Accepting a loved one’s dementia diagnosis — or even worse, your own dementia diagnosis — can be terrifying. Many newly diagnosed people spend months or years looking for miracle cures, desperate to believe anything but the reality of dementia. The truth, though, is that dementia does not have to destroy your life. It marks a slow and steady change in the way you think — not an end to a meaningful life. The right dementia care can greatly improve your quality of life, relieve caregiver burden, and potentially even help you live a longer life. The benefits of dementia care in Mount Laurel are immense, so don’t let fear of dementia deter you from looking for the right senior living community.
A Focus on Meaningful Activities
One of the most frustrating realities of dementia is that it can make the activities you once enjoyed feel frustrating and tedious. That doesn’t mean you have to give up your hobbies or spend your retirement watching TV from a rocker. The right activities — such as music therapy, puzzles, and meaningful conversation — can help slow the progression of dementia. Daily activities may also ease anxiety and depression, restore a sense of hope, and imbue your retirement with greater meaning.
Supportive, Compassionate, Safe Care
Dementia doesn’t just affect memory. Your brain is your body’s control center, and when this control center goes haywire, so too can other things. You may feel confused, forget how to perform some tasks, or struggle with anger or wandering. These are normal reactions to living with dementia — not something to let embarrass you. The right environment can make these challenges less likely and help you manage better when you feel overwhelmed or confused. Dementia care staff understand the challenges of life with dementia, and they know how to structure daily life in a way that mitigates those challenges.
High-Quality Nutrition
Dementia can pose some serious nutritional challenges — from changes in food cravings to difficulty swallowing. Even so, eating remains one of life’s great pleasures. Don’t resign yourself to cardboard-flavored nutritional bars or give up on eating your family’s favorite recipes. Dementia care communities can help you eat healthy, nourishing food no matter what nutritional issues you may have.
Better Health
Dementia can make it difficult to tend to your health needs. You might forget medication, struggle with eating healthy, or feel less motivated to exercise. But healthy living can slow the progression of dementia while preventing other illnesses, potentially leading to a longer, higher-quality life. Dementia care communities focus on meaningful exercise, exceptional food, and activities that keep you motivated to keep trying. You deserve good health at every age. You just can’t get the same level of support and commitment to healthy living at home, and you certainly can’t count on as much socialization.
Better Family Relationships
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be meaningful and inspiring. It is also often deeply exhausting, thankless, and demoralizing. Some families fight over dementia care; others saddle a single member with the entire burden of care. This can cause resentment, fraught family relationships, and even health problems for the caregiver. One study even found that caregiver depression correlates with more trips to the emergency room for the care recipient. Dementia care frees you and your family to again relate to one another as equals, reducing everyone’s stress and potentially resulting in better family relationships.
Dementia is scary. Knowing what’s ahead can make this disease feel less terrifying. You do not have to face dementia alone. Arbor has served seniors with dementia and the people who love them for more than 30 years. We know how to help seniors living with cognitive impairments make the most of their retirements. To learn more, download our free guide, “The Caregiver’s Complete Guide to Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care.”
