For millions of older Americans, moving into a nursing home is a common step as many start to require more assistance and specialized care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 1.4 million residents live in a nursing home facility and are likely to make it their permanent residence for the rest of their lives. Older individuals move to nursing homes for a number of reasons from a short visit after a surgery to a permanent stay after suffering from a memory loss issue like Alzheimer’s.

Today, there are a great number of nursing home facilities that are specialized in memory care or have a specific wing or unit for elders with dementia. If you are a caregiver or relative to an elderly loved one, here are some signs of dementia and some steps to consider when moving him or her into a nursing home facility:

What is Dementia?

Many people think that dementia is a specific disease affecting the brain, but instead, it is a term that describes the wide range of symptoms associated with memory loss and other cognitive skills severe enough to interfere with an individual’s ability to perform simple, daily tasks. There are two common types of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Alzheimer’s accounts for about 80% of dementia cases, while vascular dementia occurs after a stroke. Alzheimer’s disease occurs when there are high levels of a certain protein inside and outside of brain cells, making it hard for the cells to stay healthy and communicate properly and the hippocampus (the learning and memory center of the brain) becomes damaged, leading to memory loss.

Many people assume that dementia is a natural part of aging and is often mistakenly called “senility”, but dementia occurs when brain cells have been damaged due to depression, medication side effects, alcohol abuse, thyroid issues, and even vitamin deficiencies. While damage is often permanent, some damage can be stopped or prevented from getting worse when certain condition (listed above) are treated.

The Warning Signs of Dementia

Although dementia can affect each individual differently, depending on the type of dementia one has, there are common warning signs that can alert a caregiver or a relative that an elderly individual may have dementia. Some signs may include, but are not limited to:

Memory Loss: Forgetting newly learned information, asking for the same information repeatedly, forgetting important dates or information.

Struggle with Planning or Solving: An individual may be showing a early sign of dementia if he or she struggles with tasks that used to be easy such as simple math problems, keeping track of bills and important paperwork, and following a familiar recipe.

Unaware of Time or Place: Everyone may lose track of time every now and again, but when someone doesn’t know how he or she got to where he or she is or is confused about a time or place, he or she may have dementia.

Change in Mood or Personality: Damage to brain cells can make someone seem like he is someone else. He or she may not enjoy things like he or she used to or doesn’t trust or feel comfortable around friends and family.

Time to Move

When someone starts to show signs of dementia, many caregivers and loved ones try to “cover up” any evidence. Unfortunately, over time, particularly as the symptoms get worse, it becomes harder to help out and manage the symptoms like memory loss, changes in moods, and struggling to do daily tasks. As symptoms worsen, the health and overall safety of the individual with dementia is at risk.

According to Salvi, Schostok, & Pritchard, PC, early planning and research can make for an easier transition when it’s time to move a loved one into a nursing home. Before an incident occurs, such as getting lost or causing harm to oneself, caregivers and loved ones should begin to plan a move into a nursing home facility where the individual can receive the specialized and safe care that he or she needs.