Dementia Care

Finding a home for your loved one

Feel free to print this out and use it.  Dan TO DO’S Identify homes that are geographically located close where you want the resident to live. Call each home and ask if there is availability. The ones that have openings, take a copy of this list and ‘show up’ for a visit. When you arrive, ask to walk around immediately. Look in each room, bedroom, bathroom and around the facility. Look at the residents. Talk to the residents. Ask if they like it there. Then sit down with this list, (one page of questions for each facility). Ask the questions and write down the answers as you get them.   QUESTIONS TO ASK How long has this facility been open? Are you licensed? May I see a copy of the license? How many beds are there?…

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Questions to Ask When Interviewing a San Diego Dementia Care Facility

In the Process of interviewing a San Diego Dementia Care Facility? This comprehensive guide will arm you with the right questions to ask your prospective San Diego Dementia Care Facility. Take the time to clearly write down the specific needs of your loved one.  What type of environment do they need to thrive, what specific medical needs they have and what areas would be a good fit for your family. Conduct a search in your area for available facilities. Ask your friends or neighbors, conduct some searches on Google, Yahoo and Bing and utilize a local directory like Choose Well.  Note all the residences you want to contact and proceed on your outreach mission. First Contact With The Prospective San Diego Dementia Care Facility When you are calling the facility for the first time, you may only…

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San Diego Memory Care and the Seven Stages of Dementia

Understanding the symptoms associated with the various stages of dementia will help you make the decision about the right time to seek San Diego memory care for your loved one. Early on, it is easy to miss the signs of dementia, especially when the person lives alone. People often refer to the “early stages of dementia” or, later on, to more “advanced stages,” during which symptoms become more apparent. In fact, there are seven distinct stages, which are based on the symptoms experienced at any point in the progression of the disease. Doctors often use the Reisberg Scale, often called the GDS, to separate the seven stages of the disease. Although this scale includes multiple stages within the categories of “No Dementia” and “Mid-Stage Dementia”, it further separates the symptoms for a more accurate diagnosis. This…

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Is it Alzeihmer’s or Dementia?

Actually it's called Dementia of the Alzheimer's type. 'Dementia' is an umbrella term,  Alzheimer's being the most prevalent type of dementia.  The two most common types of dementia are Alzheimer's Disease (apprx. 65%) and vascular dementia or those incidents caused by loss of blood to or in the brain - more commonly called strokes.  There are also TIA's - trans ischemic attacks or mini-strokes. Dementias are characterized by loss of memory especially short-term, loss of thinking skills including reasoning and judgement, confusion regarding time and place orientation, inability to conduct task sequencing such as cooking and a demise of feeling good about one's self or well-being.  There may also be aphasia;  a loss of the comprehension and expression of language caused by dysfunction in the brain. Next we'll get in to some more of the terminology…

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