6 Symptoms Indicating When Someone You Love Needs Memory Care
Recognizing the symptoms that indicate your loved one needs memory care will help you feel more confident about making the right decision when the time comes.
When a senior loved one receives a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia family members often feel a sense of relief. Suddenly all the wondering has come to an end…wondering whether increasing forgetfulness and repetitive stories can be chalked up to the minor mental decline of aging or something more serious. You finally have an answer to that question, but now have a million more.
How fast will the disease progress? What will the challenges be along the way? And how should you plan a future that will keep him or her safe, comfortable and able to continue enjoying as many of the pleasures of life as possible? The answer to that last question may come in the form of specialized memory care. Coming to that decision is first knowing when that type of secure living situation is needed.
To help you make that determination, here is a helpful list of 6 symptoms indicating when someone you love needs memory care.
- Problems Keeping Up with Daily Routines
Whereas in the past, your senior was always on top of taking care of themselves and keeping their household running, you may start noticing uncharacteristic lapses that signal a significant progression of the condition. These may include:
- Falling behind on housekeeping – You may notice dirty dishes piling up in the sink or being left on the coffee table. Clothes that used to be washed, dried, and put away are now jammed into overflowing laundry baskets. Dust on the furniture goes unnoticed. Garbage isn’t taken out. Unopened mail and unpaid bills are stacking up. Bathrooms that once were spotless are now accumulating grime.
- Forgetting about food needs – Grocery shopping may fall by the wayside. Cupboards are bare. There may be spoiled food in the refrigerator. And instead of cooking regular meals, your loved one may be simply subsisting on snacks.
- Not dressing for the weather – They may walk out of the house in winter without a coat. Umbrellas go unused on rainy days. And lightweight clothes may stay in the closet well into summer.
- Neglecting Personal Hygiene
Increased body odor and bad breath may be a sign that your senior is having difficulty remembering to take care of personal needs like bathing, putting on clean clothes, and brushing their teeth.
- Missed Medications and Doctors Appointments
Many seniors coping with the challenges of dementia manage other chronic medical conditions as well like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis. Forgetting to take their prescriptions or taking too much or too little and not being regularly seen by their physician is an indication that your loved one needs more supervision to prevent them from endangering their health.
Medication monitoring and keeping track of physician appointments are among the many ways memory care communities help keep seniors dealing with dementia as healthy as possible.
- Wandering
As Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia progress, seniors often forget where they are or don’t remember how to get home. In some cases, they may walk out of their home to search for a loved one they think is missing. Memory care communities virtually eliminate the dangers of wandering off by providing 24-hour supervision and a secure environment that provides both freedom and protection.
- Disturbing Changes in Personality
Beyond the loss of memory and the inability to recognize friends and loved ones, later stages of dementia can bring on what’s known as sundowner syndrome.
As evening approaches, affected seniors sometimes experience a sudden onset of emotional and cognitive problems. These can include things like restless pacing, crying or screaming, getting angry, and becoming aggressive as well as having delusions or hallucinations. Your loved one may even become violent which can be extremely upsetting and even dangerous for caregivers.
If you are starting to see this phenomenon impacting your senior, it is a strong indication that they would benefit from the help and support that trained professionals in a memory care community can provide.
- Caregiver Burnout
Looking after a loved one with dementia is a very difficult 24/7 job that can wear down even the most dedicated caregiver. And when the primary caregiver is also a senior or has physical limitations, the effort to keep a loved one safe and cared for can quickly become overwhelming. When you or the primary caregiver are feeling extremely stressed and putting your own health at risk, it could be time to move your senior to a memory care community.
Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia don’t progress on a set timetable. Sometimes the decline is rapid. Other times it stretches out over years. That’s why planning ahead is essential. Recognizing the symptoms that indicate your loved one needs memory care will help you feel more confident about making the right decision when the time comes.
Warm-hearted, Compassionate Memory Care at MorningStar
If your loved one lives far from family and friends, it could be time to move into a memory care community near their adult children where they’ll have the companionship of fellow seniors and a compassionate service team. At MorningStar Senior Living, a 24/7 team is dedicated to offering care and hospitality services that meet each resident’s social, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. Curious? Contact us to learn more to see for yourself the finest memory care community MorningStar offers.
