Fighting Off The Symptoms Of Alzheimer's For As Long As Possible: 3 Things Every Nursing Home Should Offer
Having to lose your memory, motor skills, consciousness and ability to interact with this world is an extremely terrifying thought. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many people who are suffering from some type of dementia. Alzheimer's is perhaps one of the most common of them all, and is already affecting over 5 million Americans as of 2015. Caring for someone with Alzheimer's is incredibly difficult, as they require a lot of support and care. Luckily, there are nursing homes that are designed especially for those with Alzheimer's and can provide a high quality of care that will hopefully delay the symptoms for as long as possible. If you're looking for a nursing home for someone you love, here are 3 features you want to look into.
Properly Planned Meals
Alzheimer's is commonly referred to as "diabetes of the brain" and is linked with inflammation and insulin resistance within the brain. As a result, eating a healthy diet rich in antioxidants and essential minerals and vitamins is crucial for Alzheimer patients and can help delay the onset of severe symptoms. You want to make sure that the nursing homes provide 3 meals a day to all patients with a focus on
- offering Mediterranean dishes, as they are known to dramatically reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and can help prevent early onset of the the dreaded symptoms.
- avoiding trans fats and saturated fats, as they have a tendency to cause inflammation, and offering foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as they can help reduce the formation of beta-amyloid plaques, which basically prevent the neurons in the brain from functioning properly.
- providing a wide spectrum of different fruits and vegetables, as they are rich in antioxidants that can prevent cellular degradation.
Activities Designed to Stimulate the Brain
Alzheimer patients should be constantly challenging themselves intellectually and mentally in order to prevent the neurons in their brain from withering. Staying at a nursing home can be rather boring. It's important to choose nursing homes that are able to offer a wide range of activities to their patients on a regular basis in order to keep their minds active. Some common activities that appear to help include
- strategy games, like puzzles and riddles. These games help workout the brain and encourage patients to retain cognitive associations. Make sure that crosswords, board games and card games are easily accessible at the nursing homes.
- classes that teach new skills, techniques or even concepts. No one is ever too old to learn, and many nursing homes appease their patients by offering different types of classes. This may include learning another language or studying up different topics. Book clubs have also been rather popular in nursing homes designed especially for patients with Alzheimer's.
Daily Exercises that Keep the Muscles Healthy
Exercise is also another very important aspect to consider. Choose nursing homes that encourage patients to move about on a daily basis, as exercise can actually delay further deterioration, and may be essential in maintaining cognitive association and health. Find nursing homes that have on-site gyms available for patients. Make sure the gyms are properly supervised at all times and offer a wide range of different equipment.
Weight and resistance training are highly recommended and include activities like weightlifting or even running. These exercises should be coupled with balance and coordination exercises, like yoga, for optimal results.
Conclusion
Patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease require more support and care than others, especially since cognitive and mental deterioration is inevitable. Nursing homes designed to cater to these patients are generally a lot more active than standard nursing homes and have more activities planned throughout the day. This is because keeping patients entertained and energized at all times can help delay the onset of the symptoms and greatly improve their quality of living for a longer time. Don't settle when choosing an appropriate nursing home. Visit each and every one of them in order to get a good idea regarding what each facility can offer. Contact a facility like Alta Ridge Communities to get started.
Share