Alzheimer’s Special Care Units

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well being of a resident with Alzheimer’s disease or a related forms of dementia.
In order to understand what benefits a person will receive from a special care unit, we must first examine what dementia is. When most people think of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, probably the first symptom to come to mind is forgetfulness of memory loss. While many people believe that senility is an inevitable symptom that comes with age, it is important to remember that memory loss is pathologically based, not age based. It is normal to forget where one put their keys-- that is not a problem. When one sees a set of keys, however, and cannot remember what they are or their function-- this is a problem. When we consider those who live in special care units, we refer to not only those with Alzheimer’s disease but also with related disorders. These related disorders include dementias caused by multiple strokes, heart attacks, thyroid problems, and nutritional deficiencies ...

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the restraint necessary for safety and the care and patience needed for dignity. In order to maintain this precious balance, the design of the unit must be carefully thought out to include inconspicuous safety features. Wandering and escape behaviors are often of special concern because of the danger involved. In many cases, if a resident were to wander outside a secure environment the way back would be lost inside the confusion caused by a dementing illness. In order to divert the ARD residents’ focus away from using any doors, it may be useful to place scenic posters on the doors, or place brightly colored streams across them. Probably the most inconspicuous way to distract ...

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