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    • What is memory care assisted living? [video]

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    What is memory care assisted living? [video]

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    • Category: Memory care
    • Keywords:
      • Alzheimers
      • dementia
      • family
      • assisted living
    • Comments: 0
    • Posted: 12/7/2018
    Closeup of caucasian man's hands holding a senior woman's hands in a sensory courtyard of a Good Samaritan Society memory care assisted living community
    Our memory care assisted living communities often include sensory courtyards that invite residents to explore the outdoors.

    Memory care assisted living is more than a secure building. It combines the services of assisted living with the safety and special programming of memory care.

    Find a Good Samaritan Society memory care assisted living location.

    That means your loved one gets help when it’s needed, but can still make his or her own choices — all in an environment uniquely designed to support people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.

    The Good Samaritan Society’s memory care assisted living communities are modern and designed to feel like home.

    Watch a virtual tour of a memory care assisted living community:

    Recreating home

    Memory care assisted living communities should provide more than a secured building. The community itself should be designed around nurturing and supporting residents’ unique needs.

    Memory care assisted living communities contain key design elements that engage residents through the five senses, connect them with fond memories and provide details to help with recognition:

    • Life skills stations are shared spaces within households that help residents recall favorite interests or daily activities. Life skills stations might include props like utensils in a kitchen or a tape measure at a "handyman" station that residents can interact with.
    • A sensory room provides a calming and soothing setting for residents with objects like soft blankets and pillows or scented hand lotions.
    • Environmental cues, such as a bowl of fruit, can drive “wayfinding,” which helps a person recognize and navigate their surroundings.
    • A sensory courtyard is a contained outdoor space where residents can take in fresh air, watch a bird splash in a birdbath, or taste fresh fruits and vegetables.
    • Common areas provide opportunities for residents to interact with others.

    3 things memory care should do

    Whether it's gathering around the living room TV or enjoying a breath of fresh air outside, these design elements can help your loved one feel at home.

    "We chose to develop our memory care assisted living facilities using the household model, as we believe this model will enhance the living environment for our residents and the working environment for our staff."
    – Greg Amble, Good Samaritan Society director of construction and design

    Choosing memory care assisted living

    Walking, not wandering

    Well-designed pathways are another subtle yet important design element in memory care assisted living, because six in 10 people with dementia will wander.

    A walking path in a contained sensory courtyard can help residents explore the outdoors as they move from touching plants in one area to sitting on benches in another.

    Memory care assisted living: Frequently asked questions

    Inside, life skills stations and common areas are positioned so a resident's wandering turns into walking.

    Modifying wandering behavior into walking can help each resident stay physically healthy.

    Assisted living memory care helps residents gain a sense of purpose through familiar activities and gives them a chance to pursue their passions. It’s about more than just living through a diagnosis. It’s about getting the most out of life.

    Sources: Senior Housing News, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Foundation of America

    Want to learn more about how we can help your loved one?

    Contact us
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    Sioux Falls, SD 57108

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    The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (the Society) and Owner comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws. We do not discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, national origin, disability, familial status, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status or other protected statuses except as permitted by applicable law, in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities, and in staff and employee assignments to individuals, whether carried out by the Society directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which the Society arranges to carry out its programs and activities. The designated person responsible for coordinating efforts to comply with Section 504 requirements is: Director of Affordable Housing, Property Management, 4800 W. 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108; phone: (605) 362-3100. For telecommunications relay service dial 711. All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

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