How to Find a Nursing Home for Someone With Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia
Look for signs of how the dementia is progressing., Have the person undergo a complete physical and mental examination., Consider your ability to care for the person at home., Also consider the toll on your own physical and emotional health when...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look for signs of how the dementia is progressing.
In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, the person may appear and function close to normal.
As the dementia progresses, however, the person's ability to think and reason declines, often progressively faster.
Signs such as the following may mean the person needs the care a nursing home can provide: progressively worsening memory, such as asking the same question again and again, forgetting both the answer and the question and that he or she asked it in the first place, difficulty in communicating verbally, increasing difficulty in bathing, dressing, using the bathroom or just moving around, disorientation, including confusion in directions and habitually wandering off and forgetting how to return home, putting things in places where they don't belong, such as sticking a purse in the freezer or a meatloaf under a cake cover, loss of reasoning skills, such as forgetting the concept of numbers or ignoring a whistling teakettle on a hot stove, severe mood swings ranging from joy to anger or sadness in a matter of minutes, and loss of interest in things that used to matter -
Step 2: Have the person undergo a complete physical and mental examination.
A family physician can sometimes perform the entire examination; but more likely, the doctor will refer the dementia sufferer to a neurologist, gerontologist or geriatric practitioner to properly evaluate whether the person's symptoms have worsened to the point where he or she should be placed in a nursing home. , Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers need a safe, structured environment as well as things to do and people to talk to.
It takes time and effort to provide these things, requiring the primary caregiver to sacrifice other areas of his or her life.
You may initially be able to provide a suitable environment for your loved one, either alone or with the help of family, friends or a hired caregiver and adult day-care programs, but the progressive nature of Alzheimer's will likely mean moving your loved one to a nursing home at some point in the future. , Your own needs matter in making the decision to place your loved one in a nursing home. -
Step 3: Consider your ability to care for the person at home.
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Step 4: Also consider the toll on your own physical and emotional health when serving as a caregiver.
Detailed Guide
In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, the person may appear and function close to normal.
As the dementia progresses, however, the person's ability to think and reason declines, often progressively faster.
Signs such as the following may mean the person needs the care a nursing home can provide: progressively worsening memory, such as asking the same question again and again, forgetting both the answer and the question and that he or she asked it in the first place, difficulty in communicating verbally, increasing difficulty in bathing, dressing, using the bathroom or just moving around, disorientation, including confusion in directions and habitually wandering off and forgetting how to return home, putting things in places where they don't belong, such as sticking a purse in the freezer or a meatloaf under a cake cover, loss of reasoning skills, such as forgetting the concept of numbers or ignoring a whistling teakettle on a hot stove, severe mood swings ranging from joy to anger or sadness in a matter of minutes, and loss of interest in things that used to matter
A family physician can sometimes perform the entire examination; but more likely, the doctor will refer the dementia sufferer to a neurologist, gerontologist or geriatric practitioner to properly evaluate whether the person's symptoms have worsened to the point where he or she should be placed in a nursing home. , Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers need a safe, structured environment as well as things to do and people to talk to.
It takes time and effort to provide these things, requiring the primary caregiver to sacrifice other areas of his or her life.
You may initially be able to provide a suitable environment for your loved one, either alone or with the help of family, friends or a hired caregiver and adult day-care programs, but the progressive nature of Alzheimer's will likely mean moving your loved one to a nursing home at some point in the future. , Your own needs matter in making the decision to place your loved one in a nursing home.
About the Author
Michael Simmons
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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