Caregivers living
with a family member or spouse already have to cope with stress as they watch
their loved one’s mental acuity slowly regress to the point where it becomes a
full-time job.
There comes a time
when the always-painful decision must be made: do we keep those afflicted at
home or do we seek professional care.
Either way, it’s
costly. Housing someone with dementia can mean making physical changes to
bathrooms, kitchens and perhaps purchasing walkers and other items. Placing mom
or dad in an assisted living facility or nursing home can be expensive,
depending on the stage of the disease and the level of care.
What’s a person to
do?
Debbie Selsavage,
owner and president of Coping with Dementia LLC, said there are many options,
ranging from home care to assisted living facilities. Citrus County also has
programs available.
Given its aging
demographic, Citrus County is fortunate to have a wealth of facilities to
assist the elderly. As of September 2015, there were 22 assisted living
facilities and nine nursing homes, according to nonprofit health council
WellFlorida Council.
Selsavage said many
ALFs have sliding rates, depending on the level of care. Others have set fees
and also offer memory care services, she added.
An ALF is not a
nursing home. That’s a place where people go if their health gets so bad that
it is beyond the scope of an ALF. Nursing homes cater to people with advanced
medical issues, including moderate to severe dementia.
An ALF is more like a
home, with residents living in their own apartments. People who live in an ALF
can have physical disabilities, limited mobility or a certain amount of memory
loss. In fact, for people with declining health, the appeal of an ALF is having
someone on staff 24-7 to assist.
Selsavage said spouses
or family members should not feel guilty when placing someone in a care
facility. It comes to a point where the caregiver risks harming their own
health by taking care of the dementia patient. Also, they may require more
medical care than the family is able to provide.
And as dementia
worsens and death nears, Hospice can be called in to either the home or ALF.
“I don’t think it’s a
bad thing at all,” she said. “You’re looking at placing someone, for their own
safety and care when it gets to the point where they can no longer dress them
or bathe them. It’s a better quality of life for both of you to find that right
place.”
Often, people will
swear they never want to be placed in a care center, Selsavage said. But often
there is no other choice.
While the idea of
living in a large ALF with hundreds of people may seem like paradise to some,
for others it may be overwhelming. For those people, smaller residences run by
licensed individuals who take in a small number of folks in their own homes. In
these adult group homes, mom or dad lives with the family running the place and
is treated to home-cooked meals and given assistance.
Yet another option is
home health care. Some people prefer to stay in the familiar confines of their
home and age in place, taking visits from nurses, certified nurse assistants or
therapists by appointment. Home health care works best when dementia is not an
issue or when there is a primary caretaker living in the home.
Dementia is a disease
that affects whole families because everyone seems to have a different
treatment opinion.
“They will have
conflict and they will have different ideas as to care — what is needed and
what is required,” she said. “It can divide families.”
Selsavage urges
caregivers to seek out support groups in Citrus County to help them through the
difficult journey.
“It shows people are
not alone,” she said.
SOURCE: Citrus County Chronicle, Michael D Bates
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