Finding a Gift for Someone with Dementia

Did you have a hard time choosing a gift for your elderly loved ones this past holiday season?  Not only do many older adults live in smaller, paired down housing with not much room for a more “stuff,” but most likely do not need much.  It is especially difficult to know what to get if a loved one is suffering from dementia.  Experts suggest you help them find ways to reminisce about their lives and accomplishments, and give them things that will bring a smile to their face and some joy into their life.

   

Many ideas for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia include personalized gifts.  One such gift is a talking photo book that allows you to record your own person commentary to go along with each photograph.  This can be a fun book to sit and enjoy with your family member as it helps to trigger memories and conversation.  Many companies offer such books, and prices typically vary with the amount of photos and recording time available. 

Buying an interactive book (the Alzheimer’s Association’s store has many) featuring vivid photographs and large print on a subject your mom or dad love such as animals or flowers can also promote conversation and provide a way to spend relaxing time together.  To ease stress or agitation, you may want to look into getting them a fiddle muff.  A fiddle muff can provide comfort and warmth as well as activity to promote increased hand flexibility and brain stimulation.

Another meaningful gift is a cozy, customized blanket filled with photos of the grandkids or a beloved family pet.  On the Internet you can find companies that will do a collage of family photos or a singular one in a variety of materials.  Many of the blankets have surprisingly sharp images and can be machined washed and dried. 

If the person has a hard time falling asleep or relaxing, calming visual and or audio stimulation may help.  Several companies have all-in-one cubes that offer a range of calming music and visual displays that can turn the ceiling into a beautiful night sky.  

If you are a family member searching for quality dementia care for your loved one, we encourage you to consider MorningStar at Bear Creek.  We have 48 secure suites devoted to the specialized care of individuals with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.  Set within a gentle, loving environment, our care takes a resident-directed approach that utilizes multi-sensory cues to calm and to awaken memories, to support capabilities and, above all, to affirm dignity and value. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek brings a unique vision to senior living with a mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Built on a foundation of honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we are committed to creating a true home for residents in a magnificent setting. Contact us to schedule a visit to learn more about our loving dementia care.

Positive Feedback from Residents and Their Families

While MorningStar of Fort Collins feels honored to provide senior care, and consider seniors to be heroes, we are gratified to get positive feedback from residents and their families. As we deliberately hire the type of individuals who have perfected the art of anticipating needs and go the extra mile even when no one is watching, it is great to hear their service is recognized and appreciated. 

One resident wrote about his experience with the headline: Very Happy Here! A Blessing for Me! He explains that, “MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care of Fort Collins hires first-class people who are talented and very well trained! They are very responsive and I cannot say enough good things about them. I am very happy that I live in a nice facility with beautiful views. The activities are great and they always have something to do.” He adds that he was not happy prior to moving into MorningStar but he is now in a good frame of mind and very happy. He concludes with “I cannot tell you what these people and this facility has done for me.”

One resident’s daughter wrote about the quality of care her mom received at MorningStar of Fort Collins. She says, “MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care is a good facility. They're very caring and professional. I feel like they want the best for the person and I appreciate that. The caregivers are considerate and competent. The other staff members are responsive and communicative with the family members.”

Another resident’s headline finds MorningStar: “Receptive and Responsive to Suggestions!” She explains that, “I have been a resident at MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care for about nine months. They're not perfect but they try very hard to make sure everything is right.” She goes on to say that “its not perfect here” but she knows she is unable to live alone and the MorningStar staff is receptive to her suggestions to make her quality of life better.

Please visit our website to discover Fort Collins’ finest assisted living and memory care. Our committed team strives to offer each resident the utmost comfort, wellness and community. 

At MorningStar of Fort Collins, we represent the very best in senior living with a unique mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” We have built a foundation on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true “home” for residents in a beautiful, serene setting. Please schedule a visit to experience firsthand our beautiful senior care community.

UTIs Can Go Undetected in the Elderly

If a young woman experiences burning and irritation when urinating, she visits her doctor and is most likely diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI).  However it can be a different story for elderly adults as they rarely have any of the common symptoms or discomforts associated with UTIs and may be unaware they have an infection.  Anna Treinkman, a nurse practitioner at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago and president of the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners, explains that as we age, our immune response changes and no longer functions at optimal levels.     

