As the number of seniors with Alzheimer’s disease increases nationally and in Montana, demand for assisted-living facilities that can deal with the challenges of dementia is increasing.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans are living with the disease and as many as 16 million will have it by 2050. In Montana, there are more than 19,000 people aged 65 and above who have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to increase by 42 percent, to 27,000 people, within the next decade.
Last week, to mark World Alzheimer’s Day on Sept. 21, residents at Prestige Assisted Living’s Expressions Memory Care unit made kites to raise awareness about the disease. The kites featured names of residents who recently died at the Kalispell facility.
“These residents need to be encouraged to do creative things,” said Arlene Berry, a personal care assistant at Prestige. “If they are not engaged, their mind goes to places where they are not happy.”
The most common symptom of Alzheimer’s is memory loss, but symptoms can also include depression, mood swings, language problems, and disorientation. Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United Sates, according to the Alzheimer’s association.
Nicole Biddlecome, Prestige’s community relations’ director, said the kite project on Sept. 21 is an ideal activity for the residents because it keeps them engaged with other people.
There are 20 residents in Prestige’s memory care unit in Kalispell. The unit is separated from the rest of the facility and is locked so residents are secure and do not wander away into unfamiliar situations.
“This is a very safe environment for people with dementia,” Biddlecome said.
About 20 people work in the memory care unit, but family members are also critical to caring with someone with Alzheimer’s. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2015, more than 15 million unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 18.1 billion hours of care to people with dementia.
Biddlecome said Prestige has a waiting list for people looking to get into the memory care unit, underlining the growing need here in the Flathead Valley. Prestige opened the Expressions unit three years ago.
Immanuel Lutheran Communities in Kalispell is currently constructing a new memory care unit that is slated to open in 2017. CEO Jason Cronk said the facility would be able to handle 24 residents at a time. Cronk said a recent market analysis showed that more and more people in Northwest Montana will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the future. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, someone develops the disease every 66 seconds in the United States.
“The need will continue to grow in the future,” Cronk said.
For more information, visit www.alz.org.