•  Canada’s guide to retirement living and care
• Lifestyle options

Alzheimer's and Dementia Care in Canada

Find specialized memory care for your loved one

In recent years, Alzheimer’s treatment and research has seen impressive improvements, but not much progress toward a cure. Because technology and innovation has advanced, Alzheimer’s care homes, including those listed below, now have better resources to deal with this disease than they have ever had. With 24-hour on-site staff, including nurses and doctors, these communities are often the best place for dementia sufferers. They also help patients and families deal with the physical and emotional aspects of the illness, with the goal of ensuring that patients live a fulfilling and enjoyable life, while adequately controlling and treating the symptoms of their disease.

Alzheimer's care planning

During early stages of the disease, it might make fiscal sense for families to persist in providing personal caregiving for an Alzheimer's sufferer. When this becomes overwhelming, at some point, the family may supplement this with home health care services or engage local adult day programs. These agencies and program providers are professionally prepared to help Alzheimer's sufferers, and can be a healthy part of a mindful care plan. Face up to the consequences of the disease, plan as much as possible, so that you do your best to provide your loved one with the best care throughout the disease's progress. Ideally, one person in the family will take on the role of point person in a full dementia care plan, with support from other family members. There will be trial and error over time, but families can find solace in their efforts to do their best to provide the best possible care for family members in decline.

It’s a bad situation. Denial will not make it better. Planning will.

It’s important that family members face the harsh reality, that Alzheimer’s is ultimately fatal, and your loved one will inevitably require long-term care. Empower yourself with knowledge about the long term care system in your province. Understand that not all long-term care homes are the same. Plan ahead, research which are best, understand wait list times. Read reviews to find other people’s experience with long term care near you. Knowing where you are ultimately going makes the journey easier. Family caregivers should consider the availability of palliative care in the community they choose. This allows your loved one to remain in one place, and will be helpful to all once you reach this point.

Memory care communities like those listed above should be part of your dementia care planning, especially if you consider their judicious use and optimize the value you get out of these retirement homes. Budgeted for properly and researched fully, a good memory care home can be a great blessing to families. These communities often have staff with training in Gentle Persuasive Approach and various other professionally objective care strategies. Memory care communities are a good solution to LTC wait lists, especially a home with a full continuum of care. Should a loved one be able to move directly from assisted living or memory care into long-term care on the same property, the transition is much easier for both the resident and family.

Respite care and short term stays
Too few caregivers are aware they can get help from professional memory care services in their area, through respite care stays for dementia sufferers, offered as a service by retirement homes. Care facilities are standing by to help, in fact, and there are often government subsidies to help. The need for respite care is a growing concern in provinces across the country, with increasing pressure put on governments to provide more support for seniors with dementia.

In the province of BC, the Ministry of Health Services offers caregiver relief, including home care services and short term admission to retirement residences. Learn more about respite and short term care in Vancouver. Alberta Health Services has promised to improved its suite of seniors' health care services including short term help to "spell off" caregiver fatigue there. The province of Ontario lists Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) that work closely with home care services and retirement homes to recommend the best support for caregivers and dementia sufferers. The government subsidizes and supports 90 days of respite care per year, with available stays as long as 60 days. Find respite care homes in Toronto.

How to find the best dementia care

Canada’s Alzheimer’s care homes will provide your family member with 24/7 on-site certified nursing and security. Care staff are trained to help patients and families deal with the physical and emotional aspects of the illness. Communities offer therapeutic environments and services that help manage and maintain memory. Memory care is now the accepted term for the specialized care facilities for those suffering from all forms of dementia. A variety of diseases account for the other 36% of dementias afflicting Canadians – both seniors and others. Elsewhere, we take a fuller look at care for related dementias.

The goal in these communities is to ensure that patients live a fulfilling and enjoyable life, while adequately controlling and treating symptoms of their disease. "It's really important that we look at everything through the lens of our residents," says Elaine Wood of Delmanor. She speaks for many memory care communities when she says, this "is about looking at dementia through that alternate lens. It's about saying to people that, although I have dementia, I’m still here."

