Most people describe memory care as a specific type of long-term care setting geared toward the unique needs of people who are living with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. Memory care communities are usually secured environments to prevent wandering and may include fenced outdoor spaces, activity programs geared toward people with dementia, increased staffing, and other supportive features.
Although the kind of communities described above have played an important role in the care continuum, we believe they basically offer a comfortable setting in which to manage the decline of people whose bodies are being ravaged by Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. The programs and calm, specially designed environments some of these communities offer are very therapeutic, but our understanding of dementia has progressed dramatically in the last five years and much more can be done. We are on a mission to protect as many people as possible from the devastating effects of dementia. That is why we created the world’s first memory care program for assisted living, skilled nursing, independent living, and outpatient settings that is designed to help people dramatically lower their risk of developing dementia and provide effective treatments to those who already have a diagnosis. We call the program The Enhance Protocol®.
Imagine that you feel your mind is foggy and you start to worry because you watched helplessly as family members developed Alzheimer’s disease and slowly became people you hardly recognized. You are secretly afraid that dementia might cut your career short or might ruin your plans for a happy retirement. What if there was a place you could go for baseline cognitive testing and to complete a broad panel of blood work to identify what is contributing to your symptoms? Then, you are assigned a memory coach who walks you through a specially prepared, highly personalized and comprehensive report that is like the user manual to your body. Your memory coach helps you learn how to eat in brain healthy ways, what supplements you personally need based on your lab results, what hormones you should talk to your doctor about replacing, what toxic substances might be affecting you, and more. You have a check in with your memory coach every week to keep you on track, offer encouragement, and answer questions. Every three months your memory coach re-checks your cognitive functioning to measure progress and helps you complete blood work in areas where you needed to improve. You get a new treatment plan and continue working to improve.
Alzheimer’s disease is often at work ten to twenty years before dementia symptoms show up. Current research has identified many factors that contribute to cognitive decline, from nutrient and hormone deficiencies and chronic inflammation to insulin resistance and the build-up of brain toxins like heavy metals, molds, herbicides, pesticides, and plastics. At A Mind For All Seasons, we believe that memory care, as the words would suggest, should be rooted in doing things that actually take care of and preserve memory. Whether a person is trying to prevent dementia or treat an existing type of dementia, memory care involves taking steps to help the brain heal and function as optimally as possible.
The Enhance Protocol® is a comprehensive approach to memory care that involves
- Establishing measurements of baseline functioning.
- Completing a very broad panel of lab work to identify nutrient & hormone deficiencies, elevated inflammatory markers, insulin resistance, and the presence of toxins in the body.
- Developing an extensive and personalized treatment plan and daily checklist.
- Providing the tools, coaching, and guidance necessary to help clients implement their program.
- Employing various medical devices to boost blood flow, energy production, and detox pathways, while also calming inflammation and reducing pain. These devices, each of which has significant scientific support, amplify the effectiveness of the rest of The Enhance Protocol.
Memory care, assisted living, skilled nursing, and independent living communities that choose to fully implement The Enhance Protocol develop brain therapy studios so residents, their family members, and members of the surrounding community all have a place to come where they can receive expert guidance, coaching, and treatments. We are passionate about helping these communities create a new standard of memory care- one that is more hopeful and helpful than the world has ever seen. We invite all who are passionate about helping others feel and function their best to rise up and participate in the revolution in brain health!
