Around 55 million people have dementia, characterized by a deterioration in cognitive function beyond what’s expected from aging alone. Some risk factors include age and genetics, but it’s still a bit of a mystery to medical professionals and researchers.
It’s estimated that up to 75% of dementia patients are cared for at home by family members. One of the most difficult aspects of caring for someone with dementia is the emotional toll it takes. Caregivers often experience depression, burnout, and loneliness. They also have to deal with the physical stresses of caregiving. As a result, they’re at greater risk of health complications.
During the early stages of dementia, your loved one might not need much care. As the disease advances, your loved one’s needs will increase. But, options are available to ease the burdens of caregiving and help family members maintain a positive outlook.
In this article, we discuss what personal care support for dementia includes and how to get memory care in home for senior loved ones.
What Is In-home Personal Care Support for Dementia?
Dementia is technically a general term that encompasses various diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s. For example, “home care for Alzheimer’s” and “home care for dementia” are essentially the same because Alzheimer’s is just a disease that falls under the dementia umbrella.
In-home care for dementia is provided by professional caregivers who come to your loved one’s residence. Professional caregivers are trained to understand and support the needs of people with any form of dementia. Memory care in home has actually been shown to help those with dementia stay healthier and happier and even live longer, so it’s best not to move them.
Personal care support for dementia helps older adults perform activities of daily living (ADLs), enabling them to age in place. Some of these personal care services include:
- Bathing
- Grooming
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Feeding
- Oral hygiene
- Meal prep
- Laundry
- Ambulation
All of these are tasks that you might mindlessly complete because you do them on a daily basis. However, someone with dementia needs help taking care of themselves due to their cognitive decline.
If you’re an adult child that’s become a family caregiver, it can be hard to see your parent’s health fade. You may have been able to care for them in the early stages, but as their condition worsens, you find that you’re not equipped for the job.
Whether your loved one was just diagnosed with a form of dementia or they’re in the later stages, one of the best resources available are senior dementia care specialists.
Get Home Memory Care for Seniors With Dementia
There are many elements to consider when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia. Legal, safety, health, and interpersonal decisions will need to be made—but you don’t have to make them alone.
Geriatric care managers are the supporters adult children need during this difficult time. They can help families with safety concerns, medication management, care coordination, and other geriatric care services. Initially, they’ll perform a senior care assessment. These assessments evaluate an older adult’s ability to perform ADLs, identify household hazards, take note of their general health and well-being, etc.
The purpose of a geriatric assessment is to identify how much additional help seniors may need to live at home and improve their quality of life. For instance, your loved one may need live-in dementia care where a caregiver resides in their home, depending on their condition.
At Stowell Associates, our geriatric care managers are dementia care specialists who can help you determine the right level of care for your loved one. We take a holistic approach to senior dementia care by partnering with TheKey—a home care agency that employs trained caregivers who provide memory care at home to older adults.
Together, our geriatric care managers and TheKey’s caregivers form a support system for you and your family. If your parent needs personal care support for dementia, call us at 414-348-5035 to learn how we can help.
