independent living for seniors

Why Family Matters in Assisted Living

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As the world’s population gets older, the need for a family to understand assisted living and what it offers to the lives of the elderly is becoming much more important.

But while a lot of family members think that their loved ones can have the best life in these communities, what they fail to realize is the importance of their involvement in achieving that goal for their family members.

 

Loneliness and the Difficulty of Transitioning to Assisted Living

Loneliness is a common feeling among seniors transitioning to assisted living. When someone who has lived in the same house for many years needs to move into a completely different living arrangement, it’s not uncommon to feel separation anxiety and loneliness that could even lead to depression if not addressed promptly.

While assisted living communities aim to provide the most home-like environment for residents, family members still play an important role in helping seniors transition smoothly into this new community without feeling isolated or left alone.

Family members can visit regularly and even engage in activities with their loved ones so they can feel that sense of belongingness to the family even if they’re living in a different community.

They can also offer to assist with caring for their loved one while respecting the roles of healthcare workers and their level of skill to avoid getting too involved.

 

Quality Time over the Length of Time with Every Visit

A lot of residents in assisted living communities have loved ones, especially spouses, who visit them on an almost daily basis.

Although this could be thought of as a nuisance, it is actually highly appreciated by healthcare workers in these communities because of how they benefit the overall wellbeing of their loved ones and even other residents. Some of these family members eventually build great relationships with other residents and their constant interaction with them allows them to understand the needs of lonely residents who are not visited by their own families.

A lot of healthcare staff in these assisted living communities report that these family members help make the lives of other residents better and not just their own loved ones.

They also remind those family members who fail to visit their loved ones that although they already sent them to these communities, their responsibility as primary caregivers is still not over.

It doesn’t matter if they can only visit for a short period of time because quality time is more important than the length of time in supporting loved ones in assisted living.

 

The Takeaway

The family will always be a person’s strongest foundation and it holds true even for the elderly population. While seniors need specialized care because of existing medical conditions, they need the love and support of their family members the most to make sure that they don’t feel lonely and enjoy the best quality of life possible.

At the end of the day, family involvement is a crucial part of the care of seniors in assisted living.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

assisted living facilities

How Senior Housing Promotes Good Quality of Life

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It is happening: the American population is growing older. The number of older adults is projected to reach an astounding 94.7 million from 56 million. That’s a 69% increase in the elderly population of the United States. This means that senior housing will be increasingly in demand, as more seniors would choose to live in a more secure and safe community where they could spend the best of their later years. But how exactly does senior housing promote a better quality of life?

 

An Opportunity for Social Interaction

In 2010, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that spending time with family and friends and enjoying the right leisure activities with them actually helps keep cognitive function longer.

On the other hand, isolation and loneliness usually lead to depression and early mortality among the elderly, according to a research study from the University of Chicago.

One of the primary goals of any senior housing community is to promote social interaction among its residents. This is done through activities that encourage socialization within the community and with visiting loved ones including communal art classes, games, and hobbies that allow residents to engage in meaningful conversations with other people.

It has been proven to help boost their mood and keep them healthier for a longer time.

 

Safe Environment for Seniors to Live in

Safety is one of the biggest concerns of loved ones living with seniors. But with senior housing, these worries are eliminated because independent and assisted living communities always prioritize the health and safety of their residents.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among adults 65 years and older. This is why senior housing communities always make sure that their buildings are designed for mobility and accessibility among seniors by adding hand railings, grab bars, raised toilets, and other precautions to prevent falls among residents.

Independent and assisted living communities also hire security companies to protect residents from break-ins and alarm systems are installed around the facilities for the peace of mind of both the residents and their loved ones.

 

A Better Lifestyle for Seniors

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of living in senior housing is the opportunity to live the best lifestyle possible. These communities offer different opportunities for residents to enjoy their life without worrying about daily chores.

For instance, they don’t need to cook for themselves because these communities will take care of preparing nutritious meals that meet their dietary needs and consider their food restrictions.

