Are you new to the senior housing world? Confused about all the terms? Here is a brief overview to help you search for appropriate services: Independent Living (IL) – senior housing without any services.  The building may offer amenities, such as a continental breakfast or pickleball court, but they don’t offer home health aides.   Assisted Living (AL)– Home Health Aide and Nursing services are offered, along with dining and housekeeping.  Most large facilities charge for each service you use, so the higher the need, the higher the cost.   Assisted Living with Dementia Car ..read more

Our own Director of Development and Licensed Assisted Living Director at Arthur’s Senior Care, Deb Nygaard, was the first presenter at the University of MN’s Caring for People with Memory Loss Conference on June 3, 2023. The conference is an annual event put on by Dr. Joseph Gaugler and his team. Joe Gaugler, PhD, Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging & Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. Dr. Gaugler’s research focuses on Alzheimer’s disease, family caregiving, and long-term care. You can find out more on their website if you are interested in at ..read more

Losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia is hard on the family.  However, yearning for the person they used to be may prevent you from enjoying who they are right now. Here are five things families at Arthur’s Senior Care assisted living have discovered about their loved ones as they’ve progressed. My dad wanted to pursue a career in music, but right after high school his dad found him a job with the state, and he never went to college for music.  His decision paved the way for security for all of us, and we appreciate all our interest in music even more.  ..read more

When you find yourself caring for a loved-one living with dementia, the best strategies for positive interactions may not come easily.  But you can learn! Here are some easy tips to make your visits or caregiving smoother. Prove to them that they are right.  All the time.  This is hard, especially when your loved one who is living with dementia is telling the vacation story all wrong…. Again! Rather than correcting the story, agree with them, say pleasantly “is that right?”, or “tell me more”.  If you try to correct their version, you are setting them up to be embarrassed ..read more

So you’re interested in joining our top-notch team at Arthur’s Senior Care. While you were going through the application process, you may have come across references to ACR Homes. What is this ACR Homes, you ask, and how does it fit in with Arthur’s? The shortest answer is Arthur’s is a sister company to ACR Homes. To help explain the connection, we’ll provide an overview of the two entities, followed by how Arthur’s become a creation of the founders of ACR Homes. What is ACR Homes? ACR Homes is the original organization that started in Roseville, Minnesota, in 1981. ACR Homes provides 24/7/3 ..read more

At Arthur’s our animal visitors always bring a little light and levity into the room. The research shows exactly what we witness all the time: The presence of a dog, cat or any animal can transform an agitated and irritated Alzheimer’s patient into a state of contented calm. But not all animal visitors are furry and have paws. One of our favorites was a chicken with such an impressive pouf of plumage, she didn’t resemble anyone’s idea of a hen. Her name was Pom Pom and she was a silkie who belonged to Deb Nygaard, the director of development at ACR Homes and Arthur’s Senior Care. Pom Pom was a ..read more

As important as it is to provide attentive, compassionate care to loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s, it’s equally important for the caretaker to focus on their own health and well-being. Burnout is a very common outcome in a caretaking situation. But what is it? Burnout is when your ongoing responsibility or situation becomes a burden. That weighty, draggy feeling comes from the exhaustion of living with constant stress with little to no letup. If you’re taking care of a loved one with a degenerative memory loss, being aware of burnout is important to keep yourself going. According to t ..read more

When visiting a loved one with dementia and Alzheimer’s, music is an old friend that’s well worth taking along. Why is that? As you may know, dementia and Alzheimer’s causes damage to several regions of the brain that are important to functioning in daily life. The result is damage to memory, language and problem solving. As time goes on, communication becomes more difficult. But when it comes to music memory, Alzheimer’s seems to leave that part of the brain alone. It stays intact, even in advanced dementia. For that reason, researchers have taken a closer look at how music affects Alzheimer ..read more

When someone you love has dementia, you’ll notice that things are changing quickly. When they make mistakes and fumble with the little things, our instinct is to correct and remind. That’s to be expected. After all, you’re hoping that a little push and a dose of reality would be enough to lead them back to the person you know and love. As you will see below, corrections and reminders won’t always work. Effective communication with a dementia patient requires an adjustment of expectations. In the following, we’ll get you started. Forced choices Everyone likes to have a choice. But having too ma ..read more

For her internship project, Kelsey Porter thought she had created a valuable resource, a best-practices guide for staff. But when she realized it was not accessible enough for her co-workers to make the best use of, she knew she had to rethink how it reached her intended audience. Attended: Macalaster Major: Biology with Public Health concentration Career path: Physician Assistant Becoming a PA felt like this really wonderful balance of acquiring a ton of knowledge while also being a high-level healthcare provider. I care deeply about contributing to my community in tangible, me ..read more