How This Pharr Nursing Home is Supporting Seniors With Dementia

A Customized Approach To Memory Care

When it comes to caring for residents with memory challenges, there is no “one size fits all” approach. Here at the Gardens at Brook Ridge, a Pharr nursing home, we understand that each and every one of our residents has a unique set of needs when it comes to caring for their health and overall wellbeing. It is vital to seniors who struggle with dementia and other forms of cognitive or memory decline that they receive a customized approach of care, from their unique nutritious, brain-healthy diet, to their preferred types of therapies.

What’s Offered For Memory Care?

At The Gardens at Brook Ridge, we offer a variety of activities on a daily basis that are specifically designed to stimulate the minds and memories of our residents. Some of these activities include:

• Music Therapy, where seniors can listen to songs that evoke memories from their past. They can also join group sing-a-longs where they can explore their memories of the lyrics while also engaging in social activity. Our community even uses music as a simple relaxation technique, for example, when residents are eating their meals, to soothe their minds and promote healthy brain stimulation.
• VR Therapy, where seniors can use virtual reality technology to deeply experience new and unique places as well as sights from their past. With VR technology, seniors can feel like they are looking up at the Eiffel Tower, or enjoying the familiar sight of waves along a seashore. These experiences can trigger memories from the past, and engage the brain of the resident, while also allowing them to see and hear a sensory experience from the safety of the nursing home. To experience Paris, our residents don’t even have to leave our campus!
• Pet Therapy, where support animals are brought in for residents to spend time with, pet, and play with. This type of therapy, though so simple, can be especially rewarding for residents with dementia who struggle with socialization. Animals can relieve the pressure of person-to-person conversation while allowing the residents to have a positive social experience. Spending time with animals can allow residents with dementia to overcome feelings of loneliness and isolation, while also perhaps triggering positive sensory reactions from petting or playing with them, and memories from the individuals’ pasts that involve loved pets or animals.
• Life Skills Stations, where residents with dementia can engage in the simple daily tasks of their youth, like cooking, knitting, baking, tinkering with faux engines, and much more! These stations allow residents to use their cognitive and physical skills, while also allowing them to feel accomplished and confident. Plus, the residents are in a safe environment while performing these life skills, as the activity is overseen by trained professionals ready to help out whenever needed.

An All-Inclusive Approach To Health

Here at the Gardens at Brook Ridge, we believe that supporting the health of our residents is all-inclusive, from their daily exercise, diets, socialization, and memory care.

Residents will be fed by a trained chef that caters to the MIND Diet, which prioritizes food that is proven to promote healthy brain function. There is a sensory spa, which can reduce tension, agitation, anxiety, depression, and anger, which are common behavioral side effects in seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Residents can also enjoy staff-led exercise classes, from yoga and basic stretching to water aerobics in the beautiful outdoor pool. At The Gardens at Brook Ridge, there is little that isn’t available for residents, and their health and safety are always prioritized! Memory care is a specialty of this community, but it is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how seniors with dementia are supported on a daily basis.

Plus, at this nursing home, seniors will find a friendly community that understands the struggles they may be dealing with, helping them feel less isolated and alone. If your loved one is searching for a place to feel both supported and understood in their aging journey and memory challenges, The Gardens at Brook Ridge is the place for them!

To learn more about residency or to schedule a tour of The Gardens at Brook Ridge, contact our friendly team today.