Caring for a person living with dementia requires an abundance of compassion, patience, skills, and the courage to ask for help. Often, people struggle to decide when is it time for a loved one to move into a memory care community? Some checklists that will tell you if someone is leaving the stove on, wandering out of the house, hitting other people, not taking their medications, not eating nutritious meals, needing incontinence care, missing appointments, falling down, or otherwise unsafe, then it is time for professional help. All these points are risk factors that may tell you that moving into a community can provide a safer environment. However, the truth is that everyone and every situation is different.
At CiminoCare, we use a more personal approach to determine whether it is the right time, and the right place, to move a loved one into a memory care community. Consider the benefits of a move to a memory care community:
- How would the person benefit from activities and engagement with others?
- When people are lonely and isolated, it can cause anxiety or depression.
- How would the person benefit from consistent, professional personal care and medication management?
- It is often hard for a family member to be both a loving family member and the one responsible for providing care and managing extra tasks.
- How would the person benefit from care coordination with health care providers and medication management?
- An experienced team is often necessary to advocate for quality care and quality of life.
- How can the person benefit from the community’s location and amenities?
- Convenience and access to the people and things you need are essential considerations.
- How can the family members benefit from our support and expertise?
- When family members have the resources they need and the time to be family, it becomes easier to find joy and spend quality time together.
We encourage people to look at care options before there is a crisis, don’t wait until you are living in fear that something might happen. We know that there is a lot to consider when making such an important decision. We have been in your shoes. We want to help.
Portola Gardens offers compassionate memory care provided by a dedicated team of experienced caregivers. Contact Jeffrey Dillon or Bernadette Cichetti at 415-337-1587 or portolagardens@ciminocare.com to learn more about our services or to get more information to help you determine when the time is right for memory care.
