Assisted Memory Care: The Benefits Of Extra Care Providers for Elderly Adults
Written by:
Jeffrey Grossman
Published:
February 21st, 2022
Have you recently placed an elderly adult with dementia in a nursing home only to find out the home doesn’t offer independent living with extra care service? With close to 6 million elderly adults living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, many adult children or family caregivers are tasked with finding the best level of care for their loved ones. Choosing the right mix of care, especially when you’re transitioning your loved one into a nursing home, can be overwhelming.
But there’s a simple solution to ease some of those fears: hiring an extra care provider specializing in caring for elderly adults with dementia. Having an extra care provider for someone with dementia living in a nursing home has many benefits.
In this article, we’re exploring the benefits of additional one-on-one care and answering some common questions, including:
What is the definition of extra care?
What is memory care in a nursing home?
How does independent living with extra care work?
How much is a memory care provider?
What are the benefits of extra care providers and assisted memory care in nursing homes?
Join us as we provide insight into the value of intentional, personal care for elderly adults.
What Is The Definition Of Extra Care?
Many elderly adults with dementia need help with daily activities such as cooking, doing laundry, or communicating with loved ones. When an older adult is dealing with memory loss, the condition is typically progressive, meaning the support they need increases over time. Even if they live in a nursing home, elderly adults diagnosed with dementia often need both memory care services and extra care services. Extra care providers are caregivers for elderly adults living in nursing homes who require that extra personalized attention. These caregivers supplement the care already provided through the facility.
Extra Care Services for Dementia
Extra care providers offer services in addition to a nursing home’s standard memory care services. Beyond help with daily tasks, extra care can also include activities that:
Target specific cognitive deficits
Improve social skills
Address emotional concerns
In addition, some companies offer care management services. Care Management helps families navigate all the different challenges and decisions that come with a nursing home and having a loved one with dementia.
In-home elder care solutions in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA and Charleston, SC.
What Is Memory Care In A Nursing Home?
Memory care services in nursing homes help seniors with age-related memory loss, like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. They focus on helping elderly adults maintain their quality of life, even as their cognitive abilities decline. Memory care services in an assisted living facility often include:
Memory-enhancing activities and exercises
Mobility assistance
Medication management
Incontinence care and toileting
Feeding and nutrition
In a nursing home, memory care services are often a part of the facility’s therapeutic program designed to improve cognitive skills and socialization. So, if a memory care facility is already providing dementia care for someone, why would this patient need additional, extra care services?
Why Seniors with Dementia May Need Extra Care Services
There are two main reasons an elderly adult with dementia might need extra care services while in an assisted memory care facility:
Nursing homes are often understaffed, and attendants can’t provide the one-on-one attention most dementia patients need.
Since dementia is a progressive condition that worsens in unpredictable ways, an individual’s needs will change as the illness progresses. An extra care provider attends to a senior with dementia in a more personalized way.
If you’re concerned about either of these situations, hiring an extra care provider is a great choice with many benefits.
The Benefits of Extra Care Providers in Nursing Homes
There are many benefits to having an extra care provider for older adults receiving assisted memory care:
Maintaining independence. Having an extra care provider gives an older adult with dementia encouragement and a built-in safety net for maintaining their independence as long as possible.
Improved quality of care. Older adults who experience independent living with extra care receive a higher quality of care since they have a personal care provider. They become unique individuals whose needs are met in the most personalized way: one-on-one with their memory care provider.
Familiar support. As an elderly adult with dementia faces progressive decline in cognitive skills and quality of life, they become more and more dependent on their caretaker. A senior with dementia might have a rotating shift of caretakers in a nursing home. With an extra care provider, the older adult has a stable, familiar caretaker, reducing their stress and anxiety.
Confidence in the care given. Hiring an extra care provider for a loved one gives family members confidence in care. The extra care provider becomes an extension of the family, a point person who can keep the family informed about changes in their loved one’s health and the progression of their dementia. This kind of confidence in and communication between the extra care provider and the family is priceless.
But we get it, you’re already paying the memory care assisted living fee. So, how much extra is a memory care provider?
How Much Is A Memory Care Provider?
Many families opt to hire an extra care provider for one-on-one memory care in a nursing home. A few different factors determine the final out-of-pocket costs for memory care in a nursing home, such as insurance(both health insurance and long-term care insurance), the type of room, and an individual patient’s medical needs. When you choose to hire an extra care provider, you typically pay an hourly rate for the number of hours you need. Instead of paying one flat fee for extra care, you simply pay for the hours your loved one is in need of personalized assistance.Regardless of the price of extra care providers, most families find it’s worth it to ensure their loved one gets the quality care they need.
Give Your Loved One The Extra Care They Need With Commonwise
Has your loved one been diagnosed with dementia? Do you feel unsure of what steps you should take next? Whether you want your loved one to remain at home as long as possible or want to place them in independent living with extra care service, you want to ensure they receive quality care. Hiring a professional extra care provider for an older adult with dementia can provide your loved one with the personalized care they need. An extra care provider in a nursing home also gives you the peace of mind that your loved one is receiving the best care possible. Commonwise Home Care offers a variety of in-home care services in Virginia and South Carolina, including memory care and extra care provider services. Our compassionate caregivers help maintain the highest quality of life possible for your elderly loved ones. Whether your loved one wants to age in their home or needs some additional care in a nursing home, we’re ready to serve you and your loved one.Contact us today to discover how our Commonwise caregivers go the extra mile to coordinate and provide the personalized extra care your loved ones deserve.
In-home elder care solutions in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA and Charleston, SC.