After all dementia has taken from your loved one, when the time comes that they need more care than be provided at home you may wonder, “How can I let that be taken from them too?” However, not all memory care is provided in a large, senior living community setting like you may imagine. In fact, boutique senior living offers memory care in cozy, residential homes with a 1-to-5 caregiver-to-resident ratio. Learn more about the benefits for your loved one with memory care in residential settings.
What is Memory Care?
Before we get into the benefits of a residential setting, let’s define exactly what memory care entails. Memory care is specifically designed to nurture those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with 24-hour supervised care. Staff is specially trained and support is provided in a safe environment with opportunities for your loved one to find purpose and enjoyment.
Your loved one can typically expect:
- A private or semi-private apartment
- Three daily meals and snacks
- Medication management
- Personal care
- Cognitive and physical therapy
- Fitness programs
- Social activities
- Housekeeping and laundry services
Memory care is offered in three types of settings:
- As a neighborhood or unit within an assisted living community
- A stand-alone memory care community, which may also be on the same campus as other types of senior living
- A residential home care environment such as boutique senior living
Memory Care in Boutique Senior Living
By nature, memory care provided in a residential setting such as our boutique senior living offers a smaller, more personalized and peaceful homelike experience which is more similar to what your loved one has experienced so far at home.
An Easier Transition
Of course, nothing can compare to your loved one’s own home, but when the time comes the transition to boutique senior living may be easier than to a large community. The more institutional feel, the number of people and the expansive campus can be overwhelming to anyone, but particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Rather, in boutique senior living our residential home have only 10 to 16 residents max and they are actual homes which offer a more familiar feel to your loved one.
Personalized Care
One of the greatest benefits of memory care in a residential setting is the 1 to 5 caregiver to resident ratio our homes offer. Large senior living communities can rarely, if ever, offer that level of personalized care which is so crucial to memory care residents. With us, your loved one will have 24/7 care provided by experienced CNAs and caregivers who really ‘know’ them and can better support their individual needs and preferences. Plus, doctors also visit onsite and a nurse oversees the daily plan of care implemented by our CNAs and caregivers.
Calm, Peaceful Environment
Anxiety and agitation are common among people living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. That’s why living in a calm, peaceful environment is so important to your loved one’s wellbeing. With memory care in a large senior living community, that’s just simply harder to achieve. Even with the best of intentions, there’s likely to be more noise and commotion. On the other hand, our boutique senior living homes offer memory care residents the quiet coziness they’re used to as they are located on rural roads in small Midwestern neighborhoods.
Homelike Feel
Again we know how important familiarity is to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. In large senior living communities, quite frankly it’s easy to feel lost under the best of circumstances. With memory care in a residential setting, we not only offer a homelike feel, but also the familiar setup of an actual home with a small group of residents and caregivers that begin to feel like family. We even eat together family-style on a handmade farm table! What’s more, as each of our homes is at least 4,000 square feet, your loved one still has ample space for themselves with private and semi-private accommodations available.
The Same Amenities and Enrichment Opportunities
One question we’re often asked is “Will we be sacrificing the amenities of memory care in a large senior living community?” Absolutely not! Our homes also feature beautifully landscaped grounds and home gardens, laundry and cleaning services, complimentary Wi-Fi, transportation and safety features such as fall alert pendants, state-of-the-art video monitoring and keypad entry/exit access. Our activity programs also feature daily exercises, socialization, cognitive stimulation and immersive activities as well as group outings and live entertainment.
For more information on the benefits of memory care at Shepherd Premier or to schedule a virtual tour, call (224) 333-6247 to speak to a team member.
