The Oaks: A Skilled Nursing Facility Specializing in Dementia Care in Petaluma

The Oaks is a skilled nursing facility in Petaluma, California that is dedicated to serving Alzheimer’s and other dementia patients. We accept Medi-Cal, Medicare and private pay payor sources. We will also assist family members in submitting required forms from other types of insurance, such as long term care insurance and/or supplemental Medicare insurance.

When researching different skilled nursing homes, assisted living, and memory care centers, you will discover that different facilities have different approaches to care. Families frequently choose The Oaks because we have moved from the typical rehabilitation model of care to a maintenance model emphasizing quality of life.

Under this model, the three keys to providing care are symptoms management, adapting the environment, and supporting the care providers (both families and staff). All care provided by The Oaks centers on a professional understanding of the nature of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The process of Alzheimer’s disease and many other forms of dementia involves severe loss of recent memory, thinking, and judgment accompanied by changes in personality, mood, behavior and capacity for self-care. No one is sure what causes Alzheimer’s disease, and as a result, no prevention or cure exists; however, the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease, like other forms of dementia, can be managed.

Studies of families caring for older members consistently show that memory problems, with their associated behavioral changes, are the most difficult problems for families to manage. Our full-time skilled nursing staff specializes in all aspects of care for residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

At The Oaks, our program is founded on an understanding that, while dementia patients may not behave like well-functioning adults, most retain adult feelings of shame and embarrassment. The approach taken with dementia patients must respect these adult feelings and protect the patient from a sense of failure or embarrassment.

We also realize that dementia or Alzheimer’s disease patients do not deliberately become more childish, irrational, stubborn, suspicious or angry. In fact, their irrational angry episodes are due to changes within them, or within their environment, that they find difficult to express or even interpret. Our staff is trained to read the nonverbal cues of pain, discomfort, urgency or worry in their eyes, their behavior and their appearance.

Our keys to quality care of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease patients are in providing security, reasonable stimulation and reassurance in order to maintain each resident’s self-esteem.

Our award-winning skilled nursing facility exists to provide empathetic, professional care when your loved one is facing a time of greatest need. Please phone to inquire about our excellent skilled nurse-to-patient ratio and our commitment to quality of life.