They can also get assistance with activities of daily living if they have difficulty performing them on their own and they can focus on doing what they love without worrying about running a household.

So if you have a loved one who’s about to enter retirement, a senior housing community is definitely a great choice to give them the quality of life that they deserve.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Senior Housing Ashland NE

Independent Living at Continuing Care Retirement Communities

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The term “independent living” may take on different meanings when applied to continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). It may sometimes imply an active and independent lifestyle, where the senior is free of the need for assistance with performing daily tasks and addressing his/her daily needs.

In other cases, it may mean that a frailer senior, perhaps someone suffering from dementia, is receiving the support services in a memory assisted living facility that is necessary to help them remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible.

This article provides a more in-depth look at what independent living looks like in senior homes. It will also talk about how this is normally a temporary arrangement as seniors will become more dependent and require more care as they age.

 

Assisted Living Homes vs CCRCs

Before going further, it’s important to establish the difference between an assisted living home and a continuing care retirement community.

Assisted living facilities are for those who require little assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). They do not provide medical care so the resident must move to a different type of senior care location, such as a skilled nursing center if they need medical care.

Residents can expect a number of services including specially trained, licensed professionals who provide around-the-clock support for activities of daily living. Accommodations are typically comfortable, private, and aesthetically pleasing.

Continuing care communities, on the other hand, allow their residents to “age in place”. They’re in an environment with familiar faces and a daily routine they enjoy, rather than moving from place to place to receive the care you need. CCRCs offer all levels of senior care in one convenient location.

CCRCs employ medical professionals like nurses and therapists who are trained in geriatric care. They carry out individualized health plans that change as the resident ages.

The best thing about living in a continuing care retirement community is that residents can receive higher levels of care on the same campus. For example, many CCRCs have memory assisted living units for seniors who might eventually succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Living independently at CCRCs

Now, CCRCs provide residents with a variety of care services if and when they are needed. The seniors in CCRCs can typically be categorized as those needing long-term care, otherwise known as assisted living services, and those that are able to leave in a fully independent manner.

Long-term care refers to help with daily activities like dressing, bathing, using the toilet, and food preparation.

Meanwhile, the seniors residing in the “independent living” portion of a CCRC require none of these. They are living on their own in apartment units or patio-style homes.

It’s important to point out that the health and mobility of a CCRC resident change over time. It isn’t uncommon for those living independently to have caregivers come into their home or apartment once they do begin to need a little bit of help.

Senior facilities typically provide separate assisted living and nursing care accommodations for residents whose care needs have advanced considerably. However, almost all residents prefer to stay in their own apartment or home for as long as possible.

 

Conclusion

The choice to go for an assisted living or continuing care retirement community depends on the physical and mental condition of an elderly loved one. It is important to do extensive research and tour these places firsthand to ensure that the quality of care is as expected.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Facilities for Alzheimer’s Ashland NE

Personal Assistance for Memory Assisted Living Residents

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Senior living is a broad industry. In the United States alone there are multiple options available to older people. From active adult communities to nursing homes, personal assistance is a solution that will cater to the preference of the elderly person and his family.

However, the variety is a double-edged sword. As good as having lots of options are, it can also potentially lead to feelings of confusion for the soon-to-be resident and the family member tasked with looking for the perfect senior living facility.

For example, in assisted living communities, people may be surprised to find that there are multiple levels of care involved. Each one comes with different features and has different costs attached to them.

 

The Importance of Knowing these Levels of Care

When searching for memory assisted living facilities, knowledge about the different levels of care or personal assistance is handy, crucial even. Through this information, people will know about the different support mechanisms available to aging loved ones as years passed. Knowledge also gives those looking for an assisted living facility the confidence to ask the right questions, which will then inform their opinion when decision time comes.

