One thing I have observed in the last 5 years is that the MC patients who have family visit every day or at least five times a week seem to thrive and live much longer than those without nearby family. I know some residents who had to move to memory care and are still going strong after 4 or 5 years and this is years after their original diagnosis. Two IL residents have spouses in a facility maybe 3 mi away and it doesn't seem to be a big deal to visit. In the board and care facilities there may be one worker to every two or three residents versus a one to six or eight in most larger facilities. Proximity isn't always the most important factor although it is a big consideration.In several instances, when one spouse has needed to move to memory care, a different facility has been selected, a board and care home with only six residents which can be an excellent choice for a dementia patient.
Needing to move to a different facility isn't ideal. (I know you didn't claim it was, of course.)
DH has a colleague who's husband needed Mem Care, and she put him in this facility, and then paid for a small Assisted unit, so she could be nearby much of the time, even while she continued her full time academic work (and also kept their large home). She planned to slowly move there, again, to be near him. It's very easy to "visit"; no need to go outdoors if one doesn't want to (or wants to avoid inclement weather). The Assisted section is immediately adjacent to that Mem Care section.
That's an important feature for us, too, given the future uncertainties.
RM
Statistics: Posted by nonnie — Tue Nov 05, 2024 12:45 am