How Memory Care Activities at The Palms at Bonaventure Senior Living Create Daily Joy

In Summary:

• Here at The Palms, we aim to align daily memory care activities with a person's unique history and needs so they can get something personal out of every experience.
• Using clear visual cues and other dementia or Alzheimer's engagement tools allows residents to know exactly what is happening and what will occur next.
• Engagement should occur in short, paced sessions that support a senior's mood and avoid fatigue, while our staff will adjust their efforts in real time in response to a resident's signals.

The Palms in Ventura, CA, is a wonderful community to settle down in one's retirement, especially if one is starting to experience the challenges of their senior years. To help with such transitions, here at The Palms, we structure and personalize memory care activities as events to help residents feel oriented in the world.

We consider it very important that the family and friends of our residents understand what dementia activity planning entails, so they can stay in the loop and offer their own effective support, too.

What Is It Like Living in Memory Care?

Our Memory Care neighborhoods are secure, purpose-built communities that offer residents a sense of predictability. Staff keep track of all residents' routines and preferences within the space, helping them with any of their needs.

Daily life consists of a mixture of personal support for daily living, creative cognitive care, and blocks of engaging activity, all delivered calmly to prevent overwhelming. Sessions and activities are also composed of smaller steps, allowing individuals in our care to feel a sense of fulfillment, when possible, through repeated validation and success.

Our staff also offers help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). These are things like bathing, dressing, and eating, to ensure that seniors retain as much dignity as possible as they age gracefully.

Families and peers also often visit, helping our community feel like a community, with many residents appreciating the appearance of repeated friendly faces.

What Activities Make a Person With Dementia Happy?

It's essential to ensure that someone with memory issues remains mentally healthy, due to the direct effect depression and anxiety can have on their capabilities long-term. However, happiness for those with dementia is not always from the same source as that of those whose mental capabilities are more robust. Instead, comfort will often come from things that are more unambiguously positive, such as music they remember from their youth or food they know they enjoy.

We also try to engage seniors in some of their favorite tasks and activities when possible. Through doing this, we more often see small smiles and relaxed postures in those in our space.

Sometimes, all it takes is a sense of fulfillment, such as tidying a set of washing or preparing a simple meal. Hands-on engagement in regular daily activities like these allows someone to feel more fulfilled in their whole life, normalizing as much as possible. 

Art, Music, and Meaningful Routines

We use routines not always because they are repetitive per se, but often because they provide a good structure around which we can build a longer day.

Through doing this, other activities can feel safer. We can inform seniors of what they can expect anywhere from the next week to the next few minutes:

• Specific music playlists for morning breakfast, pre- and post-lunchtime, or bedtime can set the right mood.
• Doing more engaging tasks, such as art or crafts, after lunch prevents them from overwhelming an individual.
• Information about the coming week may calm someone who has trouble with memory by providing a tangible sense of time.

Staff will also watch for signs that seniors are growing tired or frustrated with a task, and trim sessions so the experience ends at the best time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Environment for Someone With Dementia?

It is not the specific room someone stays in that helps, but rather that they remain somewhere calm and consistent.

Clearly labeled spaces and minimal visual clutter also make it easier to perceive the world around them. Meanwhile, high-contrast signage with good lighting can support safer navigation around the space.

What Happens in Memory Care?

Often, individualized and personalized plans allow us to set daily goals for someone's engagement. Doing this also enables us to ensure their safety by basing these memory-focused routines and goalson their ability to perform critical daily tasks, such as taking prescribed medication.

In addition to other tasks focused more on leisure and taking care of one's social or enrichment needs, we also encourage families to join their loved ones. At these times, we can also discuss reviews we have made of a senior's situation, including any changes in their condition, to ensure that communication continues in both directions.

How Often Should You Visit a Person in Memory Care?

The exact number of times someone should visit depends heavily on the person they see. However, as an individual progresses in memory care, we recommend that their family aim for shorter, more frequent visits to avoid fatigue and create a sense of normality.

We would also recommend that those visiting also ingratiate themselves with the signals that their loved one is getting fatigued or frustrated. Then, before things get more difficult, they could start organizing to leave and hand over to our staff. Through this, they can preserve good feelings and moods much more easily, and leave the senior's presence on a high note.

We also recommend speaking with staff when you visit. It may be that the individual has recently found specific activities that work better for engagement, which can help you enjoy greater success in speaking with them.

Learning More About Our Memory Care Activities

Our Generations Memory Care efforts include the offering of key amenities to ensure we create an immersive and supportive environment. Alongside music, art, and pet therapy, we also offer three balanced meals and several other services, all included in the price of your loved one's time in our care.

To learn more about our memory care activities and how they can benefit you or a loved one, get in touch today and book a tour. Discover how our Ventura senior programs look in person and ask any questions you have about the level of support we offer those in our care.