 

Personal Assistance for Residents in Memory Assisted Living Homes

It’s important to note that assisted living facilities aren’t as heavily regulated as nursing facilities are. This is because assisted living homes offer care in a less clinical environment. The intention is to make the elderly feel cared for in an environment that’s more like a comfortable communal home or, in some cases, individual luxury apartments. No white walls and sterile linoleum floors.

From an administrative perspective, instituting different levels of care allows the people running assisted living homes to hire the right kind of staff, depending on the assistants required by residents at a given time. Say an assisted living community has more residents this year that need assistance to get to and from the dining room three times a day. So, that community needs to hire more caregivers compared to one where the majority of the residents walk on their own to meals.

 

Levels of Personal Assistance in Memory Assisted Living Communities

Memory care units can exist as part of a wider assisted living community or as its own standalone facility. Its residents need a higher and more specific type of personal assistance due to their medical conditions. Since they cater to senior residents with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, they cultivate an environment that helps residents with memory loss succeed and feel at home. Activities are failure-free and dining programs emphasize dignity. Staff members receive additional and ongoing specialized training in dementia care and often lead support groups or educational opportunities for family members as well.

 

Talking about Levels of Care

Learn about the personal assistance features when pursuing assisted living to make a loved one comfortable during the later stages of life. Take time to talk about levels of care during your tour. Most assisted living communities will assess potential residents in order to make a guess about their initial level of care needs. Use this information not only to plan for your initial costs but also to gauge your future costs based on any decline due to medical conditions.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Assisted Living Facilities

How Technology Benefits Seniors and Improves Senior Housing

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It’s hard to imagine a time when a cellphone wasn’t just an arm’s length away. However, this age of technology has paved the way for us to forge connections, learn new things, and work from anywhere. What’s interesting to note is that it isn’t just millennials who are benefitting from all this technological innovation.

The results of a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, nearly half of adults over 65 have a smartphone. It has also shown that 56% of adults over 50 use YouTube and Facebook regularly.

Technology is already set to benefit seniors, and senior home care is no exception. Older adults and their loved ones are using technology to keep connected, stay entertained, and remain safe.

Technology also gives the senior home care industry the opportunities to keep older adults safer and more comfortable while living in senior housing.

 

Internet of Medical Things

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is created by having medical professionals in different fields and from all over the world connected to each other through the web and technology.

The medical world has started to use the information gleaned from this knowledge exchange to help seniors with their medication schedules, vital signs, and implants to assist with their health.

Here are three examples of technology that have proved beneficial for senior housing residents.

 

GPS Services

In the last decade, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has greatly improved location accuracy. Primarily, GPS can help locate a resident in an assisted living facility who becomes lost.

For example. seniors with memory issues stemming from Alzheimer’s disease have a habit of wandering. This could leave them disoriented or lost even if they know the location well.

The Alzheimer’s Association notes that “more than 60 percent of those with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia will wander.” If they are not found and picked up within 24 hours, they could suffer serious injury or even death.

 

Cameras

The National Council of Aging (NCOA) says that about one in 10 adults over 60 faces some sort of abuse, whether it’s physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, or some other form. The NCOA added that only one in every 14 cases of abuse are usually reported to authorities.

Cameras allow seniors’ families to make sure seniors are being treated properly. Cameras are also useful to health professionals as it allows them to track the movements of elders with health and mental issues. Doctors can study their habits and tendencies even without being there physically.

A less invasive alternative for a camera is sensors. Installing these small, wireless pieces of technology, lets you keep track of how active a person is.

If the sensors pick up on changes in activity, they can send an automatic notification (via text, phone, or email) that something may be wrong. For example, if an elderly resident isn’t getting out of bed at a certain time, these sensors can let you know.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Assisted Living

A Guide to Finding the Right Facilities for Alzheimer’s

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The senior care industry has grown throughout the years. Part of this growth is the establishment of facilities that offer different levels of care — skilled nursing, assisted living, and independent living. Alongside them, the number of memory units and other facilities for Alzheimer’s have also grown in response to the increasing number of persons with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Memory care units exist as part of an assisted living facility or as a stand-alone unit. They are ideal when a person needs trained caregivers who understand the needs of someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Memory care facilities also have amenities that ensure the security of its residents. This prevents residents from wandering away unsupervised.

