Alzheimer’s Awareness Month: Compassionate Memory Care at Christian Health

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time to educate and share resources to support those living with Alzheimer’s and their loved ones and caregivers. Across our comprehensive continuum of care, we offer compassionate memory care services for those living with varying degrees of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia to help reduce symptoms, ease stress, and ensure safety.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia characterized by changes in memory, cognition, and behavior. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. While Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease with no cure, the proper care and treatment can effectively ease symptoms and improve quality of life.

At Christian Health, we offer specialized care for people with Alzheimer’s in several of our communities. If your loved one is living with Alzheimer’s disease, we can help guide you in selecting the right community for their needs. Because we offer a comprehensive continuum of care on one campus, your loved one can transition between care communities as their needs change.

Courtyard at Longview: Specialized Memory Care for People with Early-Stage Dementia

Loss of memory doesn’t have to mean a loss of independence. At the Courtyard at Longview, Christian Health’s specialized memory-care residence, those with early-stage Alzheimer’s-related memory loss thrive in a community that prioritizes safety and comfort while also promoting independence, mobility, and dignity.

Why Courtyard?

Our helpful, compassionate memory care experts reduce residents’ dementia-related anxiety and enhance their memory skills by offering special programs, providing gracious and attentive care, and building personal relationships to meet each resident’s specific needs. Our priority is ensuring your loved one enjoys an optimal quality of life so that you and your family can rest assured that they are in excellent hands.

Special therapeutic activities, such as music and art exercises and intellectual games, keep residents engaged, socialized, and expressive. Activities are tailored to various ability levels so that each resident receives a personalized experience to meet their specific care needs. Our team members receive special training for providing memory care, and Courtyard’s secure environment offers a safe and calming home with reduced stimulation and noise.

To learn more about Courtyard, please call (201) 848-4303 or take a virtual tour.

Heritage Manor: Skilled-Nursing Care

Caring for a loved one with moderate or advanced Alzheimer’s disease can be challenging. Heritage Manor, our skilled-nursing community, offers 24-hour individualized, multidisciplinary care to meet various unique needs of older adults, including memory care for older adults with more-advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

Why Heritage Manor?

At Heritage Manor, our team members are specially trained in dementia caregiving and deliver compassionate, attentive care to all residents to ensure they are comfortable and safe at all times. A resident wander-prevention system keeps residents secure, and a structured, specialized calendar of therapeutic activities, such as pet therapy, games, and art and music therapy, meets the specific needs and abilities of all residents. An on-site wellness gym is also available to keep residents as active as they are able to be, and speech therapy helps improve cognitive abilities and communication skills.

To learn more about Heritage Manor, please call (201) 848-4458 or take a virtual tour.

Southgate Special Care: Compassionate Behavior Management

Southgate Special Care is a healing, therapeutic environment that provides compassionate care for older adults with behavioral disturbances associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses – one of only four similarly licensed communities in the state of New Jersey.Southgate Special Care has recently undergone comprehensive renovations and an expansion to further foster a peaceful, serene setting that will help ease resident symptoms and accommodate and treat even more patients in need of this specialized type of care.

Why Southgate?

Older adults with Alzheimer’s disease often experience behavioral disturbances, such as agitation, hostility, or self-harm. Many residents come to Southgate after being in multiple other nursing care centers that were unable to treat their behavioral issues effectively. However, after arriving at Southgate, these residents often improve from the Southgate team’s understanding of their needs, expert training, and effective therapeutic approach.

Southgate Special Care has a skilled multidisciplinary team that provides individualized and person-centered therapeutic activities and expert care services to accommodate each resident’s specific needs. Team members receive specialized instruction and training in delivering considerate, gentle care to all residents so that can they effectively deescalate conflict and promote calmness, leading to an improved quality of life. Southgate’s wide variety of therapeutic activities are thoughtfully developed to help enhance resident memory, reduce stress, and promote socialization in a stimulating and social yet soothing environment. Offered activities include gentle fitness activities, pet therapy, baking groups, soothing Snoezelen therapy, music therapy, collaborative art, and mind-stimulating games, such as trivia and bingo.

To learn more about Southgate Special Care, please call (201) 848-4458 or take a virtual tour.

Ramapo Ridge Behavioral Health

Our inpatient mental health hospital, Ramapo Ridge, provides therapeutic behavioral health services with four program levels – one of which is focused on older adults struggling with mental health disturbances that may be caused by Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.

Why Ramapo Ridge?

If your loved one is experiencing behavioral disturbances from Alzheimer’s disease, such as wandering, severe confusion, hallucinations, or aggression, admission to Ramapo Ridge can help determine the best course of long-term care. Medication management, behavior monitoring, therapeutic activities, and a calming, safe environment help patients stabilize and reduce their symptoms. Programming is personalized to their needs, and the compassionate, supportive care team is available to help with determining the best long-term care options following the patient’s stay at Ramapo Ridge, whether that means a long-term care community like Southgate or a return home with home care services. Ensuring each patient is discharged to a location where they will be safe and supported is the number-one priority at Ramapo Ridge.

Ramapo Ridge’s special therapeutic activities program for adults with dementia is designed to promote feelings of self-worth, provide purpose, and help them relax. Snoezelen therapy, a multisensory type of therapy that uses light, aroma, and sound, helps older adults by producing calming effects.

To learn more about Ramapo Ridge Behavioral Health, please call (201) 848-5500.

Get Support at Christian Health

It can be overwhelming when you start to notice signs of memory loss in your loved ones. We are here to talk with you about your options, provide the care that you need, and support you in your role as a caregiver. We even offer a caregiver support group, which meets twice a month to share experiences and connect with others who are dealing with many of the same challenges. To learn more, please call (201) 848-5867.

Courtyard at Longview: (201) 848-4303

Heritage Manor: (201) 848-4458

Southgate Special Care: (201) 848-4458

Ramapo Ridge Behavioral Health: (201) 848-5500