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When a loved one receives a diagnosis for early onset Alzheimer’s, the future may suddenly feel like a daunting and unknown territory.

However, with knowledge of what’s to come, your family can feel a greater sense of ease and confidence in moving forward.

Although your loved one’s healthcare providers may brief you on what you’ll experience during the initial stages of such a diagnosis, they may not cover the later stages of early onset Alzheimer’s.

Consider this post as a helpful overview for what you can expect and how to plan for the later stages of the disease.

Becoming aware of these stages will help you connect your loved one to quality care for his or her needs.

What Is Early Onset Alzheimer’s?

Before diving into details regarding the later stages of early onset Alzheimer’s, let’s get clear on what the disease is.

Early onset Alzheimer’s, also referred to as younger onset Alzheimer’s, affects individuals under age 65.

Typically, these individuals are in their 40s and 50s. They often have careers, they may have children, and they may potentially be caregivers themselves.

Less common than late onset Alzheimer’s, early onset Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, currently affects 200,000 people in the United States.

As the Alzheimer’s Society describes, the earliest symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s are… [Link to:

1. Problems with vision.
2. Difficulties with speech.
3. Challenges in planning and decision-making.
4. Changes in behavior.

Although dementia is a progressive disease and worsens over time, the time it takes to progress varies depending on the individual.

For some people, Alzheimer’s progresses rapidly, while it takes years to reach an advanced stage for others.

When it comes to determining which stage your loved one is in, it’s important to know what indicators to watch for. Which brings us to our next point…

Signs Early Onset Alzheimer’s Has Progressed

While symptoms can vary from individual to individual, there is a common set of signs of moderate or severe dementia.

As the Alzheimer’s Association explains, moderate Alzheimer’s is typically characterized by…

1. Increased assistance required with daily tasks, such as getting dressed and bathing.
2. Increased confusion or poor judgment.
3. Increased memory loss, such as loss of events that happened in the more distant past.
4. Larger personality and behavioral changes, stemming from agitation and suspicion.
5. Shifts in sleep patterns.

If your loved one is in the last/severe stages of early onset dementia, you may notice symptoms such as…

1. The inability to complete daily tasks such as eating and grooming.
2. The loss of communication abilities.
3. An increased risk of infection, such as pneumonia.
4. The complete loss of physical abilities such as walking and sitting.
5. The inability to swallow and control bladder and bowel function.

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Once you’ve identified that your loved one has reached these moderate or severe stages of early onset Alzheimer’s, it’s important to connect him or her with the necessary care.

When to Make the Move to a Memory Care Community

As your loved one’s dementia progresses, your priority is ensuring that he or she has the necessary care—as well as a safe setting that provides him or her with the resources to thrive.

These things can be provided by memory care communities.

From trained caregivers to healthy social interaction with other residents and nutritious, brain-healthy meals to professional medication management, these communities are often the best option for individuals with early onset Alzheimer’s.

Waiting too long to make the move raises your loved one’s risks for injury, depression, and an overall decrease in quality of life.

At The Grove at Oakleaf Village, we provide a vibrant, homelike environment for individuals with early onset and late onset Alzheimer’s.

We’re more than happy to answer any questions you have regarding quality care for your loved one.

Contact one of The Grove communities today to learn more about our memory care offerings.

Discovering your loved one has Alzheimer’s or signs of age-related dementia can spark a number of questions. Suddenly, you’re asking yourself… [Link to https://www.thegroveatoakleafvillage.com/4-key-dementia-symptoms-every-adult-child-should-watch-for-in-a-parent]

     What causes dementia?

     What are the risk factors?

     What prevents memory loss?

As you search for answers, perhaps you’ve stumbled across research on vitamin D and dementia that raises a very important question…

Is there a link between deficiency in vitamin D and dementia?

After all, if there’s a nutritional deficiency that’s impacted Mom or Dad’s life, you want to know about it—and take action.

In this article, we’ll look at vitamin D deficiency, dementia, and the importance of nutrition for your loved one’s health.

Let’s dive in…

A Recent Study on Vitamin D and Dementia

In October 2017, BMC Geriatrics released the results of some important research.  [Link to https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-017-0622-1]

Involving a large number of research participants, this study collected the blood samples of over 500 Swedish nursing home residents.

Of the 545 participants, 55% of the residents had dementia.  

After collecting the blood samples, the study analyzed the vitamin D concentrations in the residents’ serums.

