Your parents’ forgetfulness may be an early sign of dementia. There are several signs dementia is getting worse. It’s essential to familiarize yourself if your parents have dementia or other neurological disorder. Knowing what to look for can alert you to get your parents the necessary care. Dementia is a progressive disease that will worsen over time. It will make life more difficult without professional support.
At Baptist Retirement Community, we offer private rooms in a comfortable and secure community for seniors who can benefit from a dementia care program. Our memory care programs include a wide variety of services and amenities that include specialized training and therapy, skilled nursing staff that is state-licensed, healthy meals and snacks, and much more. If you would like to speak with us about our dementia treatment programs, call 325.313.7931 or fill out our online contact form, and we will get back to you ASAP.
Understanding Dementia Progression
Dementia is a term that describes several different types of physical diseases in the brain. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, but there is also vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). All types of dementia are progressive, and there is currently no cure. Fortunately, there are several therapies and treatments that can reduce the symptoms of dementia, restore some cognitive ability, and slow the progression of the illness.
There are three stages of dementia progression that you should be familiar with:
- Early stage – At the earliest signs of dementia, most people will not experience the significant cognitive problems that dementia is known for. Common symptoms during this stage include:
- Trouble recalling recent events
- Becoming confused more easily
- Struggling to find the right words
- Getting lost in familiar spaces
- Spatial problems
- Middle stage – This is when most symptoms begin to become more noticeable and cause a problem with their daily routines. Mid-stage symptoms of dementia include:
- Trouble recognizing friends and family
- Forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence or following along in a conversation
- Have trouble telling if it’s morning or night
- Experiencing growing depression, anxiety, or apathy
- Auditory hallucinations
- Behavioral changes
- Late stage – The later stages of dementia severely impact seniors’ ability to function. Symptoms can include:
- Believing they are in a different time in their lives (time shifting)
- Spoken language is reduced to simple sentences and single words
- Further development of depression and anxiety disorders
- Visual and auditory hallucinations
- Aggressive or violent behaviors
At Baptist Retirement Community, our dementia treatment program can support seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia in a comfortable and secure environment. We work closely with each senior and their families to create an effective treatment program that includes faith-based dementia care, physical, speech, and occupational therapies, and other beneficial programs.
Recognizing the Signs Dementia Is Getting Worse
It can be hard to recognize when your parent’s dementia is to the point where they need full-time care in a senior living community, especially if they are insistent on staying home. If you feel your parent’s memory is getting worse and their well-being is at risk, look for these common signs dementia is getting worse:
- They wander out of their home and become lost for hours or several days.
- They forget about regularly scheduled activities with friends and family.
- Begin missing doctor’s appointments.
- They stop taking care of their personal appearance.
- They forget to go grocery shopping or refill important medications.
- At-home caregivers can no longer provide effective care due to worsening symptoms.
- They have frequent bathroom accidents or begin to experience incontinence.
- You feel they are no longer safe living alone.
Dementia is a treatable neurological illness that can begin to show up between the ages of 60-65. If you recognize any of the above signs in your parents, talk to them about deciding to move into a senior living community that offers specialized dementia care.
Enroll in a Dementia Care Program at Baptist Retirement Community
Baptist Retirement Community is a full-service retirement community for seniors of all activity levels and those needing specialized dementia care. We have two state-of-the-art locations that help our residents with Alzheimer’s or other neurological diseases. We treat our seniors through our faith-based dementia care programs while providing other beneficial services that include nutritious meal plans, lifestyle programming, and plenty of daily life-enriching activities.
If you think it’s time your parents move into a senior living community that offers memory care services, contact us at 325.313.7931 today to speak with one of our caring team members.