Memory care features are uniquely and specially curated for individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Even though a lot of the services they provide are similar to that of assisted living, memory care communities provide more specialized activities and therapies to aid residents suffering from different degrees of dementia. Their skilled team members are trained to support the physical, emotional, and mental needs of their residents while helping them to learn and adapt to living with dementia.
Skilled Team Members
Living with dementia can bring about distress and affect our everyday lives. In memory care communities, the team members are trained to help the residents manage stress, diffuse challenging situations, and support them with different emotional needs. A smaller team member-to-resident ratio will be assigned to facilitate full-time supervision. This is to ensure the safety of the residents and prevent wandering.
Uniquely Designed Spaces
Memory care communities have uniquely designed spaces to help residents execute day-to-day activities with ease. Some living spaces are built to simulate home-like neighborhoods with storefronts to prevent residents from feeling trapped. These neighborhoods offer separate spaces to facilitate therapies, such as a secure garden for sensory stimulation and nature exposure, as well as multi-sensory rooms for light, sound, and touch therapy. Controlled lighting is installed to mimic sunrise and sunset, a unique attribute that the residents are familiar with.
Navigating around the areas can be challenging for people with memory loss. As such, the living spaces have simple color-coded layouts and memory boxes to help the residents recognize their rooms in the event that they cannot recall how to read or identify numbers. The memory boxes that are installed on their doors are filled with familiar objects that are meaningful to the residents, which can help ease their anxiety from wandering in an unfamiliar place.
Memory Care Therapies And Activities
Memory care therapies and activities are facilitated by trained team members, with the intention to reduce cognitive decline and promote positive reminiscence. It also helps residents to maintain function for the longest possible time while the symptoms progress. Reminiscence therapy provides sensory and visual cues, such as photographs, films, and music, to help residents to recollect positive memories of their past.
Apart from that, memory care communities also offer a variety of soothing sensorial therapies to help residents make meaningful connections to past memories or familiar sights using their five senses. For instance, aromatherapy could use the smell of their favorite cuisine to bring back memories of the resident cooking in their family kitchen, or use a furry texture to remind them of their beloved pet.
Art, touch, and pet therapy can also provide comfort to residents by providing companionship, human contact, and stress relief. These therapies can also elicit past memories, such as a retained musical ability or a past furry friend.
Person-Focused Memory Care at TerraBella Southport
TerraBella Southport is a recognized retirement community that has provided the finest quality care for the loved ones of local families for more than 20 years. We offer a unique and holistic approach to memory care in our Memory Care neighborhood. Our skilled team members strive to help your loved one adapt, promote self-esteem, and feel a sense of belonging in our warm community.
To book a visit and guided tour, please feel free to contact us today.