The result?

When discussing their findings, the scholars noted…

     “Vitamin D deficiency was common among nursing home residents and strongly associated with dementia.”

In other words, dementia residents had a statistically higher incidence of vitamin D deficiency than those who didn’t have dementia.

What This Study Means for Your Loved One

It’s important to understand the implications of this research for your loved one.

First things first, this research didn’t prove that having vitamin D deficiency causes dementia. Instead, it demonstrated an association—a link between the two.

However, just because there’s only a link doesn’t mean there isn’t a cause for concern. In fact, there is a possibility that vitamin D deficiency does cause dementia—as identifying a link is the first step to pinpointing a cause-effect relationship.

As the authors of the study pointed out…

     “Vitamin D deficiency was strongly associated with dementia, therefore there is need for future studies to clarify if there is a causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and dementia.”

While we wait for further research to find a stronger tie between deficiency in vitamin D and dementia, here’s the bottom line for your loved one…

Supporting your loved one’s nutrition is essential.

But that’s especially hard when Mom or Dad has memory loss—as you’ll soon see.

Poor Nutrition—A Danger for Dementia Patients  

If your loved one has dementia, vitamin D deficiency isn’t the only danger to avoid.

The reality is, he or she experiences a real risk for poor nutrition. According to the National Council on Aging, a number of factors can cause malnutrition, including…   [Link to https://www.ncoa.org/wp-content/uploads/NCOA-Malnutrition-Infographic-0816_web.pdf]

• Living alone.
• A lack of mobility.
• Dementia.

As the Alzheimer’s Association explains, those with dementia can “become overwhelmed with too many food choices, forget to eat or have difficulty with eating utensils.”  [Link to https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/daily-care/food-eating]

In other words, dementia can place Mom or Dad’s well-being on the line.

If your loved one has dementia, be on the lookout for signs such as…

• Weight loss.
• An empty refrigerator.
• Food that seems untouched.
• Kitchen appliances that never seem used.

They could indicate that your parent isn’t getting the mealtime support he or she needs.

Supporting Your Loved One’s Nutrition

Alzheimer’s and age-related dementias create unique nutritional challenges.

But, at The Grove, we’re doing something about it.  

To begin with, our communities strive to offer one brain-healthy dish for each meal we serve—whether that’s DHA-boosting salmon, vitamin B-filled lentil soup, or another option.  [Link to https://www.thegroveatoakleafvillage.com/why-the-grove/brain-healthy-menu]

What’s more, each ability-based neighborhood has an open kitchen.

These kitchens allow the aroma of foods to float through the air…triggering your loved one’s senses and supporting Mom or Dad’s desire to eat.

In our addition to our family-style meals, our community offers additional support such as a thoughtfully designed layout, engaging activities, and team members who’ve received dementia training.

You can see the difference we’ll make for Mom or Dad when you explore our community and join us for a complimentary meal.

If you or your loved one is near Toledo, Ohio, plan a time to visit us here.  [Link to https://www.thegroveatoakleafvillage.com/toledo/schedule-a-visit]

For those of you in Columbus, Ohio, we’ll soon be opening The Grove Columbus. Plan your visit in advance when you go here.   [Link to https://www.thegroveatoakleafvillage.com/columbus/schedule-a-visit]

 

Home health or a memory care community?

If your Mom, Dad, or loved one is struggling with dementia, you might feel torn between the two choices.

On one hand, keeping your loved one at home may be appealing. On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore that voice in your head that says Mom or Dad needs more care.

If you’re unsure whether a memory care community or home health services are best for your loved one, here’s what you need to realize.

Periodic home health visits might have been helpful back when Mom or Dad was only a bit forgetful.

But if you suspect your loved one has progressive dementia symptoms, there’s a good chance your loved one can benefit from the comprehensive services of a memory care community.

Here are 5 reasons why…

1. Built-In Services and Easier Access to Resources

As a general rule, if you’re paying for hourly home health services, don’t count on the worker to see that Mom is lonely…and decide to spend an extra 15 minutes.

You’re paying the home health agency for a block of time—nothing more and nothing less.

If your loved one needs round-the-clock supervision and constant prompts for tasks, a few home health visits a week won’t provide the needed support for ever-changing needs.