UTIs are the body’s second most common infection and are generally easy to treat.  However in the elderly, an undetected UTI can mimic other, much more serious conditions including dementia.  “UTIs, for instance, are a leading cause of sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection of the bloodstream.” 

UTI symptoms in the elderly can also manifest in a range of behaviors such as disorientation, agitation, confusion, dizziness and poor motor skills.  These in turn can increase the risk for falls and even result in depression or sudden urinary incontinence.  Another reason the UTI may go untreated is that the symptoms are attributed to more serious illnesses or simply to old age. 

If you suspect a UTI, a simple urinalysis can be performed to confirm the infection and get treatment started.  Most cases are cured by antibiotics within a few days to a few weeks depending on the severity of the infection and other health problems affecting the person. 

Along with medication, your doctor will recommend drinking four to six 8-ounce glasses water a day, and may ask that you add cranberry juice or cranberry tablets to your diet.  This will help flush the infection from the system. 

As one of the top senior living facilities in Billings, MT, MorningStar of Billings provides the area with independent living, assisted living and memory care.  We encourage you to visit our website to set up a tour or to inquire about pricing and availability.   

This blog is for informational purposes only.  Please consult your healthcare provider

if you experience any medical problem.

MorningStar Senior Living of Billings represents the finest in senior living with a unique mission statement of: “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  Proving a true home for residents, our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve.  Providing independent and assisted living and memory care, we invite you to schedule a tour to experience one of the area’s top senior living facilities.    

Source:

aplaceformom.com/planning-and-advice/articles/elderly-urinary-tract-infections

seniorliving.org/healthcare/uti/

Learn More About MorningStar at Arrowhead

While MorningStar at Arrowhead is proud to provide high-quality assisted living and memory care for seniors, we also provide our families with some lesser known services.  One example is our Companion Living option that is designed for two unrelated people of the same sex to share an assisted living or memory care suite. 

This is an ideal solution for those wishing to share expenses as the rent of the suite is split between the two residents as well as a way to build a lasting friendship.  Even if you do not have someone in mind to share a suite, we will help you find a roommate and go to great lengths to match you with an individual who has common interests and a similar background. 

A roommate can also help to ease your transition to senior living.  You and your roommate can look out for one another, and as you are familiar with each another’s habits and personalities, may be the first person to notice changes in health and abilities.  Shared lives can help to boost health through improved sleeping patterns and an increased appetite.  When you take advantage of companion living, you are still offered all of the personalized care and first-class amenities extended to our other residents.    

We also feel privileged to have veterans as part of our community and when we hear of vets who are interested in our community, we are pleased to direct them to the local resources that can expertly handle their application process for “Aid & Attendance.”  This is monthly benefit payments extended through the V.A. to certain wartime Veterans (and their survivors) with financial need and physician orders for regular assistance with the activities of daily living.

Please visit our website to learn more about these and our other programs designed to serve our seniors.  Offering both assisted living and memory care, we are committed to giving our residents a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community.

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the finest in senior living with our unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Arrowhead’s foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, all directed at creating a true home for our residents. Contact us to schedule a tour to fully experience our exceptional senior living community.

MorningStar at Bear Creek Offers Individualized, Compassionate Memory Care

At MorningStar at Bear Creek, we proudly offer the Colorado Springs area individualized assisted living for dementia residents.  As experienced specialists in caring for those with memory loss from Alzheimer’s or other dementia-related diseases, our community is equipped to care for those at the onset of the disease right through to the most advanced stages.

Our loving and compassionate team considers it their calling as well as their privilege to care for your loved one. MorningStar’s holistic approach to memory care incorporates some of the most respected research-based care programs available. Our comprehensive care also includes assisting families to better understand and cope with the disease. 

