From ClevelandMagazine.com — By Kristen Hampshire —
With ongoing research unpacking neuro insights, retirement communities are reassessing how modern memory care should look and feel for dementia.
Missing keys, oopsing a credit card payment, searching for a word that’s on the tip of your tongue. Opening a closet and blanking out. “What was I looking for, anyway?”
Memory lapses are a typical part of aging and sometimes a byproduct of our overbooked, overstimulating lives. But when is forgetfulness more than an incidental occurrence — a blip you solve after putting together the pieces?
“With normal aging, you can pause, take a minute and retrace your steps,” says Melissa Zapanta Shelton, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Cleveland Area and Greater East Ohio chapters.
Dementia is different, and so is Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease that can often cause dementia. The terms are not interchangeable.
“As science has advanced and we know more about people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, we know what is a normal part of aging and what is not,” says Shelton.
She points to confusion, challenges with following conversations, difficulty completing familiar tasks — memory loss that disrupts daily life.
In Ohio, more than 236,000 people ages 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the association’s latest data. An additional 9.1% of people ages 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline, and 414,000 caregivers in the state are supporting loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
The No. 1 risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s or dementia is getting old.
The tandem effect of an aging population and increased awareness of dementia is influencing incidence rates, Shelton says.
Meanwhile, retirement communities like Kendal at Oberlin and Judson are responding in new ways, implementing programs and residences that strike a balance between safety and autonomy, privacy and engagement, purposeful activity and nursing care.
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