Memory care communities are on the front line of care, and as such they constantly improve and innovate. Canadians should be proud that we’re home to North America's first dementia village in Langley, BC, by Verve Senior Living. Insights gained at The Village and elsewhere help further our collective understanding of dementia. An increasing number of memory care communities across the country are designed “from the ground up” to deal with dementia's effects which include memory loss, disorientation and elopement. They offer comprehensive care that, in many cases, include relevant, up-to-date amenities such as mobility aids and design for accessibility, applying the latest memory care design trends.

The overwhelming trend in communities listed above is away from a one-size-fits-all approach toward communities that are home-like, intimate and above all, safe. Schlegel Villages, several of which are listed above, feature “neighbourhoods” that help alleviate the disorienting institutionalization of some homes. Similarly, Verve communities feature "Household Suites" in which a limited number of residents live in a quiet, comfortable environment with a private family style dining area. "It really helps reduce anxiety for both residents and families," says Rebekah, marketing manager at a Verve community. These innovations guard people’s sense of safety, security and routine, ideally removing any indication they’re in a care environment that’s, in fact, highly sophisticated.

Care staff, too, receive constant training to become better experts at offering superior care. Team members are carefully chosen, and each and every one comes with a rich history in dementia care. Families disheartened and distraught at the effects of the disease are assured that loved ones are safe and secure. Unfortunately, it's often dangerous for sufferers to remain in their own due to symptoms like wandering, disorientation and confusion. While each professionally run care home offers unique services, there are commonalities: almost all such homes offer supervision for safety, social interaction with other residents, games, and other types of mental activities. Most importantly, each suite typically contains an emergency communication system.

Although public or subsidized retirement homes are available, finding money to pay for specialized Alzheimer’s care is often worthwhile. Canada’s healthcare system often faces budget shortages and cuts. On the other hand, private facilities, like those above, will ensure that you know all about treatments your loved one is receiving.

Specialized care environments in memory care homes

Many memory care homes offer a specialized environment, designed specifically to help those with dementia. Some of these features are simply not available in any other environment and also make the move into a memory care community especially wise for families.

Some of the facilities and features offered in memory care homes are as follows:

• A separate unit or care wing dedicated to this type of care only
• Help with feeding, bathing and other assisted living needs
• 24-hour supervision by care staff and others fully trained to respond to specific needs.
• Monitoring of vitals, oxygen, catheters, ostomies, etc.
• Personal support workers
• A dedicated care plan that can integrate other care services (that may be hired in, if needed)
• Onsite medical staff
• Staff who understand and know how to encourage those with dementia to live happy, vital and fulfilling lives
• Colour-coded hallways that guide Alzheimer's sufferers where to go
• Secure wandering paths and even circular designs that control dangerous wandering
• Individual medication management handled daily by medically trained staff
• Weekly laundry and other services
• A clean, comfortable environment, climate-controlled and otherwise fully modernized to reduce agitation and discomfort
• Code locks on doors and gates
• Clear marking of rooms inside suites, such as "bathroom," "bedroom," etc.
• 24-hour security

Home care vs.
memory care homes

Download now

For-profit memory care homes are often used by families as an important stepping stone during the period when they are on a waiting list for long term care homes. While patients are in the middle stages of the disease, they may be aware of (and appreciate) the care they are receiving from care staff and family, and may benefit from the therapies offered within the residence.

Alzheimer's sufferers in these facilities may also benefit from onsite amenities such as massage therapy, physiotherapy and personal care amenities including hair salons and exercise rooms.

Care homes offer the most up-to-date, professional care available to help your loved one get safely through each day.

For-profit memory care homes are often used by families as an important stepping stone during the period when they are on a waiting list for long term care homes. While patients are in the middle stages of the disease, they may be aware of (and appreciate) the care they are receiving from care staff and family, and may benefit from the therapies offered within the residence.