In contrast, a memory care community has built-in caregiving services from morning until evening. For instance, at The Grove, our personal care assistants support our residents 24/7 every day of the year. It doesn’t matter if your loved one wants to have a snack at 11 p.m. or a conversation at 5:00 a.m. A caregiver is there to provide the needed support.

What’s more, your loved one has easy access to nursing staff as well.

At a memory care community, there will always be trained caregivers nearby to help, other residents to talk to, and medical assistance if needed.

2. Opportunities for Social Engagement

Socialization is important for loved ones dealing with memory loss.

But the reality is if you opt for periodic home health appointments…your loved one will receive only periodic socialization.

Compare that to a memory care community where there’s constant social interaction and engagement.

Don’t simply take our word on the benefits of socialization. Check out this research—Study on Social Isolation as a Risk Factor in Development of Alzheimer’s Disease in Rats.

In this experiment, researchers studied four groups of rats. Significantly, they designated one group of rats as a socially isolated Alzheimer’s disease (AD) group. For another group of rats, researchers designated these rodents as a socialized Alzheimer’s disease (AD) group.

Here’s just a small sample of what researchers found…

The Alzheimer’s disease rats (which were isolated for a lengthy amount of time) experienced statistically significant signs of cognitive trouble with their IL-1β and TNF-α.

Specifically, IL-1β and TNF-α are associated with brain inflammation, something the researchers linked to Alzheimer’s disease development.

The study found the socially isolated rats “showed significant elevation in brain IL-1β and TNF-α to 105.9% and 109.04% respectively” in contrast to the socialized Alzheimer’s disease (AD) group.

While the socialized group had IL-1β and TNF-α over 100% as well, they didn’t equal the levels of the socially isolated rats.

These findings and others led researchers to conclude…

“[Social isolation] can be identified as a risk factor in AD development. Consequently, socialization is advised especially with AD to avoid severe progression of the disease.”

Bottom line: socialization is something you can’t ignore when it comes to comparing a memory care community against periodic home health services.

3. Less Caregiver Stress—More Quality Family Time

When your loved one has dementia, you’ll find that constant care is increasingly needed.

And—unless you plan on increasing the number of home health visits or requesting expensive live-in care, you’ll probably find yourself more and more involved in caregiving.

However, in one meta-review of scholarly literature, researchers found…

“being a caregiver for people with dementia is associated with psychological stress and physical ill-health.”

This comes as no surprise. Watching your loved one suffer dementia is difficult.

It’s even more difficult to realize you’re spending less quality time as a daughter or son…and more time with the tasks of caregiving.

A memory care community lightens the burden of physically and emotionally demanding tasks. You’ll have more time to eat a meal with Mom, play a game with Dad, or attend to the needs of your other family members.

4. Specially Trained Team Members

When you hire home health to help your parent, you may…or may not…receive a worker who is specifically trained in dementia care.

While you’ll find home health agencies offering dementia support, do your research. According to a New York Times article only written last year, the typical home health worker has “little if any training.”

However, when you choose the right memory care community, such as The Grove, you can gain team members trained in helping seniors with age-related dementias. For example, at The Grove, caregivers must complete 40 hours of onboarding in their first week, including the CARES® online dementia training and the essentiALZ® online certification exam.

5. An Improved Balance of Freedom and Safety

Let’s face it—you need to weigh the benefits of keeping Mom or Dad in a familiar environment against the risks of his or her safety.

Helping your parent stay at home—without 24/7 supervision—is detrimental if Mom has easy access to the stove or Dad can still grab the ladder.

For safety, you may find yourself restricting your parent’s freedom—for instance, locking rooms containing safety hazards.

However, at a memory care community, your loved one can enjoy an environment that’s uniquely suited for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. It’s the right balance of both freedom and safety.

For instance, at The Grove, our neighborhood has eliminated many safety hazards…but still gives your loved one freedom with an open layout environment. We even provide a natural wayfinding system so your loved one can safely wander in a natural pattern…instead of pacing up and down a hall.

Don’t simply assume that home health is your only option…or your best option.

Carefully weigh the benefits of a memory care community, and then make the best decision for your mom, dad, or spouse.

If you’re searching for a community that redefines memory care, check out The Grove’s communities. At The Grove, your loved one will enjoy a freestanding community comprised of neighborhoods that replicate the feeling of home and contain less than 15 residents.

Schedule your tour of The Grove Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. Or plan your visit to The Grove Columbus—opening soon in the north Columbus area.