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3 Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Explained by Sacramento's Assisted Living Professionals

We may find it easy to attribute memory lapses to stress or getting older, but how does one know what is normal and what is a cause for concern? If someone seems to be struggling with everyday tasks and functions, in a way that they did not previously, it could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the staff at The Meadows at Country Place, an assisted living center in Sacramento with extensive experience in Alzheimer’s care.

A simple memory lapse, like forgetting where you left your keys, is one thing, but forgetting what a key is used for is different. Losing one’s ability to cook a meal, or getting lost in familiar surroundings are more severe memory problems, and reasons to consult a doctor.

Although early detection of the probability of Alzheimer’s can be a difficult, there are other clues that might indicate a need to be checked out as well.

Here are three early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, that may usually be less recognized than memory issues:

• Frequently Falling: In a recent study, over a hundred older adults were asked to keep track of how often they fell or tripped. Researchers found a correlation between falls and the early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease based on the brain scans of those who fell most frequently.

• Inability to Recognize Sarcasm: Failure to recognize sarcasm, or taking it very literally and seriously, may be a sign that the part of your brain where you can perceive sarcasm, and where short-term memory is stored, has been affected by a disease such as Alzheimer’s.

• Uncharacteristic Irritability and/or Depression: When someone that’s always been upbeat becomes depressed or your kind and loving loved one starts acting uncharacteristically bitter or angry, it might also be indicative of Alzheimer’s.

Once Alzheimer’s has progressed enough to be clearly evident, then the person with it is in need of assistance to stay safe and maintain a good quality of life. If your loved is in need of Alzheimer’s care at a senior care center, call The Meadows at Country Place to speak to a team member about assisted living and individualized options. Call (916) 706-3949, or visit their website to learn more.

3 Benefits of a Secure Assisted Living Facility

Is caring for your declining parent wearing down your other parent? It is such a difficult situation when a loved one develops a debilitating disease that requires round-the-clock monitoring and care. The challenges your family is facing can be daunting. The Meadows at Country Place, a leading senior care center in Sacramento, CA, wants to help people consider the benefits of moving your declining parent to an assisted living facility. There can be many benefits to this decision. Here are three:

  1. Relieve the burden. Your healthy parent can reclaim their health, peace of mind, and sense of self. It takes so much out of a person’s life to be constantly on watch. For example, the simple lack of sleep for one night will upset the emotions, thinking, and energy. Extend that to months on end of sleep deprivation, and then add the stress of being responsible for all care, household chores, and financial matters: It all adds up to an overwhelming task. Transferring the caretaker duties to a quality assisted living home will free your healthy, yet challenged, parent from this crushing burden. 
  2. Keep your loved one safe. A loved one with Alzheimer’s or other kinds of dementia may wander in their confusion. It can be almost impossible for one person to keep track of another all day and all night at home. It is also difficult to lock up everything dangerous. A secure assisted living facility, like The Meadows at Country Place, is a safe place to wander, with staff monitoring 24 hours a day and spacious, clutter-free living spaces.
  3. More hands make lighter work. At home, it is usually one caretaker helping with all of the activities of daily living which may require assistance, such as food prep, feeding, toileting, bathing, and dressing. At an assisted care facility a whole team of staff provide that assistance and more. At The Meadows at Country Place we give assistance supporting all activities of daily living, providing a quality of life befitting your loved one.

For more information on the care services offered by The Meadows at Country Place, call the staff today at (916) 706-3949. Learn more about their individualized care by visiting their website and liking them on Facebook.

Know the Facts Regarding Local Assisted Living Facilities

Idewelcome to our local assisted living facilityally, the time to research available local assisted living facilities is when your loved one is first diagnosed with a debilitating condition such as Alzheimer’s, rather than wait until the need is critical. Unless you check out the options ahead of time, the stress of the situation that brought you to the decision that it is time to move, can become overwhelming. On the surface, it appears that there are so many facilities to choose from. It can be difficult to choose the right facility that will provide local assisted living for your loved one.

How does one get a handle on this seemingly daunting task? We offer these tips to help you gather the facts so that you can evaluate your assisted living choices:

Four Tips to Making a Local Assisted Living Choice

1. Take the Tour – the Quality of Care Matters.

Is the facility clean, in good repair, comfortable, easily maneuvered, cheerful and warm? Observe the people. Do the staff appear clean, attentive, compassionate and professional? Are the residents clean and groomed? Watch for interactions. Are residents treated kindly with dignity and respect? Basic considerations like safety, friendly and happy atmosphere, as well as quality of individual care are observable. They matter.

2. Find Out the Standard of Care.

Most conditions that bring one to an assisted living facility worsen over time and will require more care, not less, as time goes on. An assisted living facility will supply as much assistance as is needed to accomplish all activities of daily living, including: bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, toileting, incontinence, and transferring. It is important to encourage as much independence as much as possible, yet, as time goes on, your loved one’s  needs will increase until they may need all of these done for them. Individual needs may also include other services, such as specialized diet, dementia care and a secure facility. Ask about these considerations and the standard of care.

3. Ask Questions – Get Clear on the Financials.

Choosing the long term care facility for your loved one is serious business. A most important consideration is transparency in pricing. Quoted base prices may seem comparably reasonable, yet may not reflect actual cost as complex or more advanced care is required. Get the pricing clear and in writing. Find out what medicare covers, what the insurance will cover, and what additional costs there may be.

4. Consider Personal Preference.

Beyond the basic considerations, the board and care facility you choose should be based on your loved one’s tastes and personality, not necessarily your own. Ideally, the most appropriate fit is a facility that offers all of the amenities, activities and assistance that suit your loved one, so that they can experience the quality of life afforded by being cared for in a place they feel comfortable enough to call home.

Serving the Greenhaven/Pocket districts in the Sacramento area, we are committed to honoring the highest standards of cleanliness and compassionate care. Our services include dementia care and assistance with daily living. Learn more by calling us (916) 706-3949. Make an appointment to visit and see for yourself what our quality comfort looks like.