Seniors who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease have cognitive impairments. Their brains no longer have the capacity to store short term and long term memories, to make snap judgments, or to process information the same way they did before. These are special considerations when searching for the optimal senior care facilities in New Jersey. The main difference between senior care and memory care is that memory care addresses the needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Both senior care and memory care services provide caregivers with extensive support services. Those support services include regular access to information and the opportunities to help your loved one design a program of living that suits their lifestyle and their condition. However, memory care offers additional supports for the caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and other conditions with dementia as a primary symptom.
Both senior care and memory care ensure that residents are safe. The safety and health of the residents should be the number one concern of all senior care facilities. However, a memory care specialist will go the extra step to prevent problems from occurring. Anticipating problems before they arise means paying attention to the latest research in dementia care. Seniors with dementia and other cognitive impairments might need their environment to be arranged differently from seniors without cognitive impairments. Some residents may need extra supervision. Most residents with dementia will require staff that is especially trained in memory care.
Both senior care and memory care staff are trained in geriatric nursing and care, but memory care requires a special level of patience and attentiveness. Memory care means spending time on cognitive games and exercises, filling the resident’s environment with comforting and familiar items, smells, and sounds, and helping loved ones to communicate as often and as best as possible.