When a resident joins our community, we spend time with them and their family to learn as much as we can about their life before the memory loss including their talents, vocation, and preferences.  From there, we create a daily care plan based on their needs and designed to stimulate or calm in response to their mood or situation.  We know that whatever the form of dementia, a person’s essence remains and our calling is to find ways to connect with and nurture that essence. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek is proud to have earned the “Recognized Leaders in Dementia Care” designation from the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado chapter for our expertise in serving the memory impaired.   Designed to help families research and compare memory care communities, the designation requires a community to enroll 75% of its staff in an eight-hour training that encompasses brain pathology, communication techniques, and methods of lessening agitation with non-pharmaceuticals.

Please visit our website to learn more about our exceptional community.

MorningStar at Bear Creek brings a unique vision to senior living with our mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. We are dedicated to creating a true home within an ideal setting and invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand the best assisted living for dementia residents in Colorado Springs.

MorningStar at Arrowhead Offers Residents a Special Way to Connect

MorningStar at Arrowhead is pleased to offer our assisted living and memory care residents a state-of-the-art way to connect with the “It’s Never 2 Late” technology that combines touchscreen computers with intuitive, picture-based software.  The revolutionary engagement system contains a library of 3,000 ways to connect socially, spiritually, and intellectually and offers physical stimulation and emotional support.    

The intuitive design provides numerous user-friendly components to ensure it is easy for all of our residents to comfortably use the computer program regardless of their abilities or limitations.  With a simple press of a button, the user can launch hundreds of applications designed for recreation or social connections.

The program simplifies email and offers webchats using Skype, an array of online newspapers and easy navigation of the web.  Each user can personalize their experience on iN2L by setting up a “My Page,” in order to easily access their favorite games, email addresses, family photos, and favorite websites.  A resident’s My Page can be used to foster interactions between family members and to keep up-to-date on events and goings on through Skype and email.  

All of the program’s activities are adapted to engage residents’ interest and unique abilities and include trivia, puzzle and brain games designed to entertain as well as to maintain brain functions.  In addition it also has inspirational videos, sermons, history, quizzes and interactive virtual tours to name but a few of the many features. 

Health and Wellness programs offer a balance of spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional and social.  Also iN2L includes a fall prevention program and multiple exercise videos designed to improve strength and balance.  There is even a therapy component to iN2L that can be used to enhance speech, physical and occupational therapy experiences.   For our memory care residents, there is stimulating engagement content categorized to reflect different levels of cognition and to keep the person entertained and connected.

MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care at Arrowhead represents the finest in assisted living with our unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Arrowhead’s foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, all directed at creating a true home for our residents. Contact us to schedule a tour to fully experience the finest assisted living in the area.

Hearing Loss is Extremely Common in the Elderly

The Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals (AIHHP) recommends that seniors age 60 and older get a hearing test every two years and warn that hearing loss is difficult to detect without a professional assessment.  Additionally the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) explains that hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting elderly adults.  Their statistics show, “Approximately one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing.”

If you suspect that you are experiencing hearing loss, the NIDCD recommends that you start by talking to your health care provider.  He or she may refer you to an otolaryngologist who will attempt to diagnose why you are experiencing hearing loss.  From there you may be sent to an audiologist to be fitted for a hearing aid.  Hearing aids are primarily used for hearing loss from damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear, known as hair cells, and referred to as sensorineural hearing loss. 

Hearing loss may be caused by disease or injury, loud noises, or aging, which is known as Presbycusis and hearing aids are just one course of treatment.  In the case of severe hearing loss a small electronic device known as a cochlear implant is surgically implanted in the inner ear.   Other solutions include amplifying devices and closed circuit systems. 

The NIDCD advises that having trouble hearing can make it difficult to understand and follow a doctor's advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms.  In addition loss of hearing can make it difficult to join in conversations with family and friends.  The NIDCD’s website has a helpful checklist to help you determine if it is time to consult your doctor regarding your hearing. 

This post is intended for informational purposes only.  Please contact your health care provider with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health.

MorningStar at Bear Creek brings a unique vision to senior living with our mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. We are dedicated to creating a true home within an ideal setting and invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand the best assisted living for dementia residents in Colorado Springs.

Sources: aihhp.org/your-hearing/routine-hearing-checks-how-often/

nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing-loss-older-adults