The benefits of a memory care community for residents are often clear. They receive specialized support and care provided by a team of highly trained individuals. Memory care communities are designed to be secure, safe and engaging while allowing residents to maintain as much freedom as possible. However, you might not realize how many benefits memory care can offer family members and caregivers. Let’s explore those benefits below.

1. Family Support Groups

A dementia diagnosis and any resulting care decisions affect family members, not just the person who has memory loss. Memory care communities may offer family support groups, counseling or other forms of support. These groups offer a chance to meet others in the same situation while providing the support you need to navigate this transition. These support groups can also help families stay engaged, which may improve the overall quality of care.

2. Education and Resources

Some memory care communities provide education for loved ones and share resources that can support both you and your family member. These tools can strengthen a resident’s support network, while family meetings help caregivers stay informed and give the community a better understanding of each resident’s needs.

3. Communication About Your Loved One

Caregivers and executive directors at memory care communities should communicate regularly with family members about how their loved one is doing. Conversations may center around how your loved one's dementia is progressing, what's working well and what new therapies they might try. This helps you stay connected to your loved one, even when you don't see them often. It makes it possible to stay active in their care and support them without handling daily caregiving tasks.

These professionals can help you sort out the myths and facts about cognitive function in older adults. They can also explain why your loved one might display certain behaviors or why their dementia is progressing in a certain way.

4. Reduction in Caregiver Burnout

If you're currently serving as a family member's caregiver, you could be facing burnout. It's an emotionally and physically demanding job. When your loved one moves to memory care, they receive professional care from trained individuals, and you get a break from the workload. This gives you the chance to focus on yourself, whether that's taking care of your own health or pursuing your interests.

Some senior communities also offer respite care for people with dementia. If you're not ready for your loved one to move to memory care full-time, you might opt for respite occasionally to give yourself some rest. Those breaks can also reduce burnout as you continue serving as the primary caregiver.

5. Improved Family Relationships

Caring for a loved one with declining cognitive function can change that relationship. There could also be tension between other family members. For example, if one person handles all of the caregiving, they may have feelings of resentment toward other family members who don't take on that responsibility. Some family members may not always agree on the best care decisions for a loved one with dementia, and that can cause tension.

With the move to memory care, all family members can return to their regular routines, which could reduce some of that frustration. You can visit your loved one within the community without having to serve as their caregiver, so the interactions can be more enjoyable. It could feel a bit like old times before you became their caregiver.

When it comes to decision-making as a family, you'll have the staff of the memory care community to guide you. Having that professional information could make the choices easier and help you maintain better relationships with your family members.

6. Support During the Transition to Memory Care

As difficult as the decision is to move a loved one to memory care, you're not doing it alone once you choose a community. The team there will work with you before, during and after the move to make the transition easier on everyone.

Before the move, you can visit the community and get a sense of the services available. Staff members will answer your questions and learn more about your loved one to create a personalized care plan. They’ll also help make the move as smooth as possible by preparing the apartment ahead of time and helping your loved one feel welcomed into the community from the start. Ongoing family meetings also make the transition easier by helping the community tailor activities and care to what’s important to your loved one.

7. End-of-Life Care and Decision Support

The care team is there for your loved one from day one, tracking the progress of dementia. As your loved one nears the end of life, the team continues to offer compassion and support while helping family members stay informed and make decisions about this stage of care. This can be a relief when you're already managing the idea of losing your loved one.

8. Peace of Mind

Overall, perhaps one of the biggest benefits family members receive is peace of mind. It's comforting to know that your loved one is in a safe, secure environment where they can explore their surroundings freely without risk to their health and well-being. They have many socialization opportunities and receive care from compassionate, dementia-trained individuals. All of their needs are met, and they engage in cognitively stimulating activities that support cognitive well-being.

Bethesda Gardens Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ, is here to support you and your loved one as they make the move to memory care. We're happy to answer your questions to help you learn more about that support and what it's like to choose Bethesda Gardens Phoenix for your loved one.