worse over time. Repeating statements and questions is one common symptom of memory loss, as is forgetting appointments and a special event such as a family reunion. Memory loss also concerns misplacing items like car keys or putting items in places where they do not belong. Getting lost in places they used to know afflicts Alzheimer’s patients as well. 

Memory loss can get bad enough that a patient might forget the names of family members and the objects used everyday.

Poor Judgments and Decisions

Loss of brain mass due to an increase in protein deposits negatively impacts the area of the brain that makes logical judgments and decisions. For example, someone living with Alzheimer’s disease might attempt to drive to a location that person has never been to in his or her entire life. He or she might see a destination on a map, and on impulse, attempt to drive there.

Poor judgments and decisions can involve social settings such as blurting out inappropriate statements during an event at an assisted living facility in Denver.

Processing Information

Alzheimer’s disease, especially in an advanced stage, makes it difficult to process information. An increase in protein deposits in the brain inhibits the ability to process abstract concepts like letters and numbers. The inability to process abstract concepts like numbers can make it impossible to balance the checkbook and pay bills on time. Completing ordinary tasks such as cooking and doing laundry turns into one misadventure after another.

Doing more than one task at the same time becomes particularly difficult as well.

Abrupt Personality Changes

At first, sudden mood swings can be dismissed as someone having a bad day. When mood swings become more frequent and pronounced, then the time has come to consider other reasons for the erratic behavior. An abrupt personality change can signal the onset of mental conditions such as depression and acute anxiety.

Someone living with Alzheimer’s disease might display anger and/or aggression, as well as lose interest in favorite activities.

Get Your Loved Proper Memory Loss Care

Caring for a loved one dealing with memory loss takes an immense mental, physical, and emotional toll. This is especially true for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease. As one of the highest-rated retirement communities in Denver, MorningStar at Observatory Park operates a memory care wing that helps residents live an active life while dealing with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

If the time has come to consider moving a loved one into a senior living center in Denver, CO, schedule a tour of our assisted living facility to learn more about the memory care services that we offer.