As aging life care managers we like to counsel our clients and client families that no approach is a one size fits all. Each family comes to us and we look at their situation individually.
It may be the right decision for a family to help a loved one to move into a care community, even during covid. We consider whether the environment where the person with dementia is currently living is safe for them. Is it safe for the other people that live in the household? By safe, I don’t necessarily just mean where somebody is physically safe, but also are they safe from scams and other opportunities for exploitation?
If somebody is living independently during covid, they may be very isolated from family, friends, neighbors, and that can also lead to situations where there is a level of self-neglect.
Maybe they’re not continuing to be able to manage their medications appropriately, or even get their medications — same thing with food and nutrition. So we look at all of these things and we try to help a family decide whether now is the right time to make a move.