9 Advantages of Having Access to Memory Care at Your Active Retirement Community

If you’re a family member of someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or other type of dementia, you know the diagnosis itself was just the first step on a very difficult journey. If memory issues and cognitive impairment have begun to advance as the disease progresses, you may already have been discussing with family and caregivers the next steps in your loved one’s journey: how to ensure quality of life for them, and peace of mind for you.

These aren’t easy conversations. Nor are they easy decisions. But if you’re considering a memory care community that offers high-quality dementia care for someone you love who has Alzheimer’s disease, it’s so important to know the benefits of choosing a community offering independent living for you, and memory care at the same community for the person you love.

9 benefits of having memory care at your Continuing Care Retirement Community

You may be a spouse of someone who is struggling with memory loss. And if you’re providing senior care for your loved one in your own home, you know very well the physical, emotional and financial burdens this may place on you. Being a family caregiver takes a heavy toll. And while the Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care each year to someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it can still be isolating and lonely to be the primary caregiver, trying to deliver the level of senior care your loved one needs.  

Supporting both the loved one and the caregiver is just one benefit of choosing a memory care community. And it’s a significant reason why choosing memory care for your loved one, and independent living for yourself, may be the best decision you could make: You can better improve and maintain your own health and well-being while having every confidence the person you love is receiving the type of professional, high-quality memory care they need. 

Best of all, if you choose a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) like Grace Ridge, you and your loved one with memory loss live at the same community, keeping you as close as a short walk across campus to visit.

Some specific advantages of choosing memory care for your loved one at a CCRC include:

1. You’re assured your loved one is receiving the personalized care they need. Medication management, help with activities of daily living, and other medical care are among the chief benefits of a high-quality memory care community.
2. You know quality of life is emphasized. Staff at memory care communities work diligently to provide the right balance of care while creating space and opportunities for independence. So there are activities, programs, and a calendar of events to encourage both independence and socialization. You also know your loved one receives services such as housekeeping and laundry services, and enjoys three nutritious meals prepared for them each day.
3. You know staff members who work in memory care are highly trained professionals. Memory care communities usually require their staff to receive rigorous training and maintain regular education to care for memory care residents.
4. You have every confidence your loved one is safe and secure. Memory care communities are typically required to have certain staff-to-resident ratios and around-the-clock supervision. In addition, communities often have secure doors and alarms to prevent wandering. Because of their specialized training, staff know how to reduce confusion or agitation in residents with cognitive impairments, and understand how to redirect residents.
5. You can take comfort knowing your loved one is in a homelike environment. High-quality memory care communities provide residents with their own private memory care suite, which can be furnished and decorated with familiar items that make your loved one feel more comfortable.

Choosing independent living at a CCRC has unique benefits for you, too. And those advantages aren’t limited to the fact you and your loved one live on the same campus. You can enjoy these personal benefits that contribute to your own well-being and quality of life:

1. You have your very own residence. Many CCRCs provide different residence options for independent living residents. At Grace Ridge, for example, you can choose from spacious cottages or cozy apartments in a range of floor plans and square footage — whichever fits your style best, you can further personalize with your own belongings. In some instances, you can even select from custom choices to further personalize your residence.
2. You can take advantage of the many community services and amenities for quality of life and a remarkable independent lifestyle. A CCRC with independent living means you have services and amenities like gourmet dining; physical, intellectual, social, vocational, emotional and spiritual wellness opportunities for your total well-being; and a vast array of lifelong learning opportunities to enrich your mind and offer you great purpose.
3. You have plenty of opportunities for connection and social interaction. Caregiving can be so rewarding; it can also cause feelings of isolation and loneliness, which can take a significant toll on your health. When you live in an independent living community, you have a calendar of activities and events, organized transportation to fun group outings, and much more. And with fellow residents always just steps outside your residence door, you always have friends at the ready if you feel like socializing. 
4. You also have access to any future care you may need, right on campus, for peace of mind. Instead of making multiple moves to an assisted living community or to a memory care community, a CCRC like Grace Ridge offers you that continuum of care on the same campus where you live independently. So if you need to, you can transition to higher levels of senior health care whenever needed, right here on campus, at essentially the same cost as living in your residence. 

Discover all the advantages of living at Grace Ridge

We understand it’s a big decision to move yourself and your loved one to a CCRC like ours. As with all decisions, it starts with taking one step forward.

We invite you to take the first step: Contact us. We’ll answer your questions and welcome you to our community for your personal tour. You’ll get a glimpse of how happy you and your loved one can be here, and you’ll see our recent renovations, which included 5,000 square feet of re-imagined common spaces inside and outside.

Start your new journey — one that may lead you to becoming a resident at Grace Ridge. It starts by calling us at 828-263-4810.