What You Should Know About Home Care for Dementia Patients

When a parent or another loved one is diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers are presented with a new set of challenges. Both the person receiving the diagnosis and their loved ones may want to maintain as normal a life as possible in the person’s home.

What you should know about home care for dementia patients is that it will take patience, acceptance, and a willingness to get to know the new and different person your loved one will become.

Routine and Reminders

In the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s, memory lapses may seem minor or inconsequential. But they’ll still be frustrating for your loved one. Help them maintain familiar routines and offer ways for your loved one to keep their own system of reminders. These could be calendars, notebooks, or even sticky notes about where things are, what day it is, and what’s on the schedule for that day.

Communication

Try not to ask questions like “Don’t you remember?” If it’s clear that your loved one has forgotten something, this question won’t be beneficial. Instead, simply reassure the person and provide the needed information in a non-judgmental, matter-of-fact way.

Communicating with a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s requires endless patience. Get used to repeating yourself and accept that your loved one is asking the same question you just answered because they genuinely don’t remember having the same conversation with you. Keep your sentences short and break up information into small pieces. Check to see if your loved one has taken in one bit of information before providing the next.

Safety

Alzheimer’s and dementia home care must have a strong focus on safety. Patients are prone to wandering and getting lost or misusing home cleaning chemicals, electrical appliances, or tools in a way that could cause serious harm.

Think of creating a safe home environment as a kind of adult childproofing. Make sure your loved one doesn’t feel disrespected by the process, but also make it clear that you’ll be making some changes for their safety. These changes can range from removing area rugs and other trip hazards to covering electrical outlets and locking up cleaning materials, scissors, or sharp knives.

You may also need to install security devices for windows and doors that alert you when an individual leaves the home.

Respite

Caring for a dementia or Alzheimer’s patient is exhausting. One thing you should know about home care for dementia patients is that caring for the caregiver is just as important as caring for the patient.

Caregivers must build a strategy for respite care so that they can take care of themselves, recharge, and be ready to return to caregiving with renewed energy.

Honey Healthcare is a unique home health care agency that is licensed to provide both home care and home health care in Washington state. Our combination of both clinical and business knowledge makes our agency uniquely suited to providing the type of home care or home health assistance you need for your loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Our caregivers are nursing assistants or RNs who know how to patiently communicate with people who have memory loss. Call today for skilled nursing or home care for your loved one. Give yourself a break and peace of mind that your elderly family member is safe and has the help at home they need.