Ashok Bharucha is a dementia specialist and specializes in late-life mental disorders. One of the things that the family members of his patients often ask is when a dementia patient should be placed in a memory care facility. Bharucha reminds you that every patient and every family is different, and as such, the right time for one patient may differ from the right time for another. Here are a few of the signs that may help you determine when it is time to consider placing your loved one with dementia in some form of LTC.
Today, the range of options include a personal care home, assisted living facilities, intermediate care facilities, and in the most challenging cases, dementia care skilled nursing facilities.
Ashok Bharucha Says When a Patient Can No Longer Remember to Complete Necessary Tasks at Home an LTC May Be Needed
Ashok Bharucha explains that one of the signs that a dementia patient should no longer be left alone is failing to complete basic activities of daily living (ADLs) independently at home. If your loved one no longer remembers to take their pills on their own, forgets to brush their teeth, forgets to eat or even forgets they are cooking food and leaves the stove on, they need a caregiver. In some cases, this may be a family member or close friend.
However, if there is no one who can care for your loved one, some form of long-term care placement may be a great solution.
Bharucha Explains That a Patient Who is At Risk of Being Lost May Benefit From a Nursing Home
Ashok Bharucha states that if your loved one has dementia and they can no longer find their way home after going on walks or driving locally, they may benefit from long-term care placement.
No one wants their loved one to get lost while going out to check the mail or simply going for a stroll around the block. If their condition has deteriorated to such a point that they lose track of where they are and where they need to go, it may be time for a nursing home. Likewise, those who have a tendency to wander or elope from home may benefit from placement if less restrictive measures fail.
Bharucha States a Patient Can Benefit From an LTC If You Can No Longer Provide the Care They Need
Ashok Bharucha details that self-care is also important to consider. Dementia patients may need around-the-clock care. If you have a family of your own, work or other obligations, you may be unable to provide the level of care your loved one needs. When you can no longer meet your loved one’s care needs, there is no shame in getting help for them and placing them in an LTC facility.
Bharucha knows that making the decision to place your loved one in a care facility is a gut-wrenching decision. However, it can be an important one for the overall health of your loved one and for your overall health and mental well-being. An astounding 50% of dementia caregivers become clinically depressed.
If your loved one is not able to remember to complete necessary tasks, if they are at risk of being lost or elopement, or if you simply can no longer provide the care that they need, an LTC that has a memory care community may be the necessary choice for your loved one suffering from dementia.
