Excerpt from: The Canadian (click for full article)
Managing the care of people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias
in long-term care facilities is becoming more difficult every day for
several reasons. In years past it was possible and reasonable to house
those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s with the general population and keep a
close eye to prevent them from walking out the door. As more and more
people with Alzheimer’s have been admitted and the demand for this
specialized care has increased, it has become safer to accommodate them
in a special unit where exits are kept locked to protect the residents.
Even the most experienced and talented administrator can feel
overwhelmed and lost in the sea of demands of maintaining a minimum
quality of care.
The ongoing daily demands of providing care for
people living with Alzheimer’s can also affect the ability of the
nursing workforce to function effectively. A weakened immune system can
leave them sick or unable to catch up on much-needed sleep. And the
constant need to run from one resident’s needs to another leaves little
time to eat or take scheduled breaks. The dedication is there, but the
demands are often simply too great.
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