British Columbians invited to learn more about transitioning to long-term care while living with dementia

British Columbia

Learn strategies to help ease the transition and help prepare you for the move into long-term care during the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s free hour-long webinar on April 14 at 2 p.m.

April Webinar

It can be difficult to know what to expect when transitioning to long-term care, but the Alzheimer Society of B.C. is here to help. Our hour-long webinar on April 14 at 2 p.m. will discuss the experience of transitioning into long-term care and explore strategies for adjusting.

When a person living with dementia needs full-time support, moving to a long-term care home may be the next step for you and your family. Moving someone you’ve been caring for can bring about all kinds of emotion, but it doesn’t mean that your role as a caregiver is any less important. You may find that you have a different focus, like staying connected to the person or even advocating for quality dementia care. It will take time for both you and the person living with dementia to adjust to the new living situation, but you will both settle into a new routine.

Adjusting to long-term care – Tips for caregivers

The suggestions below may help ease the transition to long-term care. As restrictions on long-term care visitations are lifted, and as each care home’s practices continue to evolve, you may be able to do some or all of these things.

  1. Familiarize yourself with the home and make an effort to get to know the staff, management, residents and other caregivers. Being well informed can help you feel much more prepared and well connected to supports while navigating this transition.
  2. Get involved with care tasks like mealtime, personal grooming, etc. Just because you live apart does not mean all aspects of your care routine need to change completely or be done separately. Maintaining some familiar components of your routine can help with the adjustment to other changes. For example, joining the person living with dementia for a few meals in the dining room can help to adjust them to new surroundings and meet other residents.
  3. Reassure the person living with dementia by telling them how much you care. It can be confusing to have such a drastic change of environment, so providing reassurance can ease stress and serve as reminder that this is the best care option for both of you.
  4. Attend care plan meetings with the resident’s staff care team. Share your knowledge and expertise about the person with staff. Remember, you are an essential part of the care team!

To register for the webinar, click here