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Caring for a Loved One at Home
vs.
Entrusting Your Loved One to
The Terrace at Rhoda Goldman
Plaza
Questions and Answers for Peace of
Mind
Click on a question to get the
answer
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Is
it really okay to think about this? A professional
facility? I love this person. I am willing to do a lot to
make our situation comfortable at home.
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How
can strangers ever give the kind of care we can give at
home?
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But
living at home is more stimulating, isn’t it?
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It’s
true that I can get exhausted; but does my exhaustion level
really have any effect on my loved one or the care I’m able
to provide?
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But
I have other family members who will help. Can’t we work together
as a team and do it ourselves?
-
But
I have hired homecare help. Won’t that work out?
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Is
your facility safe? We provide a lot of safety at
home.
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So
they get enough exercise and physical stimulation? That
can be a problem at home.
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That’s
a lot, and it sounds great, but is it too much at
times?
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So,
people won’t think less of me for choosing The Terrace for my
loved one?
Q. Is it really okay to
think about this? A professional facility? I love this
person. I am willing to do a lot to make our situation comfortable
at home.
A. It’s not just okay. In cases of
dementia, care in a truly professional facility like The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza is better for your loved one,
better for you and better for your relationship. In our experience
this is the question lingering behind all the others, so we want to
put it right up front. We are not here to replace your love and
caring. We are here to provide you a way to show it.
Let’s deal with your concerns one by one and see if we can’t show
the realities behind the myths. Back
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Q.
How can
strangers ever give the kind of care we can give at
home?
A.
We won’t be
strangers for long and we really do care. We will never be
what you are to your family member, but after a short while we all
get to know each other and we all become close. And we do have
something few family members can provide: training in management of
those symptoms that can so disrupt your relationships at home.
The staff of The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza is trained carefully in
specific methods to deal with mental processes that most find
uncomfortable and disturbing. This, together with a treatment model
that breaks down unnecessary barriers between staff and clients,
creates a family-like atmosphere that we are proud of. Come and see!
And when your loved one lives here you are always welcome to visit
and share in that experience yourself.
The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza is also proud of our unique
volunteer program which draws from Rhoda Goldman Plaza’s
assisted-living community. Residents from that community are
happy to visit, lead projects, teach classes and provide
friendship. This increases the number of people with whom your
loved one will interact and socialize. Back
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Q.
But living at home is more stimulating, isn’t
it?
A.
That’s one of the
myths. The National Alzheimer’s Association documents that one of
the most common complaints of caregivers is that over
time visits from friends and relatives to the home become fewer and
farther in between. Obviously this leaves everyone feeling isolated.
A lack of social life has a bad effect not only on the quality of
life, but even on the actual mental and physical condition of your
loved one.
At The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza we have parties, music, dance and movement, excursions,
discussion groups, crafts, games and more. There is something
for everyone to enjoy every day. In addition, because this is our
job and because we maintain a high ratio of staff to residents, we
are always available for friendly chats and earnest heart-to-hearts.
Many people who have observed our discussion groups
have been amazed. We hear comments all the time like, “I had
no idea Mom could still discuss things like that,” or, “How do you
get them to do it?” The answer is: We remember that, in spite
of limitations imposed by medical conditions, there are real minds
eager to work and think, and real hearts eager to feel and
experience inside every person at Rhoda Goldman Plaza. We are here
to bring minds and hearts out into the open, and we do.
We
often display the crafts made by our residents. “They made
that?” is a common question. And our parties have been known
to make faces glow and feet tap. We provide a great amount of fun,
companionship and positive stimulus for our residents here. To do
what we do would leave you exhausted even if you had no other
responsibilities. Back
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Q. It’s true that I can
get exhausted; but does my exhaustion level really have any
effect on my loved one or the care I’m able to
provide?
A.
