From Alzheimer care to senior assisted living and beyond, there are many ways to get long term care all throughout the United States. And long term care such as Alzheimer care or another type of memory care is also becoming more necessary than ever before as well, something that can be attributed to the growing population of elderly people in the United States and all throughout the world. After all, members of the Baby Boomer generation are reaching their elderly years, and these people will likely be in need of senior care services at some point in time.
Already, the first Baby Boomers have turned 65 or older. Data shows that more than 45 million people can be considered to be a senior citizens in the United States alone, with more than eight million of them receiving some type of long term senior respite care each and every year. Of course, this number only represents the current year and is likely to grow in the years that are to follow – especially when you consider that nearly three quarters of all elderly people will need some form of long term care as they age.
For instance, Alzheimer care and other types of dementia care are particularly necessary, as there are more than 100 different types of dementia currently diagnosed all throughout the country. Dementia can originate for a variety of reasons as well, from old age to deterioration after a significant medical event such as a stroke. In most cases of dementia, however respite care services are very much a necessity, as the vast majority of dementia patients will need help with caring for themselves on a daily basis. This holds particularly true as the dementia progresses for each patient, as it always does.
Alzheimer care is particularly necessary, as Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent type of dementia. After all, this type of dementia actually accounts for more than 80% of all dementia cases and is particularly prominent among the elderly population, of which up to three million people suffer with this particular disease. Alzheimer’s disease can also progress quite rapidly, necessitating Alzheimer care.
But Alzheimer care can be hugely difficult for someone who is untrained in matters such as Alzheimer care to provide. After all, proper Alzheimer care requires a great deal of time and effort – and a number of resources that the average person just might not have (and is, in fact, not particularly likely to have access to in the first place). For many people, sending a loved one to an assisted living facility is an incredibly hard thing to do – but it is often very much a necessary one.
After all, assisted living facilities that provide higher standards of Alzheimer care around the clock. As a matter of fact, your average memory care facility or other such nursing home will supervise the residents on a 24/7 basis. For many patients in need of Alzheimer care as the course of their Alzheimer’s disease progresses, this is an absolute must for ensuring overall safety and well being, to say the very least. Those who make the incredibly hard decision to move their ailing elderly loved one to a facility where such Alzheimer care can be provided to combat their rapidly progressing Alzheimers disease or other type of dementia are often making the necessary choice and one that will benefit just about every single party involved in the matter.
Old age can also come with a number of physical infirmities as well, most of which have the potential to make independent living dangerous. When an elderly person becomes injured in a fall, these injuries are much more likely to be seriously life threatening than they would be in a younger adult. Therefore, moving such an elderly person to an elderly care facility can provide them with the support that they need to stay healthy and even live longer. And while many people will resist this change, many people find that they like the communities that they ultimately end up moving into, often quite a bit more than they ever thought that they would.
