Here in the United States, the elderly population is growing quite rapidly as the Baby Boomer generation, a large one by any standards, continues to age. In fact, the population of those who have reached or exceeded the age of 65 – when you are first considered to be elderly – grows each and every year. For many people, age comes with some level of infirmity, from the development of dementia to simply being unable to meet all of their physical needs, and long term care will become necessary for nearly three quarters of the total elderly population.
For many people in need of long term care, moving in with a family member seems like the best option. After all, many people are hesitant about becoming part of an assisted living community, and the costs of such can sometimes prove a difficulty. Besides, moving in with a loved one is often something that simply feels easier and less difficult from an emotional standpoint. However, relying on a loved one for long term care is not always ideal.
For one thing, these loved ones become unpaid caregivers, providing a collective more than 18 billion hours of care over the course of one year alone. This means that they must take on the costs of care – and likely must give up much in order to be able to provide it. Many families who take in an elderly loved one find that they must adjust work schedules – if not leave their jobs entirely – as well as their entire way of life. This can be incredibly difficult to deal with, especially when the loved one in question has a progressive condition such as Alzheimer’s disease.
And Alzheimer’s disease is certainly far from uncommon, especially among the elderly population. For though there are more than 100 known kinds of dementia diagnosed throughout the United States, Alzheimer’s disease makes up more than three quarters of all dementia cases seen and diagnosed (around 80% of them, to be just a little bit more specific). In fact, up to five million people here in the United States alone have currently been diagnosed with and are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that will become progressively worse as time passes on.
For such patients, a well reviewed dementia facility is likely the best place to be. In such a facility, 24 hour licensed nursing care can be provided. This 24 hour licensed nursing care can be ideal for patients who need help with the day to day tasks of life, as up to 40% of all senior memory care community residents do, with at least three, if not more, day to day tasks. 24 hour licensed nursing care can provide this in a way that the typical family will not be able to, simply due to the fact that those performing the 24 hour licensed nursing care have had extensive training in just how to provide 24 hour licensed nursing care to the highest standard possible. In addition to this, those who provide 24 hour licensed nursing care in a specialized care facility also have access to resources that the typical family member or loved one turned care giver will simply not have, as they do not have a background in dementia care of 24 hour licensed nursing care.
24 hour licensed nursing care is also the norm for most memory care nursing homes
and various other assisted living facilities, even those not specifically for memor care and the treatment of dementia, here in the United States. This 24 hour care and supervision can be essential for the safety of many residents of the center, as such people cannot always care for themselves and might even end up putting themselves in danger without even meaning to. For many a nursing facility here in the United States, having 24 hour licensed nursing by skilled and well trained individuals has really made a world of difference in the safety and well being of each and every patient in the nursing home in question.
