Alzheimers Care Units

"Creating Activity Centers for
   Alzheimer's Patients..."

...Alzheimers care units - It's no secret that the U.S. has an aging population.  For whatever reason there is a high rate of elderly people in that growing population that is suffering from a dementia that is commonly called Alzheimer's disease.

And so the search for effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease continues.  

Some of those with Alzheimer's are taken in and treated by family members during the early stages of the disease.  Problems develop when the disease progress and much more care is required. 

 They require much more care and that often means the patient must be placed in a full time care facility. 

Many general nursing homes will accept Alzheimer's patients, but a whole new category of homes have emerged that do nothing but care for the elderly inflicted with various degrees of dementia. 

These specialized homes are expensive, but they have become expert at caring for these Alzheimer's inflicted patients.

Alzheimer's Care Units

There is one company, Silverado Senior Living, that is creating a revolution in how in Alzheimer's care.  Silverado has learned that a full program of daily activity is the key to helping their patients live a controlled and relatively happy last few years.

Their method is care intensive.  Silverado has one trained staff member for every seven patients.  The national average for Alzheimer's care is one employee for every 14 residents.

The idea of more staff is to guide the patients into a full schedule of activities that keep them interested and occupied.

There is always a staff member in the hallways to keep the patients from becoming confused.  It's confused frustration that often leads to dementia patient's angry behavior. 

Silverado has found that gadgets like locks, knobs and latches can help keep the patients engrossed and calm.  The residents are often treated to short day trips that include spa treatments, poetry readings and even trips to the racetrack.

Dramatic Success with Alzheimer's Patients

Family members are thrilled by the change in behavior that their loved ones exhibit under this innovative style of care. There are some very dramatic examples of Silverado's success. 

900 patients who were unable to feed themselves upon taking up residency now take their meals without staff help.  Over 1,000 of the elderly could not walk when they entered a Silverado facility and soon they were strolling the halls on a daily basis. 

Perhaps the Silverado techniques will become the model for all future care of Alzheimer's patients.  Because of the large staff to resident ratio, Silverado's monthly fees are well above the common care facility.  Few of those costs are covered by federal health programs, so family members must find a way to pay if no other insurance covers the care.

 If nothing else one would hope that anyone who cares for a person suffering from Alzheimer's would learn from Silverado's success.  Well planned and supervised activity is the key to a better life for those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease…. And for those who care for them.

New technology in the fight against Alzheimer's is promising.  The drug Flurzian effects Alzhiemer's and is gaining interest as an effective therapy.

Alzheimers care units