The Caregiver’s Guide to Memory Care and Dementia Communities (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

This practical guide provides general caregiving tips and helps you decide when and how to transition your loved one to a dementia care community. Caring for someone with dementia is challenging, especially when it comes time to think about other living arrangements. What do you need to know about dementia, including its different stages? What do you do if the person you’re caring for seems to have trouble recognizing you? When is it time to move a person living with dementia into a senior living community? And how can you maintain your relationship with your loved one when you are living apart? Gerontologist and dementia care consultant Rachael Wonderlin has written a compassionate book to help friends and family members of those living with dementia answer these tough questions―and more. In practical, down-to-earth language, The Caregiver’s Guide to Memory Care and Dementia Communities walks the reader through key points about dementia care, including • common terminology used by health care workers • strategies for taking care of your loved one • advice for when and how to transition to a dementia care community • understanding how dementia care communities are structured and what to keep in mind when evaluating them • how to help your loved one receive the best possible care while they’re living apart • recommendations for handling obstacles involving communication and behavioral issues • information on technology, hospice care, programming and activities, and at-home safety A dedicated section called “Putting It into Practice” in each chapter helps you apply the principles to your own experience, while worksheets present you with questions to consider as part of the caregiving and assessment process.