Whether your dad struggles to find his car keys daily or your wife can’t remember the name of the cafe you’ve visited every Thursday for decades, memory loss can be emotionally taxing for older adults and their families.
Today, more than 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and more than 16 million Americans provide 18.5 billion hours of unpaid care for those with Alzheimer’s and others with dementia-related memory loss, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Dementia is typically diagnosed when someone experiences memory loss, and 70 percent of these diagnoses are for Alzheimer’s disease.
If you’re concerned about or caring for someone diagnosed with memory loss, it may be time to consider what memory care living at a Life Plan Community (also known as a continuing care retirement community or CCRC) can offer your loved one.
At Redwood Terrace in Escondido, California, we understand that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to memory care. We believe in providing compassionate, person-centered memory care services—and a safe, comforting place to call home.
When caring for seniors with memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, we focus on the individual. Each of our residents has their own unique background, needs, interests and abilities, which we leverage to create programming that can improve and enrich our residents’ lives.
Our team spends time getting to know every resident, including interviewing family members, so we can better understand who they are, what they love and what brings them joy. For example, if your dad worked as an engineer, we may provide him with building blocks to encourage him to work with his hands. If your wife’s passion is artistry and gardening, we may encourage her to spend time in the garden, painting or working with plants.
Ultimately, our goal is to build an environment that offers our residents maximum independence and meaningful, personalized experiences.
At Redwood Terrace, residents live in a comfortable, homelike family environment, sharing a spacious home comprising apartments, a dining room and open kitchen, two common rooms and an expansive outdoor patio. With an open-concept approach to living, we’re fostering a sense of community and engagement—but we also have private spaces where residents can have quiet, alone time when needed.
At the center of our Escondido memory care community is an interactive, open kitchen and vibrant dining area with the typical household appliances. Many residents like to help with cooking and baking, while others gather with their neighbors around the low counter—which was specially designed for residents in wheelchairs. When it’s time to eat, residents can enjoy chef-prepared meals at the long, communal table or dine at smaller tables for a more intimate experience.
We also have communal spaces and a large, secure outdoor area with patio furniture and umbrellas. The patio features a beautiful “living wall” covered in drought-tolerant succulents that celebrates the native Southern California landscape that our residents know and love.
Additionally, our memory care community is centrally located on the Redwood Terrace campus and features a wellness center that is open to all of the Life Plan Community residents across all levels of care. As a result, we serve as a hub for meaningful, face-to-face interactions and stimulating conversations every single day.
“There is no doubt that being involved in a local, face-to-face community gives people a sense of belonging and purpose, which are so vital to health, happiness and living a long life. Interacting with people every day—people who are in close proximity—improves your resilience and immunity.”
—Susan Pinker, author of The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier
Redwood Terrace's memory care staff members and nursing professionals are available around the clock and have been cross-trained in clinical care and memory care, so they can provide a continuity of care throughout our residents’ days. For example, in a single day, one of our caregivers may help serve breakfast, assist residents with the activities of daily living and then lead a therapeutic activity.
Most of all, our team members are passionate about making our memory care community feel like home for our memory care residents, and we are inspired every day by each and every one of our residents.
To tour Redwood Terrace's memory care community and learn more about our memory care services, contact us today.