• Canada’s guide to retirement living and care
• Retirement homes
• Alberta

Alzheimer's Care Retirement Homes Alberta

Memory care homes throughout the province

Below, find retirement homes in Alberta with care for Alzheimer's Disease and related forms of dementia.

What is Alzheimer's and how do families deal with it?

Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, is a degenerative condition through which one loses his or her memory, brain activity, and cognitive capacities. Across the world, nearly 25 million people suffer from this terminal disease. We do not yet have a cure for it.

Alzheimer's Disease is extremely challenging for families to deal with. Indeed, watching a sufferer deteriorate would be draining for any family. Patients often become difficult or even abusive to anybody around them, including their families, to whom they were once warm and loving. Sometimes, patients' personalities become unrecognizable. In such situations, families must contemplate seeking professional care for their loved one.

Alzheimer's Disease research in Alberta

Alberta houses many Alzheimer's research projects, like the Alberta Alzheimer Consortium, the Alberta Alzheimer's Society, and University of Alberta's Alzheimer's research department. In 2011, the latter identified one of the brain's mechanisms that allow brain cells in Alzheimer's disease patients to die.

Tips on finding the best Alzheimer's care and paying

Alzheimer's treatments and research have progressed immeasurably over the past decade. Therefore, many retirement homes now have great resources to handle this disease (i.e. Alzheimer's Care Unit). Almost all Alzheimer's care homes in Alberta offer on-site certified nurses or on-call assistance around the clock.

The services that each retirement home offers depends on each unique case. However, there are some common Alzheimer’s home services, such as safety supervision, interaction with other residents, and other forms of mental stimulation. And, typically, each room has a call bell or phone system in case of an emergency. Although each home has different amenities and luxuries (i.e. private bathrooms with walk-in shower or climate control), they all share in their primary mission of creating a safe and supportive environment for your family member.

Paying for specialized Alzheimer's care is vitally important in many cases, as both Alberta's public hospitals and those in Canada's other provinces and territories, face progressive funding shortages. In contrast, private, long-term care facilities can provide your loved one with the most comprehensive and frequent care. Read a case study in paying for Alzheimer's care.

Alzheimer’s homes usually offer families as many educational resources as they need because they want family members to feel as empowered in the process as they possibly can. For example, they may encourage you to speak with someone from your regional Alzheimer’s society for additional educational support. In short, they often want you to be involved in your loved one’s care.