Men are moving into memory care communities at a much quicker pace than women, as their move-ins increase 14% faster than their female counterparts, according to A Place for Mom (APFM) data.
The senior living referral service surveyed its data on men seeking senior care from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2014, and found that male move-ins to memory care communities are gradually catching up to women.
“While women continue to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease at a higher rate, we are seeing a significant increase in men seeking memory care with the number of our male residents doubling in the past 18 months,” said Megan Carnarius, registered nurse and executive director of Balfour Cherrywood Village, an Alzheimer’s and memory care community in Louisville, Colo.
In looking at a one-year span, APFM’s data from Aug. 1, 2013, to July 31, 2014, shows that males age 62 and older — who had moved into a community after being referred there by APFM — are 27% more likely than women to require memory care services. Additionally, when men need memory care services, they are 8% more likely to exhibit wandering tendencies and are 30% more likely to have issues with combative behavior.
“As we see more men seeking memory care services, senior care providers are preparing for this potential shift in demographics and are implementing more specific training and care initiatives to address the memory care needs of both women and men,” said Dan Willis, senior vice president of Partner Services at APFM.
Finding new ways to engage men, knowing how to diffuse aggressive behavior and encouraging independence when possible are some ways memory care providers are addressing this shift in demographics.
Written by Emily Study
