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Alzheimer's Disease - Nursing Homes: Choosing what's best.

© Karen Largent

Picking a care facility in which to place a loved one with Alzheimer's can be the hardest choice you may ever make. It can be a very good or a very bad experience for all involved. In these days of HMO's, Managed Care, Medicaid, Medicare, and all the different types of health care coverage, just finding a facility that will take an Alzheimer's patient can be tricky.

One of the best new ideas that's taking hold these days is the specialized Alzheimer's units that many care facilities are opening. If you can find one of these units, you will be on the best and right track for your loved one.

I have worked as a charge nurse on an Alzheimer's unit and I believe that they are a wonderful choice when placement becomes necessary. A good Alzheimer's unit will provide a home like atmosphere in the safest environment for the AD sufferer. It should be set up so that those who wander may do so without becoming lost, such as a circular floor plan with a centralized common area and nurse's station.

In my opinion it should be a locked down unit. This means that you must be buzzed into the unit to visit as the doors are kept locked at all times to prevent the residents from wandering away from the unit. I have had to send out search parties for residents who have gotten away and wandered off. It is a very frightening situation for everyone. A safe outdoor area is also desirable.

Soft, muted colors on walls and draperies, home like furnishings, and allowing the resident to have familiar personal items at all times are very important. Most units do not allow for private rooms but having one other person in the same room is not necessarily a bad thing. I believe that it helps to maintain socialization skills and a sense of "family" for residents.

Alzheimer's units should have some type of daily routine for residents to follow. This helps to maintain their orientation to time and place and person. The residents know that breakfast is at 8, exercise at 9, quiet time at 10, etc. They are watched over by nurses and certified nurses aides at all times. They are given their prescribed medications by a licensed professional and any physical or mental changes are noted immediately.

Communication between staff and family should be open and honest. You should be able to visit at any time, call at any time, and have any questions or concerns addressed immediately. You should also be able to take your loved one out of the unit if desired for holidays, visits, special trips.