According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in eight elderly Americans suffers from this degenerative condition, which is characterized by memory loss, disorientation and an increased difficulty performing everyday tasks. Those affected by this form of dementia typically require a greater degree of monitoring and care, and – as the post-retirement population is set to balloon in the coming years – professionals in the eldercare industry must be able to adapt their services to meet the needs of these recipients.
To prepare for this influx and better accommodate current residents with dementia, care managers are increasingly looking to new, innovative strategies that combine efficiency, functionality and a nurturing environment.
"Living spaces no longer should merely contain the residents. Instead, providers are challenged to comfort, calm, engage and create a sense of home for residents," wrote McKnight's – a news outlet covering eldercare advancement – in a recent piece on this trend.
Today's care managers, according to the source, are striving to create settings that provide visual interest and stimulation – straying from traditional layouts and lighting in favor of more accessible designs. Simple elements like the paint and carpeting used in different ways and the placement of furniture can have an impact on how residents feel within a space, and can even be implemented to facilitate recollection as well as overall comfort.
This willingness to adopt new and unconventional methods to provide the best possible care may also lead these professionals to utilize technology in groundbreaking ways. McKnight's also showcased Independa's technology-enabled eldercare solutions as one means by which care managers can completely transform the function of an everyday item in most senior living communities and private homes – the television. Through Independa's Angela interface, residents in these facilities are able to communicate with loved ones at the click of a button via video chat, email and Facebook, and can also receive medical reminders and other alerts. Care managers, in turn, can streamline their services with our Caregiver Web App, which provides remote monitoring capabilities.
To learn more about Independa's cutting edge eldercare solutions, contact us through our online form.
