For someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, memory care can offer support that helps them thrive. That’s the goal of Connecting Realities, the innovative memory support programming offered by The Ohio Masonic Communities.
If your loved one has Alzheimer’s or dementia, memory care can offer peace of mind. It can also be confusing and overwhelming for you. In fact, if you’ve looked at memory care for a loved one, you may have found questions than answers. Understanding the basics of memory care, and programming like Connecting Realities, can make your decision easier.
Memory Care Basics
If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it’s important to understand the basics of memory care. Even if a memory care community isn’t needed now, it’s helpful to know the options that exist. By planning now, you can alleviate some of the need to make a decision in crisis in the future. These are the basics of memory care that can help guide your understanding and decision making.
Types of care
The first basic to understand is that not all memory care is created equal. It is usually a specific type of assisted living or skilled nursing. However, it offers specific support that helps someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia thrive. Understanding the difference between assisted living and skilled nursing can help you have a sense of which type of memory care is best for your loved one.
In assisted living memory care, your loved one gets the assistance they need with their activities of daily living (ADLs). This includes things like medication management, dressing, and bathing, with staff available 24/7. A skilled nursing memory care offers everything assisted living does and more. In skilled nursing, nurses are available 24/7 and more complex medical care can be provided, like feeding tubes and wound care.
Types of offerings
After types of care, it’s important to understand the different offerings that could be available. To begin with, some communities offer private apartments while others offer shared rooms. Further, there can be differences with private or shared bathrooms. Finally, some feel more neighborhood-like than others. No one option is best. Ultimately, it comes down to the personal preferences and budget of you and your loved one.
Common amenities and programming
Where you’ll start to see the biggest differences from one memory care community to the next are their community amenities and activities. You may see a wide range of options. At one end of the spectrum, you may find a basic shared living room with a couple simple daily activities. At the other end of the spectrum, you may find more robust shared living spaces, like a living room, family-style dining room, and libraries or theaters, as well as enhanced programming that includes a full schedule of activities 7 days a week.
Importance of Location
Arguably the most important part of choosing the right memory care community for your loved one is the location. You should choose a community whose location is convenient to your daily life or that of the person who will visit the most often. For example, choosing a location between work and home makes it easier to stop in for a short visit on your way home, rather than driving a long distance out of your way.
Learn More About Memory Care
You can learn more about memory care in this episode of our podcast, Senior Living Today.
Connecting Realities
At The Ohio Masonic Communities, we’ve developed an innovative memory support program. The goal is to offer personalized support to every memory care resident, meeting them in their reality, to help them thrive. Connecting Realities is made up of three main elements: staff training, technologies that promote engagement, and spaces that have been designed with purpose.
Staff training
The first pillar of Connecting Realities is staff training. Everyone working with your loved one should understand what it means to care for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. All of our employees complete trainings designed to help them understand what daily life can be like for someone living with memory challenges. These include:
- Embodied Labs, a virtual reality (VR) training
- Hands on workshops
- Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) certification
Engagement Technologies
The second pillar of Connecting Realities is technologies that promote engagement. With a purpose of engaging your loved one, these tools help them experience more peace, relaxation, and connection. Our current tools and technologies that promote engagement for your loved one include:
- Lucynt, dementia magic table
- Cara’s Kennel, animatronic pets
- iN2L, computer-based games, music, movies, and exercise
- Life stations, built for specific purposes, such as a woodshop and a library
Music therapy
Another important part of our commitment to helping your loved one thrive in memory care is music therapy. Our residents participate in 1:1 and group sessions with our licensed music therapists that promote connection and peace. In addition, it’s an outlet for creative expression and can help with reminiscence. Your loved one can even be part of Silver Songbirds, our all abilities dementia choirs.
Purpose designed spaces
The final element of Connecting Realities is spaces that are carefully designed for purpose. Our memory support neighborhoods include things like movie theaters, family-style dining rooms, and a relaxation room. Even the paint, flooring, and artwork have been carefully chosen to create a relaxing and inviting environment for you and your loved one.
Supporting Connecting Realities and Residents with Alzheimer’s and Dementia
At The Ohio Masonic Communities, we’re proud to offer Connecting Realities for our memory support residents. As a nonprofit, the elements of this innovative programming are only possible thanks to the support of donors to The Ohio Masonic Communities Foundation.
If you are interested in making a gift to support Connecting Realities, or learning more about The Ohio Masonic Communities Foundation, click the link below.
Make a GiftLearn More
The Ohio Masonic Communities has three senior living communities across the state of Ohio – Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio, Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield, Ohio, and Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio. If you are interested in learning more give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here.