 

What to Look for in Facilities for Alzheimer’s

If you have a loved one or family member who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, how do you go about looking for the right place for them? You can work with a professional specializing in the field of eldercare to help you find the right memory care facility.

However, if you’d like to save on the added expense, you can follow the tips below.

 

Conduct Online Research

When looking for facilities for Alzheimer’s, an online search is always a good place to start. Some specific resources to help you find licensed memory care facilities include:

  • Eldercare Locator
  • State Department of Social Services
  • Your local Department of Social Services and/or Aging Services
  • Your state’s general website (i.e. “name of state.gov”)

On the last resource, you can input search terms that fit your location. For example, if you live in Bellevue, Nebraska you can go log on to Nebraska.gov and type in “memory care in Bellevue” on the search bar. This should lead you to the state department that oversees the licensing of memory care and/or assisted care and to information about licensed facilities in the city of Bellevue that accepts residents suffering from dementia.

 

Narrowing your Search

Once you’ve obtained a list of licensed memory care units, the next step is to define the geographical area where you want to focus your search. You can narrow this down further by selecting three facilities to visit. After picking out your three options, get in touch with each of them to schedule tours.

 

See the Facility

Be thorough when touring the three memory care units options you’ve picked out. Walk the halls and look at the rooms. Stay for lunch and observe the activity of the unit. Most importantly, meet the caregivers and ask questions. Ask if they can refer you to another family of a resident to speak with someone who has experience with the facility.

 

Some Questions to Ask when Evaluating Memory Care Units

When evaluating the quality and cost of facilities for Alzheimer’s, here are a couple of questions that could serve as your guide.

  • What kind of training do caregivers have?
  • How many caregivers work during each shift?
  • What is the resident to staff ratio?
  • How does the staff handle difficult patient behavior?
  • What happens if my loved one is admitted and does not adapt to his/her new environment?
  • Is the facility able to care for residents for the rest of their life?
  • Can hospice come in?
  • What is the facility’s emergency plan for emergencies, such as a hurricane or fire?
  • How much is the basic monthly fee and how often does this change?
  • What are the levels of care and their rates?
  • Is there an e required deposit?
  • Does the facility work with long-term care policies?

 

Hopefully, these tips provide you with the confidence to go out there and find the best memory care facility for the needs of your elderly loved one.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

assisted living

What You Need to Know About Paying for Independent Living

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The aging population is growing more every day and with it comes the increasing need for elderly care. Retirement is an inevitable part of life and when that time comes you may want to start considering your options for places where you can still live as independently as possible in a safe and secure place designed specifically for the elderly. Independent living is a residential care option that offers the lowest level of assistance to its residents. Also called a retirement community or senior housing, this community is the ideal choice if you just want a place where you can minimize your daily responsibilities and focus on living an active life and socializing with your peers.

But the question is: how can you pay for independent living?

 

The Cost of Independent Living

The average cost of independent living ranges between $1,500 and $6,000 per month, according to the American Seniors Housing Association.

This depends on the type of residence that you choose, the amenities offered in the facility, the location of the residence, and the level of services that you can enjoy while living in the community. The cost will also depend if you wish to buy or rent the residence.

 

The Payment Options

Unfortunately, you cannot use Medicaid or insurance to pay for independent living costs, as they are only used for nursing homes, home care, and assisted living facilities. This is why you’re required to use your personal income to take care of these expenses.

With the help of your family, you can use your personal income, savings, pension payments, or investment retirement accounts. You can also use these other options to pay for independent living:

 

Annuity Payments

This is a type of insurance that is often part of a retirement funding strategy. Here, you’ll be making an initial investment where you will be entitled to a future payment that can be scheduled annually, monthly, quarterly, or as a lump sum.

