Addressing the growing demand for memory care: Staff shortage hinders capacity at The Glen

Feb. 28—The Memory Care Center at The Glen at Hiland Meadows has not been able to fill the available units for people with Dementia, Alzheimer's, and similar memory conditions, due to the need for staff, despite having been open for a year, officials have said.

Andrea Herbert, executive director of The Glen, spoke to the Post Star about the issue.

"When we had a market study done in 2016, there was a need for at least 100 additional units of memory care in the area. So, we decided to start with 30 based on what we could handle operationally," Herbert said. "We are definitely seeing the demand—the applications for memory care [rooms]. The staff to provide the care is what is the challenge. We are increasing our occupancy as we increase our staff. In the first four months, we could have filled every room if we had the staff."

The Glen at Hiland Meadows opened their Memory Care Center last fall. The Post-Star reported recently that the Memory Care Center received a donation to assist in funding for its residents.

According to the Glen, the Glens Falls area needs healthcare workers, and with an ever-growing aging population, without workers, living communities such as those at The Glen cannot reach capacity, despite the demand.

"It's significant. not buildings '," ", .

It is not just healthcare for memory conditions. According to the Glens Falls Hospital, there are currently 399 total full-time vacancies, including roles in clinical, environmental services and facilities, nutritional services, and administrative positions.

Paul Simeca, chief executive officer of Glens Falls Hospital said they are in high need of all kinds of workers.

"Caregivers across every sector of healthcare, whether it's home care, acute care, office space care, long term care — there's just not enough caregivers," Smeca said.

For the Glens Falls region, the needs for memory loss care are substantial.

"As we are in a population that continues to age, and as every day we learn more and more about memory and the impact on the overall health status of an individual, we have to make sure that is something we address with every patient that comes our way," Scimeca said.

The Glen'sMemory Care Center is in a direct response to the need for a memory loss care community, and the overall needs are broad and go beyond health care providers, including the need for mental stimulation, interaction with others, generally for socialization are part of the solution.

"The value of socialization in slowing the disease is significant. Interaction with different people, the socialization, even exposure to different activities, it mentally stimulates the brain, so it helps fight against that disease process which helps people stay longer in that mild to moderate stage of care and not move as quickly to a nursing home," Herbert said in an interview.

COVID brought elevated feelings of isolation and loneliness during the mandated quarantines, and with it, the ability to relate to many in our aging community.

"We saw during COVID, people who had very mild dementia, it escalated so much faster. We saw it definitely impact people," Herbert said.

According to results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly, "feeling lonely rather than being alone is associated with an increased risk of clinical dementia in later life and can be considered a major risk factor that, independently of vascular disease, depression and other confounding factors, deserves clinical attention."

Loneliness is a possibility for anyone, regardless of independent or assisted living.

"Whether you're at home or in an assisted living facility, it's important to ensure that you have a mechanism to interact with others," Hogan O'Connor said.

The understanding of the significance of socialization has come with the increased understanding of memory loss within the past few decades.

The brain is 40%

"There are 70 different conditions that can mimic dementia... That's why it is so important to get a clinical assessment. Hogan O'Connor said.

Many things have changed for how caretakers approach care for those with memory loss, and we continue to learn more and more as time passes.

Sarah "S.C." Douglas is a reporter who covers Washington County and municipalities therein. Her beat is Education. Contact: 518-742-3320, sdouglas@poststar.com.

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