At a certain point, your loved one with Dementia may not be able to remain at home and will instead need to reside at a care community that can meet their needs. But, choosing the right Dementia care community can be a daunting task as you need to make sure it’s the correct facility for your parent’s condition and meets other important needs, such as location and cost.
Here are five questions you should ask when choosing a Dementia care community for your loved one:
What level of care is provided?
This is an important question as some facilities only focus on early- or late-stage Dementia. Depending on your loved one’s situation, you need to choose the facility that provides the right level of care for them and, if possible, can also scale to meet their future care needs.
What amenities are available?
While most facilities provide typical amenities such as housekeeping, laundry and meals, you’ll want to find out exactly which amenities are provided as this can impact your loved one’s well-being. For example, an early-stage Dementia patient may find it beneficial to carry out some normal daily routines to keep their mind active.
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
In addition, you’ll want to ask how that ratio changes at night. You don’t want to leave your loved one in a situation where the staff is completely overwhelmed with patients, and you also want to know if enough personnel will be available if there’s an emergency during the night. You should ask for the breakdown of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and other staff, if possible.
What are the security conditions?
Dementia patients can easily get lost and confused, which is why many facilities secure their grounds–and even some wings–with security protections. Find out how the security is set up in the facility to ensure your loved one’s safety and what protocols are in place in case a patient leaves the facility unattended or if there is an emergency.
Are there any special needs they don’t address?
If a senior has Dementia, chances are that they also suffer from at least one other condition, such as diabetes or heart problems. The facility needs to know about any conditions your loved one currently has and should be able to tell you if they’re equipped to treat those conditions along with Dementia.
If you’re currently looking for a Dementia care community for your loved one and need advice on what to look out for, please contact our Elder Law office at 877-653-3450 to schedule a complimentary initial consultation.
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