 

Social Security Benefits

Your social security retirement benefits can be used together with your other pension payments to cover the cost of independent living.

 

Housing Assistance

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers several programs to help low-income seniors find safe and comfortable living arrangements as stated in Section 202L Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program.

If you meet the eligibility requirements for low-income housing, the government will pay 30% of your income to be paid mostly on rent and other expenses.

 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

The government also offers Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for individuals aged 65 years and older who have disabilities, are blind or have limited assets and income.

If you belong to this category, you can apply for SSI to over for expenses like your monthly payments for independent living.

At the end of the day, you have to choose a residence where you can feel safe, comfortable, and as independent as possible.

Independent living facilities offer you the opportunity to enjoy the best quality of life in your late adulthood years.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Facilities for Alzheimer's

Can a Person With Dementia Live in Assisted Living?

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Dementia is silently taking away people’s memory, thinking, and ability to perform daily activities for many years. Today, at least 50 million people suffer from this debilitating syndrome with 10 new cases added to the statistic every year.

The sad truth is that patients suffering from dementia will need specialized care for the rest of their lives and especially as their condition progresses.

If you already feel overwhelmed with caring for a loved one with dementia, you may be starting to look at options for memory care including memory assisted living. But can this facility accept patients with dementia?

 

Defining assisted living residences

A memory assisted living facility offers care for individuals in the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Most of these patients need intensive support for their Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) to make sure they enjoy a good quality of life.

Some individuals with dementia also need help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

In memory assisted living, patients can either live on their own or in a shared apartment and they will have 24-hour access to a staff who can assist them with their needs. This type of facility is ideal for patients who can still live independently but require assistance mostly with ADLs like:

  • Toilet use and cleaning oneself after
  • Bathing
  • Control of urine and bowels
  • Moving
  • Eating
  • Grooming

 

Other residential care options for dementia patients

While assisted living facilities are good for independent patients, there may come a time when they would need more specialized care in a memory care unit. This facility is ideal for individuals who need skilled care and supervision, especially those who are in the advanced stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Also called Special Care Units (SCUs), these units could be a separate residence or a part of an existing memory assisted living facility or nursing home and they can offer both separate and shared living spaces.

Memory care units have the same services as assisted living facilities. The only difference is the level of supervision and the additional activities offered by staff to help with stimulating the patient’s memory to hopefully slow down the progression of dementia.

In some instances, a patient may need to be transferred to a skilled nursing facility where extensive medical care is provided. Nursing homes are especially recommended for patients in the later stages of their condition or those who already have serious complications from the disease.

If your loved one already has a tendency to wander off, if he poses a threat to himself or others, if he has difficulties to keep himself healthy and properly hydrated or if he is no longer able to perform even the simplest activities of daily living, it might be time to move him to a nursing facility.

 

The bottomline

The decision to move a loved one to memory assisted living is not easy for any family. But if it means that you’ll be able to give your loved one the best quality of life while battling dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, then it’s definitely a wise decision.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Assisted Living Facilities

How Nursing Homes Can Provide Better Care for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

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The number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is growing at an unprecedented rate. Almost two-thirds of all residents in nursing homes in America are diagnosed with some type of cognitive impairment including Alzheimer’s and these patients rely heavily on the quality of care given in these facilities to help them enjoy a good quality of life even as their disease progresses.

 

The importance of optimal care in Alzheimer’s patients

 

Unlike other forms of health care, caring for Alzheimer’s patients take on a more person-centered approach, which focuses on allowing the patient as much independence as possible while still providing him the level of care he needs depending on the stage of his disease.

 

Optimal care in nursing homes covers different domains of a patient’s life including his functional and social status, security, comfort, and emotional and physical health.

 

As the disease progresses, patients also experience a decrease in their quality of life, especially when they start to feel functional impairments and depression. But it is the job of professionals in nursing homes to make sure that optimal care is given to patients, no matter the stage of their disease.

