Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month at MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins

Jun 10, Alissa Sauer

June marks Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins offers free dementia virtual tours to spread awareness about the disease. Learn more about how dementia affects seniors and how MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins senior living supports those affected by the disease. 

Did you know that nearly 6 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease characterized by memory loss and confusion, ultimately destroying other critical mental functions. While forgetfulness is a symptom of the disease, other warning signs and symptoms may indicate the early stages of the disease. They are:

• Memory loss that disrupts life
• Challenges in problem-solving or making plans.
• Difficulty completing daily and familiar tasks.
• Becoming confused about dates, seasons, and passage of time.
• Trouble understanding spatial relationships and visual images
• New communication issues
• Losing the ability to retrace steps to find a missing item
• Poor judgment
• Withdrawing from social activities or work
• Sudden changes in mood or personality

As the disease reaches epidemic proportions, early detection and diagnosis become increasingly crucial for research, mitigating symptoms of the disease, and planning for a future with dementia. To raise funds for Alzheimer’s research and awareness about the disease, June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins senior living provides free resources to the community.

MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins offers person-centered senior care services, including independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. Their well-trained and compassionate staff partners with families caring for a loved one with dementia. They offer specialized programming in a dementia-friendly environment. Their refreshing approach to memory care is called Opal and is centered around seven pillars of wellness that ensure holistic care. Caring for each resident’s physical, social, experiential, emotional and spiritual, creative and artistic, therapeutic, and sensory needs ensures that residents are engaged in every aspect of their lives. 

At MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins, memory care involves the whole family. They understand that moving a loved one to memory care can be difficult. As your partner in memory care, they offer an Alzheimer’s support group and provide regular evaluations of each resident to ensure care needs are being met. Residents and their families also often experience peace of mind, knowing that our community is near the best medical facilities, including McKee Medical Center and UC Health Poudre Valley Hospital. 

Residents in memory care at MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins enjoy dementia-friendly suites featuring an emergency communication system, specially designed bathrooms for comfort and safety, and dementia-friendly menus in the community’s onsite restaurant. Each resident participates in a flexible schedule throughout the day that provides the familiarity that people with dementia often like while also allowing for individual needs and changing preferences as the disease progresses. 

In honor of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins will be offering free virtual dementia tours. This simulated dementia experience is designed to help caregivers, families, and the general public better understand the physical and mental challenges that those living with dementia face daily. 

Contact MacKenzie Place – Fort Collins today to schedule your virtual dementia tour and learn more about their innovative approach to memory care. Their caring staff can help your family restore balance in your relationship with a loved one who has dementia.