Choosing a home for your loved one with dementia

 

Where to turn?

Because you have found this page, I imagine that you might be in the process of finding a suitable full-time care solution for someone you love.  First, let me send you my sympathy and a virtual hug.  You are in a heartbreaking position right now, and I truly feel for you.  

This is a 100% unsponsored page.  Nobody has compensated me in any way to share my experience and it will stay that way.  I have no designs on peddling influence or making future alliances with any health/senior care enterprise, and offer my thoughts as an example that you might consider as you move forward.  My mother and I tried a wide variety of options, and were fortunate to have found an industry liaison that worked well for us. 

We visited all the newest and best memory care/assisted living homes in Chandler, Gilbert and even Prescott, AZ.   Some were quite beautiful, but all of them felt prisonlike.  Most of the patients were far more advanced in their disease process, and the ones who were ambulatory wandered the halls and set off door alarms constantly, triggering my mother's anxiety.   We actually stayed together overnight at a few places and ultimately decided against all of them. 

A woman at the Alzheimer's Association gave me the contact information of an independent placement consultant, Barbara Winget.  Aunt Barb's Senior Placement Service found a small group home called Tranquil Living Care Home (TLC) where mom could live in a comfortable house just like you and me.  There were only 2 other residents (who were so sweet!) and two round the clock caregivers that gave her much more attention than a traditional home would have.  

Your loved one's care needs will ultimately dictate the choice you and your family make, but I encourage you to explore the network of small, independent group homes in your area.  The cost was only slightly less than a standard assisted living facility, and there are a few things they may not offer (I had to purchase bed pads, incontinence products and pay for each in home doctor visit, for example), but it was the best option for us in the end.  She had a yard full of hummingbird feeders, orange trees and a pomegranate, and we were made to feel like a member of the family who runs the business.  

Best of luck in your search.  A great fit is out there!