Alzheimer's sufferers in these facilities may also benefit from onsite amenities such as massage therapy, physiotherapy and personal care amenities including hair salons and exercise rooms.

Care homes offer the most up-to-date, professional care available to help your loved one get safely through each day.

Read retirement home reviews before you commit to Alzheimer's care or memory care facilities near you.

Innovative therapies offered by some communities

New Alzheimer’s therapies emerge all the time. Retirement homes with memory care facilities are providing front-line research and treatment to help improve the lives of Alzheimer’s sufferers and to even slow progress of the disease. Here are some current innovative treatment and therapy options that your care home or communities near you may have available.

• Music therapy: Listening to particular songs could be a really powerful tool to help people remember past experiences. This has been shown to help keep seniors' minds active and healthy.
• The Java Music Club program was developed in Canada. It's a research-based standardized wellness program that encourages peer support to reduce loneliness and depression associated with dementia (and aging).
• Light therapy — Just brightening your room’s lights during the day could ameliorate your mood and thought processes.
• iPad use.  A number of homes have reported that providing customized iPads for sufferers has beneficial effects. The tablets provide engrossing games that keep minds active. They also help seniors practice dexterity and focus.  
• Socializing — Motti Zelikovitch, director-general at Israel’s Melabev care center, explains that living in a seniors home is ideal for Alzheimer’s patients, as it keeps them socially active.
• Caregivers — A really nice bond between an Alzheimer’s patient and his or her caregiver could also be extremely helpful. Researchers at John Hopkins University and Utah State University found that this relationship may help Alzheimer’s patients retain some their brain function. Many retirement homes have health care on site or allow you to hire home health care providers.
• Brain games and brain gym force your mind into activity. The best games for Alzheimer’s patients involve problem solving. Here, Sudoku and other brain puzzles are fantastic options! It is known that the risk of contracting Alzheimer's is reduced through mental exercise; even after onset, this may slow progress of the disease, according to some sources.
• Art therapy. There are a variety of approaches to art therapy, some of them run by residences in conjunction with local art galleries and museums. According to alzheimer.ca, art therapy programs for Alzheimer’s sufferers (seen in Montreal, for example) offer a “therapeutic approach based on principles of psychology and the visual arts.” These programs encourage Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers to be creative, active participants in the process of art and creation. Programs are shown to improve concentration and fine motor skills, and progress is often visible and demonstrable to sufferers, care staff and family.
• Storytelling therapy offers improvisational brain work and memory care, encouraging freedom to imagine in place of pressure to recall. Storytelling memory therapy helps people with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease to keep their imaginations and minds active.
• Pharmacological treatments include Donepezil, a prescription drug that has been in use since 2002. Other drugs and treatments are slow to market and as of 2016, there are few other prescription memory care alternatives to this treatment, although some drugs are in trial.
• Snoezelen therapy rooms have been in use since the 1990's. These are still regarded as a worthwhile stimulant for dementia sufferers.
• Day programs with a variety of activities provide stimulation and activity tailored to the requirements of those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

There is occasional new ground broken in Alzheimer’s treatment and diagnosis, but the progress of research into this disease is often slow. As reported from time to time, clinical trials of new drug treatments are rare. The Alzheimer's Society of Canada supports over $4 million of research annually, most of that in funds and grants awarded through its Alzheimer Society Research Program.

Costs associated with memory care homes

Long term care homes are often government-subsidized and provide the eventual solution for those suffering from progressive dementias. However, families seek temporary care in a for-profit home where excellent care and therapies offers peace of mind and can even ease deterioration or offer a temporary respite from symptoms.

This may not be an easy choice to make, as with so many choices that families face concerning Alzheimer's and related dementias. The following provides an overview of costs families are paying for Alzheimer's care offered in these for-profit homes.

The above is only an overview, taken from homes listed here at Comfort Life. Of course, consult with individual care homes to investigate costs and care given.

