Senior Spotlight: The Future of Memory Care

As the Bobbi Decker Senior Spotlight continues to focus on living longer and living better, we feel it is critically important to address memory care. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 42% of Americans over age 55 will eventually develop dementia. Given the aging of Baby Boomers, that number is expected to double by 2060. With dementia and Alzheimer’s affecting more than 7 million people per year and counting, countless health and medical organizations are advocating for improved healthcare policies, best practices and interventions for those living with, or at high risk of, dementia. 

Just a few days ago, Senior Housing News published an article titled ‘How Operators Train Staff for a New Era of Memory Care.’ The article talked about several strategies that senior living operators are adopting and/or creating to better support those with dementia. Just a few proactive steps include: 

- Requiring memory care program directors to obtain a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) license. 

- Evolving current memory care models to include staff training on communication, emotional awareness and how to understand resident behavior. 

- Educating staff on how dementia progresses and how communication needs to change with residents to reflect that.

- Recognizing individual preferences and creating supportive routines that reflect each residents’ needs for comfort and familiarity.

- Shifting away fron 'one size fits all' programming towards person-centered care that includes meeting socialization needs and creating/sustaining meaningful connections. 

- Adapting staff training to incorporate examples of what life with dementia looks and feels like to establish empathy. 

- Utilizing AI-powered conversations to simulate interactions with dementia patients and practicing effective communication.

Wow! Is anyone else inspired by the individual-centered, empathy-based, informative approaches? By teaching caregivers and staff what to expect, how dementia progresses and simulating how memory challenges look and feel, compassionate care seems more within reach than ever. It will also be interesting to see how Certified Dementia Practitioner training evolves and what new career fields this could open. 

Cheers to meaningful care,

Bobbi 

Bobbi Decker
DRE#00607999

Broker Associate
650.346.5352 cell
650.577.3127 efax
www.bobbidecker.com

NAR Instructor….“Designations Create Distinctions”
CIPS, SRS, ABR, CRS, SRES, GRI, CLHMS, REI, AHWD, RSPS, MSLG

Bobbi Decker & Associates fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. For more information, please visit: http://portal.hud.gov/