The elderly population is most certainly a growing one, something that can likely be attributed to the climbing rates of baby boomers seen both throughout the United States as well as in a number of other places all throughout the world in its entirety as well. In fact, more than one fifth of the population will be made up of elderly people within the next ten or so years – and that’s just here in the United States, let alone elsewhere in the world where growing rates of elderly people are also being experienced.
For many of these elderly people, moving into an assisted living facility or one of the many nursing homes will at some point become a necessity. After all, nearly three quarters of all people will end up needing some form and level of long term care at some point in their elderly years – though not everyone, to be certain, has come to terms with this fact themselves. And unfortunately, most people will not be able to rely solely on their family members for care, no matter how much these family members might wish that they could serve as a long term caretaker for the elderly people that they care about. Simply put, however, most average people who fall into the role of the caretaker simply do not have the resources or training to meet all the needs of the elderly person in question. Therefore, it is often better for everyone all around if the person in question goes into the care of a memory nursing home or other such nursing home.
In a memory nursing home or other such assisted living facility, round the clock care will be provided. This is likely to be quite essential indeed for many an elderly person, as it has been found that the vast majority of residents of the typical memory care facility or memory nursing home or other such assisted living facility will need help with at least three to four daily tasks. Most of these people are still very much mobile, as the average resident of such a memory nursing home is a woman in her 80s (at the age of 87, to be just a bit more exact) who needs some help with day to day life but is still able to get around on her own.
Many memory nursing homes and other such assisted living facilities will try to incorporate enrichment activities and social programs for those who live there. After all, the research that has been conducted into the subject backs up the importance of such things. This research has found that engaging in three to four activities on a regular basis is ideal for anyone past retirement age (typically around 63 in today’s world) to be as happy as is possible. For many people, this is something that continues to hold true even much later on in old age. Social integration is also important from the standpoint of memory. As anyone who is working or has experience at a memory nursing home or providing any other type of memory care will likely be well aware of, memory loss and dementia are very real problems that are faced by much of the elderly population. Fortunately, high levels of social integration on a regular and consistent basis can help to stave off memory loss and decline in cognitive function for many an elderly person, as such elderly people will experience a decline in memory at only just half the rate in comparison to those who do not have good levels of social integration throughout their old age.
At the end of the day, the importance of the memory nursing home or other such assisted living facility is not one to be underestimated. After all, the importance of such will only become more and more pronounced in the years that are ahead of us – and not just here in the United States but all throughout the world as a whole as well. For many people, access to a place like a memory nursing home makes a difference.
