Senior Care - What's the best environment for my elderly parent?

I’m Dave Ciccantelli, and I’m the owner of Assisted Living Locators Waukesha. In December of 2017, I launched the first franchise of Assisted Living Locators in Wisconsin after experiencing the challenges of trying to navigate the complicated number of senior care options for my father.

Because of this, I plan, over the next several weeks, to help educate those of us who are looking at senior care options for our parents, relatives, or for ourselves. Because I’m local and in the community, I’m able to look at a wide range of options for seniors. I see my job as educating so people can make the best choice for their situation.

This is my sixth installment in a series of articles providing more information about the available options in the senior housing industry. Today, I’m going to discuss Memory Care.

In my introductory article, I defined Memory Care as an environment where residents have usually been diagnosed with some form of dementia and require very active monitoring. They may struggle with memory and behavioral issues and can also be a flight risk. All of these challenges require a very high level of monitoring to reduce the risk of injuring themselves or others.

A dementia-diagnosed patient has issues that can involve significant memory loss, mood swings, impulse control and general behavior that requires managing. Because memory care residents are at often risk for wandering, a secured area is essential for their safety. Mental stimulation and ongoing social interaction is an integral part of their environment.

This is why memory care is such a specialized type of care which necessitates additional (and ongoing) training for the staff that interact with residents. They need to be able to administer care plans and programs specifically designed for a dementia patient. Some long term care communities offer memory care exclusively. Others offer it as a continuum of care so that a resident who enters not requiring it initially can make the transition later if their needs change.

Assisted Living Locators offers a no-cost service for seniors and their families providing expert advice on short and long-term care options, including in-home care, independent living, assisted living, memory care, and retirement apartments. For more information about Assisted Living Locators, call Dave Ciccantelli at 262-933.8107, email at dciccantelli@assistedlivinglocators.com, or visit our website at www.Waukesha.AssistedLivingLocators.com.