Mrs. M is a 95 year-old woman who was living in an independent living retirement community in Tigard, OR. She has Alzheimer’s disease and, other than occasional assistance from an in-home care agency, she was not taking care of her personal hygiene needs on a consistent basis.
Because she was living in an independent living community, which does not employ caregiving staff, her medication was not being administered to her, and therefore she was taking it on an irregular basis. She was also becoming reclusive in her apartment and not participating in social activities or even mealtimes in the community dining room.
Mrs. M’s family lived close by and would assist her as much as possible, and take her to church on Sundays. However, her adult children are sons, and they felt uncomfortable with helping Mrs. M with her showering needs. As time progressed and it became clear that Mrs. M was having more and more difficulty in caring for herself, and also because of her reclusiveness, they contacted our agency for help in finding placement.
We toured a memory care facility and three adult foster care homes. All of the care facilities we toured would have been appropriate for Mrs. M’s cognitive abilities, but her sons felt very comfortable with one of the adult foster care homes, in particular. This home specializes in residents with all types of dementia, has a total of five residents, and is a warm and comfortable house located near where one of the sons lives.
The owner/provider of the home told the family about her specialized background and certification in dementia behavior management. She explained how she redirects her residents and works with them to meet their hygiene needs.
Mrs. M moved into the home, got on a regular schedule of eating, medication administration, and showering, and continues to do very well in this environment. The owner/provider says that Mrs. M is a good fit with the other residents and is considered like a family member. Her sons continue to be very pleased with the care she is receiving in this adult foster care home.