Today the statistics on the escalation of Alzheimer’s and Dementia are astounding. It is anticipated that close to 1 in 3 deaths in Washington State will result in complications arising out of Alzheimer’s Disease. Today there is still no cure, and sadly, we are seeing it on the rise. Chances are that every single one of us knows someone who currently has, or who will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s.
I belong to several Facebook groups for Alzheimer’s caregivers. My heart breaks for them. They “feel” the burden of having to be the one who does everything with a disease that is spinning out of control. Just yesterday, I saw posts where their loved one had crawled under the bed to sleep. Another had gotten outside and they found their mother walking down the street with no clothes on from the waist down. Another caregiver had been slapped by her father and was black and blue from his strength. These are situations that are truly alarming, because this is no quality of life for the caregiver or the Alzheimer’s patient. It’s clear that the needs of their loved one far surpasses what a daughter or son could do on their own.
When I speak to families who are overwhelmed, the answer always is: “I promised my parent I would never put them in a home.” That promise has them absolutely frozen. They allow their own lives to go into a tailspin because they don’t realize in the big picture, they are doing their parent a disservice. I also truly believe that if a parent was in their right mind they would never want to see their son or daughter in this kind of predicament.
If you find yourself feeling this way about a “promise” you made to your parent, I ask you to think about the higher picture and that is to provide the right type of care for a loved one.
The good news is that “Memory Care” communities can be a wonderful alternative where your loved one has proper care and safety that supports them as their symptoms advance. There are different types of Memory Care centers, whether the community has a specific area for those with memory issues, or if the community is devoted exclusively to those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
In some cases, you might find if one partner of a couple is afflicted with Alzheimer’s, that a “bonded pairs” program might work best for you. Yes, there are those who cannot handle a larger community, or even cannot handle being around more than 3-4 people. If so, there are adult family homes that can accommodate your loved one.
We are also huge fans of CarePartners’ Memory Care communities called The Cottages. These are clustered cottage communities so that a loved one doesn’t feel like they are in a large community, but yet, they have all the resources and advantages of being in one. Currently, CarePartners’ has seven Cottages properties throughout Puget Sound with more to come. This includes, Edgewood, Lacey, Marysville, Mill Creek, Renton, University Place, and a Cottage Lane at Vineyard Park in Mountlake Terrace.
You can learn all about these types of services through our own CarePartners Living expert, Jill Martinez as she talks about The Cottages concept. CarePartners has numerous Cottage Communities where your loved one can live in a smaller, home environment that feels safe.
