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Pickering-Ajax Memory Care

Find the best help for Alzheimer's and dementia in Durham Region

If you are searching for care for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease in the Ajax-Pickering district you have a variety of options. Find the best care in the region in the list below.

How to get started with making the right choices for you

Families dealing with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's or other dementia will begin with healthcareathome.ca which has branches throughout the area, with a central office in Whitby. The LHIN offers an excellent overview of public healthcare services available to you. However, privately funded care is an alternative that families should also be aware of.

Our focus here is on the advantages offered by private health care providers. Private help includes both home care services that help for your loved one in the home, and several kinds of advantageous services offered by retirement residences. Both of these types of care can be helpful aids to families as they deal with dementia.  Consider the advantages of each as you care for parents and loved ones with deteriorating health. 

Care options that match progressive stages of the disease

Home care services and adult day programs are two closely related services that can help with caregiving during early to middle stages of Alzheimer's. Home care can be hired into the home to help with feeding, bathing and other daily living tasks that become harder as the Alzheimer's patient's cognitive functioning deteriorates. Central East LHINs may provide you with assistance in finding and paying for in-home care. However, you might also consider hiring targeted help on your own, to help out with your aging loved one. If you can get help, this will improve your patience level and other fatigue factors, and make you a better caregiver. 

Respite care stays are another way to have yourself "spelled off" in caregiving efforts. In addition to the availability of home care services, this is a service offered by many retirement homes and residences. This service is subsidized by the Ontario government, which covers up to 90 days of respite care per year for single stays of up to 60 days in a row. This allows caregivers in Pickering-Ajax to take a vacation or simply a break from caregiving. Take a closer look at some of your options in respite care on the eastern side of the GTA.

In later stages of the disease, families need to begin to look at long term care. As there are waiting lists for this type of care, families need to look at alternatives. Even if you are not interested in a long commitment, memory care facilities like those listed above can be worthwhile while you are in the later stages of waiting for long term care.

Advantages of using memory care facilities

• Retirement residences offer a kind of middle ground between hospital care and remaining at home. Residences are home-like in that suites can be private, there are healthy people their own age and there are many home-like accoutrements including plants, furniture, lounges and more. There is also on-site healthcare that may include nursing staff, an onsite doctor, a pharmacy and more.
• Memory care therapies have been shown to alleviate or at least slow memory loss and other symptoms of dementia.
• Care offered in retirement homes often has a rejuvenating effect and can extend life.

Costs of memory care in Pickering-Ajax

Costs for this type of care can be considered reasonable (under $4,000 per month in some cases) when you recognize that this includes all housing costs, meals provided, and many levels of personal care including feeding assistance, transfer assistance and more. Memory care facilities have many advantages over remaining in the home. Many families choose to use memory care facilities as a temporary stop while they wait for a bed in a long term care facility. This can provide targeted help to get you through the waiting time. 

Help and support for caregiving families

Be sure to avail yourself of all available government help available to you. We offer a close look at some of the surprising benefits that are available to Canadian families in our lengthy look at caregiver benefits.

At Comfort Life, we wish you all the best in your search.

Read Oshawa seniors' home reviews before you commit to any retirement residence in Durham Region.