Paying

There are a variety of ways people pay for Alzheimer's care, beginning with income from Canada's social security system; we offer an overview of ways others pay for seniors' care. If you or your elderly loved one had the foresight to purchase long-term care insurance, this can go a long way toward easing the burden of paying for Alzheimer's care. In the past, Comfort Life has offered case studies of the benefits of this insurance, including Stephen Gadsden's look at the value of purchasing long term care insurance for memory care, and an article by Mary Robertson (both are CFPs) on the projected benefits of purchasing insurance now, for the future.

In general, there is little direct government support to help offset care fees. A typical scenario is that families care for family members at home, then move cautiously into care services, paying as they go. 

Retirement residences often offer payment options tailored to families' needs and abilities. While the lump-sum monthly amount may seem expensive on the surface, people tend to forget the many costs associated with living at home. Regardless of whether someone requires memory care or not, a comparison of the costs of aging at home vs. moving into any kind of retirement care can show that the move into a care home is more reasonable than some might realize. (If families are paying for home care services or are taking time off work to care for an ailing loved one, this adds to costs of remaining at home.)

Paying for memory care is one more difficult adjustment that family members must make, but there are many other people who have dealt with this. You can find support and advice from others near you through your local Alzheimer Society.

Read a case study of how one couple paid for Alzheimer care.

Is an Alzheimer's care home the right thing to do?

Find the right care

Download now

The lack of a perfect treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease and families' ultimate inability to offer proper care makes long term care an oft-inevitable need for families, especially as the disease is both progressive and degenerative. According to one estimate, more than 60 per cent of retirement home long term care residents live with Alzheimer’s Disease or some other form of dementia. There are also a percentage of people with a dual diagnosis, and this figure also increases annually.

Care today is increasingly client-centric, and as dementias are better-understood, retirement residences offer more specific services that address the memory care needs of each individual. As one care home administrator tells us, "The situation may arise where we need to talk to family members about what services we think are needed. We tell them what we think is required and we put it back on the family to move forward if they want to. We're moving away from 'formatted, one-size-fits-all solutions' that are institution-based. We find out what the client needs and we address that need."

Homes are also well-suited to accommodate couples where one spouse may require memory care while the other is still very much independent, and "they may not want to be traveling all the time to help their spouse get the care they need." Many care facilities today will not segregate couples, situating them so the independent spouse can remain aware of the other's needs. As an added bonus, typical amenities remove the need for meal preparation and housekeeping, freeing up time to spend together, or in the social setting of the residence.

If your loved one has wandering episodes or uncontrolled outbursts, follow the advice of your doctor and other professionals. Medical doctors and social workers will consider your family’s need to keep your loved one at home as long as possible and can advise when it's time to consider the move to dedicated care.

Resources and sources

alz.to: What is Dementia?
alzeducate.ca/ includes online courses and in-person training for health care professionals and PSWs, specifically in the area of dementia; this is closely related with the Toronto Alzheimer Society.
Alzheimer.ca/ includes links to many resources for families and seniors dealing with Alzheimer's Disease. You can find local chapters across the country, also.
Alzheimer's awareness is a page we update annually with the latest news about the disease, including annual updates on reasons for hope.
alzlive.com: online caregiver support resource begun by Dave Kelso. When his mother, Betty, was dying of Alzheimer's, Dave found a dearth of online help for Alzheimer's caregivers; alzlive.com is now the go-to resource for "information, guidance, news, comfort, and advice" for Alzheimer's caregivers.
BrainXChange is a Canadian initiative "dedicated to improving quality of life and supports for persons with or at risk of having brain-health needs related to dementia, mental health and neurological conditions related to aging or have experienced brain health changes earlier in life that are now more complex with aging."
FirstLink helps newly diagnosed people with dementia get the help they need as soon as possible.
Gallogly, Ann Marie. Alzheimer’s – Dementia. AuthorHouse, 2015.