Numerous research
studies have demonstrated that the lives of the caregiver and the
care receiver are intertwined. When the caregiver’s quality of
life is diminished, the person with dementia is negatively
affected. Conversely, if the caregiver’s quality of life is
good, then the care receiver benefits. So, sacrificing your
own well-being in order to care for a family member with dementia
doesn’t help either of you. In fact, it negatively affects the
health of the person being cared for, and often the caregiver as
well.
The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza does everything to ensure that
when you visit here you will be rested enough to have real exchanges
and participate in fun activities right along with your loved
one. Many of our clients have told us how much more positive
their relationship is now that we take care of day-to-day care. Back
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Q. But I have other family
members who will help. Can’t we work together as a team and do it
ourselves?
A.
Depression and
anxiety are well documented among caregivers, as is conflict between
family members over the division of labor and their inability to
meet their own needs. The National Alzheimer’s Association
conducted a survey that revealed that the average caregiver spends
over 100 hours per week providing care. Among caregivers who
work outside the home, an average of 40 hours weekly is spent
providing care. Not surprisingly, 45% of the caregivers
reported that they do not get enough sleep, even when they work in
tandem with other family members. Back
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Q.
But I have hired homecare help. Won’t that work
out?
A.
If you are at that
stage, you should pay particular attention to the idea of allowing The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza to help.
Interviewing, hiring and paying for 24-hour-a-day help, checking
references, dealing with forms and taxes, coping with unexpected
absences due to illness, and requests for time off is no piece of
cake. In fact, many caregivers report that trying to
coordinate all this---and pick up the pieces when someone
“no-shows”---is as stressful as providing the care themselves. Back
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Q. Is your facility
safe? We provide a lot of safety at home.
A.
We know you do, but
maybe not enough actually. Consider the following:
The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza has been custom designed by
experts in the dementia field, to ensure maximum safety in the most
comfortable, home-like environment possible. Thus,
Terrace residents are far safer, but less restricted, than in an
adequately “safety-proofed” home.
The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza has a
state-of-the-art security system and round-the-clock supervision.
We have programs to maximize safety with as little restriction
of activity as possible. Residents are free to make themselves at
home in common areas and have access to more space than most homes
could possibly provide, without affecting safety. Back
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Q. So they get
enough exercise and physical stimulation? That can be a
problem at home.
A.
That’s a common
concern, and, you’re right, home environments often don’t provide
enough in this area.
At The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza we have daily
range-of-motion exercises, chair fitness, regular walks throughout
the facility and the neighborhood, dancing and singing, and
we provide weekly hand-and-foot massage, much to our residents’
delight and benefit. We meet very few people in this age group
who get this kind of daily activity at home, whether or not they
have dementia. Back
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Q.
That’s a lot, and it sounds great, but is it too
much at times?
A. Good question. At The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, we respect the need for quiet times and rest, so
we provide moments for napping, reading, listening to classical
music or showtunes, watching the occasional movie, and viewing
favorite television programs in the evening. Back
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Q. So, people won’t think
less of me for choosing The Terrace for my loved one?
A.
Of course none of us
can control other people’s thoughts, but we can say that if someone
knows the truth about Alzheimer’s and dementia they will never think
poorly of your decision. Having a loved one with
Alzheimer’s or dementia is a special situation, and special
situations require specialists.. No one thinks it’s wrong to place a
special child in a special school or to use a specialist for a
particular medical situation. If your loved one will be better
off at The Terrace, those who understand your special
situation will applaud you.
The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza is a caring, compassionate
environment which promotes the maintenance and betterment of the
residents’ health, spirit and mental capabilities. Re-read what we
have shared with you in the previous answers regarding intimacy,
stimulation, socializing, safety, professional care and knowledge,
and allow yourself to give serious consideration to our
program. Then, we invite you to come back and talk with
us.
The best way to experience The Terrace
at Rhoda Goldman Plaza is to feel free to come and let us show you
around. Our assurances are not just words on
paper. Many have found that they can feel the benefits to the
residents and the special atmosphere afforded by The Terrace when
they visit. We are confident you will too.
See you at The Plaza!
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