A G U I D E TO
MEMORY CARE reimagined E MB RACEMEMORYCARE.COM
WHAT IS DEMENTIA? In the simplest terms, dementia is a decline in mental ability that affects a person’s daily life and activities. Much more than the normal memory loss associated with aging, dementia interferes with a person’s ability to care for themselves, connect with their loved ones, and enjoy their life as they once did. While there are many types of dementia, the most common forms are: • • • •
Alzheimer’s Disease Vascular Dementia Mixed Dementia Dementia with Lewy Body
Some of the most common symptoms experienced by people with dementia are: • Memory loss that disrupts daily life • Issues with problem-solving or planning • Difficulty completing familiar or daily tasks • Confusion with time or place • Speech or writing issues • Poor judgment or decisions • Withdrawing from social activities
CARING FOR DEMENTIA Caring for people with dementia can be challenging for families and friends. In addition to the already emotional experience of watching a loved one lose their passions, abilities, and independence; dementia often causes personality and behavioral changes that can make caring for people with dementia more difficult.
Some of these behaviors include: • Wandering • Agitation • Repetitive speech • Paranoia • Sleeplessness • Inappropriate speech or behavior
WHAT IS MEMORY CARE? Memory Care communities are assisted living communities that understand how to care for the specialized needs of people with dementia. From personalized care plans and meal service to safety procedures and building design, Memory Care communities ensure their residents are comfortable and safe in their new environments. Common Components of Memory Care • • • • •
24-Hour care Enclosed communities Routine lifestyle Daily personal care Specialized meals and nutrition
Comfort and safety are essential to creating a Memory Care community, however, we believe they are just the start.
HOW IS embrace reimagining MEMORY CARE? embrace
MEMORY CARE helps our memory care residents to live better, more fulfilling lives. After providing the foundation of top-tier personal care and safety to our residents, we take our Memory Care program further to improve their daily experience, by providing bright moments that matter. TM
WHEN MEMORIES FADE‌ It’s the moments that count.
Our comfortable, rhythmic lifestyle is designed to ensure our residents feel welcome, safe, and secure. Our embraceTM program then focuses on creating variety, choice, and connection by helping each person discover more possibilities in each day. We have woven opportunities for wellness, enrichment, challenge, creativity, and connection into the fabric of our communities and encourage our residents to find the joy and embrace the possibilities in every moment.
WELLNESS embrace
MEMORY CARE understands that improving a person’s overall well-being is the first step toward positively impacting all the facets of their life. Our care plans are holistic, focusing not only on a person’s physical body but their emotional and social health as well. We take the time to get to know our residents – their history, family life, likes and dislikes – to ensure they feel understood and cared for from the moment they arrive in our community. From little touches that make their apartment feel like home to serving their favorite foods, we want to understand and celebrate the person joining our community. TM
Of course, we also focus on improving and maintaining each person’s physical health. Above and beyond our premier personal care, we integrate appropriate alternative therapies that can enhance our residents’ daily physical experiences and overall health.
essenceTM
an embraceTM signature program The essenceTM program is multi-sensory, combining the benefits of aromatherapy with sight, sound and touch to elicit positive responses from our residents. This one-on-one experience is completely personalized, from the music played to the essential oils used. Beyond the positive effects of this method,
essenceTM encourages our residents to reconnect to their senses and discover the joy of a relaxing moment.
ENRICHMENT How do we create opportunities for choice and individuality in a memory care community? By creating a rhythmic lifestyle that allows our residents to feel comfortable and safe, yet provides enough variety to allow them to engage their potential. We provide activities, meals, and social experiences at the same time each day, but ensure there is novelty and variety in how our residents engage and interact. We offer activities inspired by their likes and preferences and strive to celebrate each day in a way that helps residents enjoy the seasonality and sequence of life.
