Private dementia care at Highview Kitchener while you wait for a long-term care room in Ontario.
When someone you love has dementia and is waiting for a long-term care room in Ontario, knowing what to do in the meantime can be difficult.
Perhaps they're no longer safe living at home. Maybe they're spending too much time alone, their dementia is progressing, or the person providing most of their care is becoming exhausted.
You know something needs to change.
But the long-term care room offer hasn't come.
At Highview, we regularly talk with families in this situation. And we often introduce them to an option they may not have considered.
We call it the Gap Strategy.
Have a Conversation With Us
Have questions about Highview Kitchener? We're happy to talk it through.
What Is the Gap Strategy?
The Gap Strategy is quite simple.
When someone can no longer remain at home comfortably or safely, but they're still waiting for a long-term care room, private dementia care can provide the support they need in the meantime.
At Highview Kitchener, that means moving into a home dedicated to supporting people who have dementia, where experienced Associates provide care and companionship throughout the day and night.
The person moving in knows, and their family knows, that this may not be their forever home.
Depending on their financial circumstances, they may live at Highview for a few weeks, several months, or longer, until their long-term care room becomes available.
And that's okay.
The goal is to make life better today, rather than waiting for a crisis before making a change.
How Do You Know When It's Time?
This decision is rarely clear-cut.
Families often do an extraordinary job of supporting someone they love at home. But as dementia progresses, the demands of caregiving can become increasingly difficult.
Sometimes the signs develop gradually: missed medications, difficulty managing meals, or someone who was once very social now spending most of their day alone.
Other times, something happens that changes everything.
Someone with dementia leaves home and becomes lost, even once. Or the primary caregiver becomes ill, injured, or so exhausted that they can no longer safely provide the care that's needed.
A fall can also change the situation very quickly.
These are moments when families may suddenly face decisions they had hoped to make gradually.
And too often, the next stop is the hospital emergency department.
Related reading: Dementia: Four Signs It Is Time to Make a Change
Why Wait for a Crisis?
An emergency department is the last place we want someone with dementia to be if there is another way to meet their care needs.
Hospitals provide essential care when someone is ill or injured. But a busy emergency department can be especially difficult for someone with dementia, with unfamiliar surroundings, noise, long waits, and changes to their usual routines.
We encourage families to explore their options before reaching that point.
Moving into a dementia care home can provide daily support, security, meals, activities, and companionship. Sometimes, moving earlier may help avoid an emergency department visit when care at home has become difficult to manage.
And the long-term care application can continue while the person is living at Highview.
You don't have to wait for the room offer to make life better today.
An Opportunity to Be Family Again
This may be one of the most meaningful benefits of the Gap Strategy.
When someone you love needs increasing care, your relationship can gradually change.
A husband becomes a full-time caregiver. A daughter becomes responsible for medications, meals, bathing, and appointments.
The relationship can begin to revolve around everything that needs to be done.
When the person you love moves into Highview, our Associates take on the daily care responsibilities.
And you have an opportunity to return to being their husband, wife, daughter, son, sister, or friend.
Instead of every visit being about caregiving, it can be about being together.
What Happens When the Long-Term Care Room Offer Arrives?
This is where Highview's approach is especially helpful.
There is no minimum length of stay at Highview.
There is no advance notice required when someone receives their long-term care room offer and needs to move.
And there are no additional fees or financial obligations after moving out.
We understand that families may receive a room offer and need to move into the long-term care home within 24 or 48 hours.
That's not a problem.
Whether someone has lived at Highview for a few weeks or several months, we'll support that transition. We can also connect families with trusted external moving partners to help make both moving in and moving out as easy as possible.
The Gap Strategy is intended to provide flexibility, not create another obstacle.
Private Dementia Care at Highview Kitchener, Ontario
Highview Kitchener is a private home dedicated to dementia care, supporting people living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Our Associates have specialized dementia care experience and provide support around the clock.
Daily life is centred on familiar routines, meaningful activities, companionship, and opportunities to remain involved in everyday life.
Our Associates encourage people to continue participating in activities that are familiar to them, doing things with them rather than automatically doing things for them.
Whether someone lives with us for a few weeks, several months, or longer, our commitment is the same: to get to know them, support their independence, help them feel at home, and provide the care they need as their dementia progresses.
Dementia Care for Families in Kitchener-Waterloo and Surrounding Communities
Highview Kitchener welcomes families from across Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, including neighbourhoods such as Doon, Forest Heights, Stanley Park, Westmount, Huron Park, and surrounding areas.
We also support families exploring private dementia care from nearby communities, including Breslau, Elmira, St. Jacobs, New Hamburg, Baden, Ayr, Woodstock, Guelph, Elora, Fergus, Milton, and the surrounding communities of Waterloo Region and Wellington County.
For families waiting for a long-term care room in Kitchener-Waterloo or the surrounding area, having another care option close to home can make an important difference.
You Don't Have to Wait Until Things Become Unmanageable
If someone you love is waiting for long-term care, but life at home is becoming increasingly difficult, there may be another option.
We understand that private dementia care is also a financial decision, particularly when the longer-term plan is a government-subsidized long-term care home. We'll help you understand the costs so you can decide whether the Gap Strategy is right for your family.
Whether you're planning ahead or things have already become difficult at home, we're happy to have a conversation.
We'd love to learn a little more about the person you love and explore how we might be able to help.
You're welcome to visit Highview Kitchener, see our home, and ask questions. There's no obligation.
Sometimes, knowing there's another option can make all the difference.
Have a Conversation With Us
Have questions about Highview Kitchener? We're happy to talk it through.