Signs Your Loved Ones Need Memory Care 

Many factors contribute to forgetfulness – anxiety, depression, alcohol use, stress, under-active thyroid, lack of sleep, and certain medications have all been found to cause memory slips. However, if forgetfulness becomes a constant companion of your loved ones to the point where their safety is at risk, you may want to take them to memory care in Geneva.

Caring for seniors who have dementia can be overwhelming. It’s a full-time job that requires you to be on alert twenty-four hours a day seven days a week.

If you have a job and if you have a family yourself, it’s not realistic to commit to being your loved one's caregiver unless you’re willing to make certain sacrifices. To make your life less stressful, the best decision you can make for the entire family is to consider a memory care facility.  

When Should You Take Your Loved Ones to a Memory Care Facility?

When Does A Doctor Suggest Memory Care?

When seniors meet with their doctors during appointments they don’t mention memory loss problems. More often than not, it’s their children who bring it up. It can be challenging to monitor signs of dementia. 

But, there are obvious signs that signal the need to get seniors to a memory care facility. Examples include disheveled hair, a significant drop in weight, and seniors who aren’t tidily dressed. 

Dementia is also evident when the senior cannot carry a conversation, feels lost, or is agitated. When all these signs are present, the doctor will conduct a mental status exam to check if the patient has dementia.

If a person isn’t capable of performing activities of daily living like bathing, eating, or dressing then transitioning to memory care is a good option because in there they’ll find all the help and assistance they’ll need to function optimally.

To assess the safety and abilities of the seniors, the doctor may ask the following questions:

• Do you frequently get lost on your way to the grocery store or when walking around your neighborhood? 
  
• Do you have a hard time remembering if you ate or drank? 
  
• Do you take your medications during the appropriate times? 

If your loved ones answered yes to all these, the doctor may recommend a mental status exam and suggest that it’s time to think about memory care.

The safety of your loved ones is at risk if they start leaving appliances on like the stove or burner after they are done cooking if they get bruises and injuries and can’t remember how they got it if there have been frequent visits to the emergency room and if they wander or get lost in dangerous and public places.  

When Is Memory Care Appropriate?

Answering the questions below will help you decide if it’s time to take your loved ones to a memory care facility.  

1. Did some of your friends and family comment about the changes in the behavior of your parents?  

According to doctors, family members especially the caregivers don’t notice changes in their parents’ behaviors unless someone points it out to them. It can be difficult to monitor the progress of their dementia if you’re always around them. 

An example is weight loss. If you see your parents daily you won’t be able to notice their weight loss. The drastic weight change will be obvious to a family member or a friend who hasn’t seen them in quite a while. 

2. Is your elderly parent showing signs of agitation or confusion? 

Seniors who suffer from dementia often experience agitation and confusion. More than not, this leads to aggression and violence. Seniors tend to bite, hit, or even kick their caregivers. It’s also common for them to manipulate and verbally abuse their caregivers. 

According to doctors, patients with dementia insult or accuse family and friends of theft. In fact, when they are asked about their dementia during a consultation they get defensive and agitated. This alone is a sign that they need professional help and assistance. 

The manifestation of aggression due to dementia can be dangerous especially if the patient is being cared for by his or her elderly spouse as this can result in elder abuse. 

3. Has your aging parent become nervous or withdrawn?

One of the signs that seniors suffer from dementia is when they start declining social invitations or when they begin to withdraw from social interactions. Although it’s normal for the aging population to experience a decline in their energy levels, what’s not normal is when they show disinterest and avoid activities they used to love and enjoy. 

Another thing to look out for is nervousness. Do they feel nervous when they go on walks by themselves or when they leave the house? Mention these to your doctor during your parent’s next doctor’s appointment.

4. Are they able to meet their hygiene needs?

If seniors start forgetting their daily hygiene practices from changing clothes to brushing their teeth and taking a bath you need to consider memory care. 

Some of them don’t ask for help because they don’t want to feel humiliated but even if they don’t tell you, you can already tell they are struggling from the way they look. When your parents look neglected, that’s already a red flag. 

5. Does your parent wander off? 

Healthy elderly don’t wander off but once they do, plus when they show signs of disorientation and confusion, you need to let their doctor know about this behavior change. Seniors who wander far from their residence can go into dangerous places like busy streets or getting lost outside their neighborhood during bad weather.

Is It Time To Take Your Loved One to a Memory Care in Geneva? 

By now, you should have already consulted with a doctor. If your loved one has dementia and if no one in the family can take care of the senior parent, then yes, it is time to take your parent to a memory care facility.

 Memory care centers offer various services that will give your loved ones a pleasant living experience. They will be safe since the facility offers 24/7 monitoring with professional staff that’s always ready to assist in grooming, bathing, medication and nutrition management and so much more. 

At Senior Living Experts, our advisors will work closely with you and your family to help you find the best place for your loved one. 

We have been working with over two hundred and thirty communities and we’ve helped hundreds of seniors live better and more comfortable lives with the wide range of options we offer. Call us today to learn more about assisted living and nursing homes.