Moving an individual with Alzheimer's into a facility such as a nursing home or assisted living can be traumatic for everyone involved. A recent study by the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center has found that there are things which can be done to help with the move. The study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, finds that prior experience in adult day care may help individuals suffering from Alzheimer's make the transition from home to facility much smoother.
In general, seniors moving from their home into any type of facility or downsizing to a smaller home need special attention and assistance. With an Alzheimer's patient, the stress of moving is far greater. Taking them out of comfortable surroundings into a totally unknown environment appears to increase the rate of cognitive decline.
This is consistent with clinical reports of increased confusion and behavior problems so common with those suffering from dementia during acute hospitalization or when traveling away from home.
The answer appears to be a gradual transition by starting with adult day care and then moving into a facility once the individual is comfortable with the change. "It makes perfect sense as we get feedback in the form of reviews from people who have put loved ones into assisted living facilities and nursing homes. After reading this study and reflecting back on comments left, it does seem to correlate that individuals who have made the transition slowly, using adult day care and home health care seem to have fewer complaints."
It appears that individuals who spend more time in day care experience less cognitive decline once they move into a facility full time. This means that if a person goes to adult day care between 3 - 5 times per week, they will not experience an accelerated cognitive decline. A person who goes less, such as 1-2 times per week will experience a faster decline, but will still get some of the benefits over a person who goes directly from a home environment to an assisted living facility or nursing home.
The best situation may be to find a nursing home or assisted living facility which also has an adult day care component built in. This way, the individual can slowly get used to his or her new surroundings and will make the transition much easier.
The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes on Aging, which leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people, including Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.
Information for this article was found on on the Science Daily June issue
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