MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sunrise Senior Living will recognize Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Caregiver Month with Resources to Remember, November 2-8. The North American event is aimed at supporting the more than 15.5 million caregivers who provide care for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
During Resources to Remember, Sunrise communities will host informative events to educate and support those who care for seniors experiencing memory loss. Events include caregiver support groups, guest speakers and educational events on brain-healthy foods.
All events are open to the public and more information may be found on Sunrise’s Resources to Remember page.
“Being a caregiver is emotionally and physically challenging, and often times they do not know where to turn for help or expert information about memory loss,” said Rita Altman, R.N., vice president of Memory Care and Programming at Sunrise. “Sunrise is always focused on ensuring caregivers have resources at their fingertips to support their journey.”
This support is critical during the holidays, when families and friends gather to spend special time and create new memories. These occasions may be difficult for seniors with memory loss and their loved ones. Altman points to the following tips to help make communications with those experiencing memory loss meaningful:
Center yourself. As soon as you start to get upset or frustrated, stop and concentrate on taking deep, slow breaths while focusing on something that makes you feel calm and collected.
Use empathy. Using empathy to connect includes focusing on the experience of your loved one with memory loss. It is important to connect with their feelings, rather than the context of their words.
Enter their world. Unless your loved one is in the very early stage of memory loss and wants to be reminded of a date, time or other reality based topic, join their journey rather than force reality on them.
Ask open questions. Use open-ended questions to redirect the conversation and to show that you’re interested in exploring what is important to them. For example, if your loved one is insisting on visiting their deceased mother, rather than reminding them that she passed away, ask her to tell you about her mother and listen with empathy as she expresses her feelings.
Try asking the extreme. Asking the extreme means that you ask the person to tell you the best or worst thing about what they are expressing.
For more information and tips, check out Sunrise’s Caregiver Guide and Memory Care Resources page. An infographic with suggested steps on “What’s Next After a Diagnosis” of Alzheimer’s or dementia is also available to support families.
For members of the media, view Sunrise’s comprehensive press kit on memory care topics.
About Sunrise Senior Living
Sunrise Senior Living, a McLean, Va.-based company, employs approximately 29,000 people. As of October 1, 2014, Sunrise operated 289 communities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a unit capacity of approximately 26,200. Sunrise also managed 11 communities comprised of 767 units throughout the United Kingdom under the Gracewell Healthcare brand. Sunrise offers a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss, as well as nursing and rehabilitative services. Sunrise's senior living services are delivered by team members who are trained to encourage independence, preserve dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents. To learn more about Sunrise, please visit SunriseSeniorLiving.com.
