When is it time to move to long-term care?

Canadians often dread a move to long-term care (LTC). However, individuals living with dementia will likely need this type of care at some point during the course of their disease. In fact, 57% of seniors living in a residential care home have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and/or other dementia¹ and 70% of all individuals diagnosed with dementia will die in a nursing home².

The Alzheimer Society has an obligation to support a better experience of moving to and living in LTC for everyone – individuals with dementia, their family and staff. That’s why they’ve launched a new resource to help individuals living with dementia and their families through the many complex issues involved in moving to long-term care.

This resource includes a four piece set of evidence based resources to support families and individuals with dementia as they:

1. Consider a move to long-term care
2. Prepare for a move
3. Handle moving day
4. Adjust after a move

Each of the four resources can be downloaded in English at http://bit.ly/2jEjlZI and in French at http://bit.ly/2jjGwFp from the Alzheimer Society of Canada website.

1 Canadian Institute for Health Information, Caring for Seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Forms of Dementia, August 2010.
² Mitchell S, Teno J, Miller S, Mor V: A national study of the location of death for older persons with dementia.  JAGS 2005, 53:299-305