Dementia Program

Patient Diagnosis

Approximately four million individuals in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s or related dementia disorders. Of those, twenty percent have progressed to the point that nursing facility care is required. Slightly more than half of irreversible dementia cases result from Alzheimer’s disease. Other causes of dementia are multi-infarct dementia caused by multiple strokes, Parkinson’s Associated Dementia and Pick’s Dementia, which is related to Alzheimer’s. At different stages of the disease, dementia patients typically experience:

• Progressive memory loss

• Proneness to agitation due to changes in their environment

• Incontinence

• Wandering tendencies

• Suspiciousness

• Disorientation

• Depression

Program Design

The Laurels’ Dementia Program is specifically devoted to the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s and other related dementia disorders.  This program is conducted in a caring, personalized, yet structured environment which features:

• Staffing with individuals specially selected and trained for the dementia population

• Safety and other security systems

• Activities designed for the cognitively impaired

• Family involvement programs

• Safety and security of all guests

Our Dementia Program focuses on providing compensation for our guests with Alzheimer’s and other related dementia disorders who continue to decline in their capacity to manage their lives. Our staff is able to manage wandering, agitation, unpredictable behavior and emotional stress, as well as the entire range of needs for those who suffer from these disorders. We enable our guests to achieve the best quality of life possible, given the specific limitations present, through quality care and caring.

Nurses pay close attention to those in the Dementia Program to identify medical problems that the guest may be unable to communicate.  In particular, the staff looks for signs of weight problems, dehydration and medication side effects that occur more frequently in the dementia population.