thymelessTM an embraceTM signature program
thymelessTM is a garden-to-table snack program that embodies how our community creates enrichment in the lives of our residents. This program involves our residents in the planting, growing, and harvesting of fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs from small gardens located in our community. After the harvest, our residents take part in making healthy, homegrown snacks they get to enjoy and share. The satisfaction of a well-earned, garden-fresh bounty is just one of the bright moments we curate for TM residents in our community.
embrace
CHALLENGE embrace
TM
MEMORY CARE takes a positive
approach, changing the focus from “what has been lost” to “what remains.” This reset allows us to appropriately challenge our residents, helping them to maintain – or expand - their cognitive abilities and social skills. We encourage our residents to retain their independence, assisting them in maintaining more choice through cognition exercises and the benefits of friendship through social connections.
sparkTM
an embraceTM signature program Engaging our residents in a positive, classroom-
style learning experience, sparkTM focuses on supporting their brain health. Each session is tailored to the individual’s personal needs and interests. After completing the course, our residents attend a graduation ceremony, engendering a true sense of pride and accomplishment. Family, friends and staff join the celebration with the realization of their loved one’s newfound possibilities.
C R E AT I V I T Y embrace
TM
MEMORY CARE helps our
residents to pursue their lifelong passions through new avenues. Residents often find new ways of communicating or expressing themselves through the arts, when more traditional means of conveying their emotions start to decline. From visual arts and music to reading and literature, we encourage our residents to stay active in familiar creative outlets. We also help them to discover new experiences that can provide many bright moments in the future.
bookmarksTM an embraceTM signature program One of our most popular programs, bookmarksTM is an adaptive reading program that helps our residents interact in a setting similar to a traditional book club. This program encourages social interaction, critical thinking, and – as reading always does – a moment in a world outside themselves. It is an understatement to say that families and staff members alike have been astounded by the beautiful moments of conversation and connection residents achieve during this program.
CON N EC TION embrace
TM
MEMORY CARE helps our residents to
better connect with others and creates positive moments for every person touched by our community. We support our residents in finding new ways to bond with our staff, their new community neighbors, and their friends and family. Our staff provides education and aides to families to help make visits to our community more successful and meaningful. We also help alleviate the constant worry about a loved one by connecting families through emails, texts, and photos of the resident’s time in our community, providing reassurance that they are living a healthy and happy life!
snapshotsTM
an embraceTM signature program When attempts at connection or conversation become challenging, it can be emotional for both our residents and their loved ones. snapshotsTM provides visiting family and friends with “connection kits” intended to curate more meaningful interactions. As the conversation turns to memories of long ago, the items in the kit stimulate the resident’s senses of touch and vision resulting in stronger, more beautiful moments of connection.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN EMBRACING THE POSSIBILITIES We want our residents to feel welcomed into our vibrant community from the moment they arrive. Each new resident meets with a member of our team to develop an individual embraceTM Narrative. By detailing specific life experiences, we are able to create a lifestyle attuned to each resident’s personal nature. We are able to create a familiar, pleasing environment in their apartment, include their favorite meals in our dining options, and make sure that their own routine fits well into our community rhythm. embraceTM is designed to make the transition into our community seamless; helping each resident to start seeing the possibilities in every moment, sooner.
MORE AMENITIES AND SERVICES In addition to our embraceTM lifestyle and Signature Programs, our community offers many upscale services: • Fine Dining with seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients • On-site Executive Chef and staff trained in hospitality and service • Nutritional snacks available all-day • Private dining accommodations for special occasions • Transportation services to shopping, doctor’s visits and local events • On-site physical, occupational and speech therapy • Beauty salon and barber shop
VISIT AN embraceTM COMMUNITY TODAY! embrace
TM We are proud of MEMORY CARE and the empowered life it creates for our residents and their families. Our staff is passionate about the work they do and the care they provide. We want to make each of our resident’s family and friends feel welcome - and supported - in visiting our community. Above all, we want to gift our residents with more joy, more choice and more moments that allow them to‌ embrace their possibilities.
EM B R AC E M E M O RYC A R E .CO M