 

The elements of optimal care in nursing homes

 

To achieve the goal of providing optimal care to Alzheimer’s patients, nursing homes must have these essential components:

 

Proper assessments

 

Both federal and state regulations require nursing homes to conduct proper assessments of all residents using the Minimum Data Set of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease should also undergo more in-depth assessments to determine the progression of the disease and the proper care to be given to them.

 

Adequate staffing

 

Since individuals with Alzheimer’s disease need more care than other patients, nursing homes should be able to attend to the needs of their residents by making sure that they meet proper staffing requirements.

 

Staff should also be trained in caring for Alzheimer’s patients and they should follow rules in making sure that each resident is given adequate care not only by nurses but also by recreational therapists, social workers, and nursing assistants.

 

Care planning

 

Since caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease should take the person-centered approach, it’s very important to involve the patient, his family and the staff in creating an effective care plan tailored to his needs. The primary goal for care here is to give patients as much independence as possible while making sure that they have the assistance they require in doing certain activities.

 

Proper medical management

 

As Alzheimer’s disease progresses to its moderate and severe stages, patients will start to manifest more psychological and behavioral signs of dementia, which deserve attention from healthcare providers.

 

A nursing home should be able to deal with these problems as they arise, especially in managing the symptoms through both pharmacological and alternative methods.

 

Individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease deserve the best quality of life. Whether they live for four or twenty years, they should be able to enjoy their surroundings while making sure they are safe and well cared for by the competent staff in nursing homes.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Facilities for Alzheimer’s

A Closer Look at the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

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The numbers say it all. 1 in 3 seniors die from Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, more than 5 million Americans are living with it and this year, the disease will cost America more than $305 billion. But the question that most of us often choose to overlook is: how does Alzheimer’s disease progress?

 

Alzheimer’s disease generally has three stages: mild, moderate and severe. Here, we take a look at what happens during each stage and how memory assisted living helps patients with the disease get the best quality of life:

 

Mild Alzheimer’s

 

At this stage, the individual may still show little signs of the disease. He may not be aware yet that he is showing some signs of Alzheimer’s, but his family and friends will start to notice some changes and challenges that may prompt a consultation. But he is still able to function independently and perform self-care and social activities.

 

During a thorough medical interview, the doctor may be able to determine difficulties like challenges in performing usual tasks, problems coming up with the right name, difficulty remembering names of newly introduced people and misplacing an important object.

 

Moderate Alzheimer’s

 

Lasting for years, this is the longest stage of the disease and it’s typically when the individual would require care in memory assisted living. In moderate Alzheimer’s, the symptoms are more pronounced including severe forgetfulness, changes in mood, disorientation with days and times, and even trouble controlling bladder and bowels.

 

The individual may also be at risk for wandering and he may have difficulties establishing a proper sleeping routine. This is why it’s not surprising that some patients with moderate Alzheimer’s may sleep during the day and become restless during the night.

 

Severe Alzheimer’s

 

In the final stage of the disease, the symptoms of dementia are already severe and the need for care in memory assisted living is inevitable. The individual is already unable to respond in his environment, engage in conversations and even control movement. He may also require round-the-clock assistance with self-care and activities of daily living.

 

Moreover, because he may experience challenges in physical abilities like sitting, walking and even swallowing, he is at risk for accidents, which is why it’s very important to have him assisted by a healthcare professional at this point. A lot of individuals at the final stage of Alzheimer’s disease are already more vulnerable to infections and are at risk for pneumonia.

 

The bottom line

 

The survival and progression rate of Alzheimer’s disease differs for each individual. But most people over 65 years old would survive for up to eight years after diagnosis. Some even live for 20 years, although most of this time will be spent in the most severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Every 65 seconds, someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and the rate of individuals affected by the disease continues to rise rapidly. But while there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s, the best thing that families can do is to provide the right support and love to their loved ones suffering from the disease.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco