Alzheimer's Daughter by Jean Lee: What works in memory care units?

The Story

Alzheimer’s Daughter introduces the reader to my healthy parents, Ed and Ibby, years before their diagnosis, then recounts painful details as our roles reversed and I became my parents’ parent.

Their disease started as translucent, confused thoughts and ended in a locked memory care unit after a near decade of descent into the opaque world of Alzheimer's.

I began writing Alzheimer’s Daughter one week after my mother's death––when I was stunned, realizing Dad had no memory of her or their 66-year marriage.

I write to pay tribute to the undying spirit at Ed and Ibby's core, and with the hope that the story of their parallel decline might be helpful to others.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

What works in memory care units?

Today I had the opportunity to begin to serve on a committee planning programing for a new locked memory care unit in Medina, Ohio.

Any family member who has had to place a loved one in a unit such as this due to dementia, Alzheimer's, or other cognitive impairment knows this decision is one of life's hardest.

Please give feedback through your comments about what would be important factors for you if you were looking for such a place for your loved one.

Also, if you have or had a family member living in a secure memory care unit, please comment specifically about good practices that work or worked with your loved ones,––what actions have you appreciated from staff, etc.

Feel free to forward a link to anyone who could cast light on this subject.

Thanks so much, friends, for your input.