By Russ Udelhofen, Administrator

This question is being asked more often in the Denver Metro area as these smaller facilities are carving out a very successful niche in the long-term care field. Many people, like the ones below, are unaware that these options of care even exist.

A husband caring for his wife with Alzheimer’s, after months of barely sleeping, is exhausted and not able to provide the care his wife needs. A daughter is seeking a new placement for her father diagnosed with dementia because she cannot continue to work full-time, raise her kids and try to oversee his care every day in a facility which seems ill-equipped to deal with his active and curious behavior. A wife seeks help for her disabled husband who has short term memory loss due to a neurological condition requiring full time monitoring, while she works as a teacher to help support the family and pay for his care.

Often when families are deciding what to do for a loved one or family member who can no longer care for themselves, they are in crisis mode. There is often a progression where the family unit attempts to provide the care. Many lack the training, time, resources or living space to do an effective job. Often an event occurs (the patient has a fall or a major decline or the caregiver is unable to continue) and more help is needed. Many who seek help providing care don’t know what help is available or the options to possibly consider.

The residential care home can provide a care environment that is totally different than staying home or living in a large care facility like an assisted living. The home-like setting with regular rooms and furnishings paired with an outdoor space for walking and gardens remind residents of their own home. Caregivers are there to offer personalized help with activities of daily living such as walking, bathing, toileting, medication management, and eating as well as the activities of the day. The aromas of the meals cooked in the kitchen help to bring people to the dining room. The small group of people living there become like family. It can be a wonderful, happy place that can relieve a great deal of the anxious feeling that many people face when the time comes that they cannot stay at home any more.

Editor’s Note: This article was submitted by Russ Udelhofen, Administrator of Jaxpointe Assisted Living Memory Care Homes. He may be reached at 303-420-5590 or by email at info@jaxpointe.com.