Alzheimer's Care
Just Like Home provides specialized residential care for people living with Alzheimer's disease, in two small homes in Shelton, Connecticut. Below, our founder Deirdre Virvo and guest experts answer the questions families ask most about Alzheimer's. For dementia more broadly, see our guide to understanding dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disease and the most common cause of dementia. It gradually affects memory, thinking, reasoning, and eventually the ability to carry out everyday tasks. It is not a normal part of aging. In this conversation, experts from the Alzheimer's Association of Connecticut walk through the basics families most need to understand.
Alzheimer's generally moves through early, middle, and late stages over a number of years, though the pace is different for everyone. Early on, a person may have mild memory lapses and still live fairly independently. In the middle stage, they need more help with daily tasks and can become confused or restless. In the late stage, they need extensive, around-the-clock care. Knowing the stage helps a family plan the right level of support at the right time.
Dementia is an umbrella term for symptoms like memory loss and confusion, while Alzheimer's is the specific disease that causes most cases of dementia. Other causes include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia, and each can present a little differently. Knowing which one a loved one has helps set expectations and shape their care.
Meet your loved one where they are rather than correcting them, keep your words simple and your tone calm, and lean on familiar routines and activities. Focusing on feelings rather than facts helps them feel safe and connected, even as memory fades. Small, familiar moments matter more than getting the details right.
Simple, familiar activities matched to a person's current abilities support engagement and can ease restlessness. Music, looking through old photos, easy games, art, and gentle daily routines all help. The goal is connection and enjoyment in the moment, not performance.
Only a small portion of Alzheimer's is directly inherited; most cases are not. Having a parent or sibling with Alzheimer's raises your risk but does not mean you will develop it. Heart-healthy habits help: staying physically active, eating well, keeping socially and mentally engaged, and managing blood pressure and blood sugar may all lower risk.
Educational sources: Alzheimer's Association, National Institute on Aging
Just Like Home is two small residential memory care homes in Shelton, Connecticut, for people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. We are memory care only, so every home and every routine is built around dementia.
Our homes are Dogwood at 62 Dogwood Drive and Long Hill at 757 Long Hill Avenue, both in Shelton. Founded by Deirdre Virvo, a social worker and author of "Home to Home."
