Local retirement communities offer person-centered memory care
If a loved one is starting to have memory problems, it may be time to start looking into memory care at a retirement community. While the prospect may seem scary, you can take heart because the Miami Valley is home to many warm, inviting communities that provide cutting-edge care.
“It’s so important to get to know the resident and the families, to know their past life … and kind of personalize those programs, whether that’s through art or through activities,” says Tracy Combs, assisted living nurse manager, at Bethany Village in Centerville. “It’s finding that balance and it’s not just getting them all in a room and doing more activities. It’s offering those different opportunities and activities and engagement throughout the day that appeal to the different residents and the lifestyles that they’ve lived.”
Bethany Village’s assisted living memory care program is designed to be intimate and personalized. Up to 32 residents can live there at any time and the program has a dedicated full-time nurse and three daily living assistants. Residents also have access to the medical doctors that are in the building every day, making it easy to get help quickly when needed.
“There’s nothing worse than a resident with dementia having to move to the hospital,” adds Combs.
10 Wilmington Place in Dayton also works to make itself a welcoming environment for residents. “We have some really great front porch spaces,” says Michele Brooke, executive director. “We’ll take a small group of residents down to one of those locations and just maybe have some lemonade or a refreshing drink and try to do some sensory stimulation and enjoy some time on the front porch.”
10 Wilmington Place offers programming every day while sticking to a routine that is comforting to residents. “I would describe it as person centered and we really want to try to maintain whatever their habits have been in their home prior to moving in,” adds Brooke.
Both Brooke and Combs say it’s time to consider memory care when spending time with your loved one begins to feel more like work and less like fun.
“When the caregivers are really at that point where they’re feeling that pressure, we try to encourage them to make that move so that then their time with their loved one can be enjoyable,” says Brooke.
“I want the family to be there, to enjoy them as family. A lot of them have been caregivers for a very long time, in some capacity. Let us take the pressure off them. Let us shoulder that for you and you just enjoy your loved one,” adds Combs.
Must-haves for Memory Care
According to Michele Brooke of 10 Wilmington Place and Tracy Combs of Bethany Village, there are a couple things you should look for when selecting a community for a loved one.
• Constant communication. “I would want to know that the community did care conferences so that I knew I was in in touch with the staff on a monthly basis or every two months,” says Brooke.
• Open communication. “You want to feel comfortable. If you’re not comfortable feeling like you can ask questions and talk to the team, then I don’t think that that’s the right place for you,” says Combs.
• Dedicated staff. “We can have all the bells and whistles and we can have the prettiest of everything. But if you don’t have the dedicated staff and the care to back up those beautiful things, then it’s all for nothing,” says Combs.
Retirement Profiles
Bethany Village
6443 Bethany Village Drive, Centerville, OH 45459
937-428-7288
Bethany Village is a 100-acre nonprofit senior living community centrally located in Centerville. Part of Graceworks Lutheran Services, Bethany Village offers independent living, assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing, rehabilitation services and home health care. The Bethany lifestyle includes an active social calendar, three restaurants, a modern fitness facility and wellness center. Come experience active senior living at Bethany Village.
Dogwood Commons, A Treplus Community
4500 Dogwood Circle East, Centerville, OH 45440
937-907-0010
Treplus Communities is redefining 55-plus living for active adults. Each age-restricted community is uniquely designed to offer beautiful, single-story, apartment homes with attached garages and designer finishes that are maintenance-free and provides premium amenities along with a socially engaging resident experience.
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