Long Term Care

Mobility Issues

Grace House has the ability to care for residents with mobility issues, offering a variety of transfer options including one person, two person, or the use of mechanical lifts. According to a recent survey, an estimated 17.1 million adults in the United States have difficulty walking a quarter of a mile, and 7.1 million adults need assistance with activities of daily living, such as transferring from a bed to a chair. With such high numbers of individuals needing assistance, Grace House ensures that all residents with mobility issues receive the support and care they need to live comfortably and safely.

A woman assists an elderly man using a walker in a hallway, with another person further ahead.

Falls Among Elderly

Grace House of Windham provides a small, home-like environment for our residents. With a high staff-to-resident ratio, we can ensure that the safety of your loved one is our highest priority. Adequate staffing ensures a lower fall ratio and allows proper fall risk protocols to be in place. Each staff member averages 4-5 residents at a time, which is significantly below industry standards. This means that your loved one gets more personalized attention at Grace House of Windham than any other facility.

How Big is the Problem?

More than one-third of adults 65 years and older fall each year in the United States (Hornbrook et al. 1994; Hausdorff et al. 2001)
Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths, along with being the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma (CDC 2005)
In 2005, 15,800 people 65 and older died from injuries related to unintentional falls; about 1.8 million people 65 and older were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries from falls, and more than 433,000 of these patients were hospitalized (CDC 2005)
The rates of fall-related deaths among older adults have risen significantly over the past decade (Stevens, 2006)

What Outcomes Are Linked to Falls?

Twenty percent to 30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures, or head traumas. These injuries can make it hard to get around and limit independent living. They also can increase the risk of early death (Alexander et al. 1992; Sterling et al. 2001).
Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries or TBI (Jager et al. 2000). In 2000, TBI accounted for 46% of fatal falls among older adults (Stevens et al. 2006).
Most fractures among older adults are caused by falls (Bell et al., 2000).
The most common fractures are of the spine, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand (Scott 1990).
Many people, who fall, even those who are not injured, develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to limit their activities, leading to reduced mobility and physical fitness and increasing their actual risk of falling (Vellas et al. 1997).
In 2000, direct medical costs totaled $0.2 billion ($179 million) for fatal falls and $19 billion for nonfatal fall injuries (Stevens et al. 2006).

Who is at Risk?

Men are more likely to die from a fall. After adjusting for age, the fall fatality rate in 2004 was 49% higher for men than for women (CDC 2005).
Women are 67% more likely than men to have a nonfatal fall injury (CDC 2005).
Rates of fall-related fractures among older adults are more than twice as high for women as for men (Stevens et al. 2005).
In 2003, about 72% of older adults admitted to the hospital for hip fractures were women (CDC 2005).
The risk of being seriously injured in a fall increases with age. In 2001, the rates of fall injuries for adults 85 and older were four to five times that of adults 65 to 74 (Stevens et al. 2005).
Nearly 85% of deaths from falls in 2004 were among people 75 and older (CDC 2005).
People 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer (Donald et al. 1999).
There is little difference in fatal fall rates between whites and blacks, ages 65 to 74 (CDC 2006).
After age 75, white men have the highest fatality rates, followed by white women, black men, and black women (CDC 2005).
White women have significantly higher rates of fall-related hip fractures than black women (Stevens 2005).
Among older adults, non–Hispanics have higher fatal fall rates than Hispanics (Stevens, et al. 2002).

Alzheimer's Disease

Grace House of Windham is purposely designed to be a safe environment for the memory impaired. Our high staff-to-resident ratio, which is better than any other facility in the area, allows proper time to care for our residents who have Alzheimer's disease and Dementia. All of our residents are treated with care, respect, and dignity all the time.

What is Alzheimer's Disease?
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory, judgment, decision-making, the ability to carry out simple daily tasks, and language. Most of the time, symptoms start to appear after age 60.

Stages of Alzheimer's Disease
The stages of Alzheimer's disease provide a useful timeframe for how the disease may unfold. Please note that not everyone will experience the same symptoms or develop the disease at the same rate.

Stage 1: Normal Function

No memory problems: mentally healthy and normal.

Stage 2: Very Mild Cognitive Decline (Normal Age Forgetfulness)

More than half of the population over the age of 65 experience cognitive or functional difficulties, such as forgetting familiar names, where they put their keys or wallets, or other objects. These problems are not yet apparent to doctors, friends, or family.

Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Decline

In stage 3, Early stage Alzheimer's can be diagnosed in some individuals with these symptoms. Friends and family begin to notice deficiencies in memory loss and concentration. Some common difficulties include word or name finding, less of an ability to remember names when meeting new people, job performance, retaining little information when reading, and misplacing everyday objects.

Stage 4: Moderate Cognitive Decline (Mild or Early-stage Alzheimer's)

Symptoms of impairment become much more obvious in this stage. Functional capabilities may become difficult, such as writing the correct date or amount on a check. Also, the memory of personal history declines, and the individual may seem withdrawn.

Stage 5: Moderate Alzheimer's Disease

At this stage, individuals can no longer manage on their own. Assistance with regular day-to-day tasks becomes necessary. Individuals may not be able to recall their own address or telephone number. They also may become confused about where they are or what day of the week it is. However, at this stage, the individual usually retains knowledge about themselves, such can recalling their name and the names of their children, and typically don't require assistance with eating or using the bathroom.

Stage 6: Moderately Severe Alzheimer's Disease

At this stage, memory difficulties continue to worsen. Significant personality changes may also develop, causing individuals to need extensive help with normal everyday activities.

Stage 7: Severe or Late-stage Alzheimer's Disease

This is the final stage of the disease. Individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak, and are unable to control their movements. Individuals also lose the ability to walk without assistance, sit up without support, and the ability to hold their own heads up. Reflexes also become abnormal, and muscles grow stiff.

Elderly couple walking arm in arm along a sunny beach.

Man sitting with his hands on his head, looking stressed or upset, wearing a yellow and white plaid shirt.

Lewy Body Dementia

Grace House of Windham is a safe environment for the memory impaired, including those with Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy Body Dementia is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. The disease has common symptoms with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and is common in older adults. Lewy Body Dementia accounts for as many as 20% of the seven million cases of dementia in the United States. This disease is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is the term for numerous disorders or conditions that cause dementia. The disease is named after smooth round protein lumps, which are called Lewy bodies, found in the nerve cells of affected brains. The Lewy bodies are found throughout the layer of the brain and deep inside the brainstem.

Symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia

Problems with memory and judgment, confusion, and other cognitive symptoms that overlap with Alzheimer's disease
Excessive daytime drowsiness
Visual and auditory hallucinations
Cognitive symptoms and level of alertness may fluctuate during the day from day to day
Movement problems, including stiffness, shuffling walk, shakiness, lack of facial expression, and problems with balance and falls
In about 50% of cases, Lewy Body Dementia is associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disorder

Pet Therapy

At Grace House of Windham, pets are part of the family. Our pets bring a smile to our residents' faces, brightening their day. We are firm believers in pet therapy for the elderly because it provides a sense of well-being and companionship. Pets are a cause for connecting with people, conversation, and nurturing. Dealing with separation from loved ones can be hard, causing a sense of loneliness. Pet therapy for adults eases the problem and provides a positive outlook to all of our residents.

According to LoveToKnow Seniors, the physical benefits of pet therapy for the elderly are increased mobility, increased exercise, and lowered blood pressure. The emotional benefits are companionship, a sense of caring and nurturing, increased self-esteem, decreased anxiety and depression due to the bond formed with the animal, reduced loneliness, and increased social interaction.