When patients exhibit wandering tendencies or become unsteady, family members are often no longer able to care for them. What is needed then is all-round care that covers everything from monitoring and medication to personal hygiene. Specialized nursing homes combine all these services under one roof.
Suffering from the loss of memory and the gradual disintegration of one’s personality is an indescribable burden for everyone affected, including their relatives. But this fate is by no means an exception: Every year in Switzerland, more than 30 000 people are diagnosed with dementia, and the number is rising.
Protein deposits in the brain (plaques) are symptomatic of dementia. The picture shows senile plaques in an Alzheimer’s patient. Today, about 130 000 people in Switzerland live with dementia, resulting in total annual costs of 11.8 billion Swiss francs. It is estimated that the number of patients will have increased to 300 000 by the year 2050.
Dementia patients often need all-round care with a wide range of occupational activities. That is why physiotherapy, occupational therapy and activation sessions, for example, are part of everyday life at the Adullam Hospital and Care Center in Basel.
For family members the nursing home offers visiting opportunities in a protected environment. The lady in the back frequently visited her husband in the Adullam’s enclosed garden section, where she also received mental support. However, despite the constant expansion of capacities, there is already a lack of sufficient care facilities for the steadily growing number of dementia patients.
