LITTLE ROCK—Care facilities that are specifically designed and operated to take care of Alzheimer’s patients have a major advantage in that the staff is educated in the disease process and can focus on dealing with changes caused by the diminishing brain function.

“We can recognize and ease some of the stress caused by Alzheimer’s disease,” said Sharon Hernandez, RN, administrator of Ginny and Bob Shell Alzheimer’s Center, Little Rock, which is operated by Baptist Health. “We offer a plan for each day that includes physical exercise, sensory and cognitive stimulation, and socialization. We help with the necessary routines as well. For instance, we assume responsibility for medication management so the resident doesn’t have to worry about this and the family can depend on consistency in this important area and can be assured that mom or dad or spouse will receive the medicine exactly as the doctor has ordered. When these stressors are relieved, the resident is free to dwell on happier moments such as working through a photo album with the family member.”

The Ginny and Bob Shell Alzheimer’s Center was designed for persons who span the passage from early to late stages of the disease process. Free access into the secure courtyard offers opportunities to walk or sit outside and enjoy the colors and smells of flowers and trees. Hernandez said the abundance of windows throughout the building provide exposure to light and help with time orientation. There are private apartments, activity rooms with high ceilings and large spaces for games and socialization. The inviting dining room that encourages social interaction between residents at mealtime are all planned for the safety and comfort of the residents.

Normal aging changes are addressed as well, of course, but Hernandez said the principle reason that their residents have come is that their cognitive function has declined to such an extent that their ability to continue to live at home is compromised. 

“A traditional nursing home is populated with people with many physical and cognitive deficits,” Hernandez said. “On the other hand, our residents are, for the most part, very healthy and active physically. Some are confined to wheelchairs or dependent on walkers for ambulation, but no one is bedfast. They do not stay in their apartments all the time. Some have many visitors. Some attend church or outings with their families, and some have developed deep friendships with other residents and you will see them playing games with each other or with a staff member in an activity room.”

There is room for individual needs and preferences. For example, while some people prefer to get up early in the morning for breakfast, others like to sleep in.

Some retire to bed soon after the evening meal while others are awake until 10:30 or 11 p.m.

“The center is their home, not their keeper,” Hernandez said. “We are here to serve them, not for them to meet our rules for daily living.”

Hernandez said people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease can benefit from moving into an Alzheimer’s special care unit.  In early Alzheimer’s stages many people are already struggling to keep up with the checkbook, to bathe regularly, or to remember how to make the dressing for Thanksgiving. They may be able to cover up some of the problems they’re dealing with for a while, but the stress is still there.

“When the decision that it’s time to move into an Alzheimer’s center is reached early in the disease, residents can participate in the decision making to a limited degree,” she said. “For example, they can help to choose the furniture to decorate the apartment. When residents move here in a calm and positive manner, they are not angry with their family for the decision to move from home into this new, strange place. Residents can become familiar with the arrangement and routine of the center, and can become friends with staff members and other residents.  When the stress of responsibilities for carrying on necessary activities of daily living is relieved because others are now helping in those areas, their cognitive and emotional status may actually improve.”

The philosophy at Ginny and Bob Shell Alzheimer’s Center is that they encourage independence to whatever degree residents can manage. If they just need a reminder for their bath time, they remind them. If they require a total bath from staff, they provide that.

“Their needs, of course, will grow as the disease progresses, but we are alert for areas in which they can perform because we all want to feel productive and helpful, whatever our age and health status,” Hernandez said.

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