homelike

Gardens provide many benefits in addition to landscaping beauty. Researchers have found that the accessibility to nature is an important factor in life satisfaction.  Gardening or horticulture therapy offers many benefits for people of all ages and skill levels. Benefits include working with nature, physical exercise, alleviating stress and depression, providing social interaction, and using thinking skills and problem solving. Working in the garden can be a great relaxation practice to reduce stress levels and related conditions.

There has been an increased acknowledgement of the restorative value of gardens and plants in care communities for the elderly.  Specific benefits for the elderly who work in gardens and with plants include increasing their attention span, elevating their concentration skills, and providing gentle exercise which can increase their strength and muscle tone. Patients with dementia tend to feel safe in an enclosed garden area which lessens their anxiety.

Gardening also brings the community together. The Courtyard of Loveland has partnered with the Loveland Youth Gardeners. The Leaf Out interns visit The Courtyard Gardens all summer working together with our residents tending to our flower and vegetable gardens. Our residents enjoy their youthful energy and in turn the young volunteers learn to treasure our elders. The gardens at the Courtyard of Loveland Care Community offer our residents landscape beauty, the joy of nature, companionship, health benefits, and fresh garden to table food.

People with a dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis may tend to wander related to confusion. A wander guard protection system is a device used to protect people when they are at risk for wandering.  A wander guard system installed in a building is wired with a rapid response radio frequency that sets off an alarm when residents who are wearing a corresponding bracelet, with a transmitter, attempt to exit the building without an escort. The alarm panel also displays the resident’s exit site which allows staff to immediately locate and redirect the resident back into a safe environment. Residents who are at risk for wandering are required to have a doctor’s order to wear the bracelet.  Residents who wear the bracelets are able to leave the facility in the company of family or other escorts using a bypass code that prevents the alarm from sounding.

Roam Alert is the system that the Courtyard uses to protect our residents who are at risk for wandering. This system provides security in the least restricted environment without a locked unit. Keeping our residents safe and secure with wander guard protection is a service we offer as part of the quality resident-centered care that we provide. The Courtyard of Loveland is one of the few assisted living care communities in Northern Colorado that offers a wander guard system.

Respite care is a temporary stay at a facility that can provide care for your loved one when a caregiver or family member may not be available due to family emergency, surgery, vacation, etc. When an instance like that arises and additional professional help is needed, the Courtyard can provide that type of pre-planned assistance and care.

We welcome loved ones while the caregiver is away and provide the same home-like environment and round-the-clock care for those who come to stay temporarily as well as permanently. Loved ones who come to the Courtyard are able to stay from anywhere between three days to three weeks as long as they are able to meet basic requirements of Assisted Living Facilities and we can meet their needs. Respite care provides medication administration, personal care assistance, three home-cooked meals, activities, socialization, and nursing consultation.

Respite care allows caregivers and family members peace of mind so that they are able to take time to care for themselves knowing their loved one is in good hand in our Care Community.

We all may have somewhat different ways of achieving these things, and an assisted living residence should provide varied opportunities for seniors to achieve them. When you are evaluating an assisted living residence, the following are some important approaches to enhancing wellbeing:

• A pleasant, homelike environment that makes for a gracious and welcoming atmosphere.

• Convenient transportation, so that seniors can visit events and places independently.

• A variety of activities, such as shopping outings, informal get-togethers, art classes, parties, fun events like bingo nights and bowling outings, gardening, and trips to interesting local places and cultural events.

• Occasions for spiritual reflection, such as interdenominational services and Bible study groups.

• Encouraging family members to visit and enjoy the events of the facility, such as board games or gardening.

• Services that allow seniors to feel pampered and looking their best, such as a beauty salon, manicures, and massages.

• Visits from neighborhood groups, such as children’s choirs and preschool classes, which keep seniors part of the community.

With such a wide menu of choices, which can be found at assisted living facilities that value seniors’ independence and quality of life, everyone is bound to find plenty of ways to experience wellbeing every day.