The Caring Corner®

How to Find the Right Dementia Care Facility

February 12, 2016

Many families struggle with dementia and how to cope with the need for constant care of a parent or spouse. This can be a bigger concern if they live alone and are no longer able to care for themselves. There are several options to consider if you decide to move them out of the home and into a dementia care facility. It can be a challenge finding a facility where your loved one will have the best care.

The most important thing is to visit the facility and talk to the administrator. The staff should know all of the residents. Families should ask how the facility handles patients who resist care and what their strategies are. Some facilities treat residents with powerful anti-psychotic drugs. Determining what percentage of residents are taking those drugs would be a good indicator of of how problematic behaviors are handled. You might not find a facility that doesn’t use them at all, but it should be under 20%. Facilities shouldn’t treat bad behavior with drugs.

Do your research and with the Department of Health and see if there are any inspection or deficiency reports. Facilities should make these reports available to anyone that asks. Specialty care facilities can by cited for failing to respond to incidents that threaten the health and safety of residents. There are special websites to perform these searches to help you decide if a facility is appropriate or not. Another important question is to ask if they are involved with a university or medical school for research. If researchers can walk in and and engage in research, the facility is probably very open and not trying to hide anything.

Nursing homes and assisted care facilities are not appropriate for everyone especially if the patient can still manage most of the activities of daily life. There are many options to consider from using in-home caregivers to dementia friendly day care for seniors. You have to decide what is best for your situation and loved one.
Have a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s in the Chapel Hill or Durham area?
Need a qualified person to provide in home care?
Acorn can help you get qualified, compassionate in home care givers.

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