If you’ve noticed a parent or spouse repeating questions, getting lost on familiar streets, or growing anxious as evening approaches, you’re likely looking at the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. You’re not alone in this, and you don’t have to figure out the next step by yourself.
Assisting Hands Home Care provides in-home Alzheimer’s and dementia care for families in St. Charles, IL and throughout the Fox Valley. Our caregivers are trained specifically in dementia care techniques, background-checked, and supervised by a local care team based in Batavia, so your loved one gets consistent, familiar support in the home they know.
Dementia Care Is a Growing Need in the Fox Valley
Kane County’s senior population has grown fast. The number of residents 65 and older rose from roughly 50,000 in 2010 to more than 100,000 by 2025, and seniors now make up about 16% of the county’s population. St. Charles itself has a median age of 41.5, older than the state average, with over 5,700 residents age 65 or older.
More seniors aging in place means more families managing Alzheimer’s and dementia at home without a clinical background. That’s the gap our caregivers are trained to fill: not replacing a doctor’s care, but handling the daily reality of supervision, routine, and safety that dementia requires
What are the Early Signs of Dementia
Dementia is a general term that refers to degenerative cognitive diseases. Alzheimer’s disease is one type of disease, and it’s the most prevalent one. Recognizing the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s is important because it allows you to get those affected the care they need from the start. The following symptoms are common for individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s:
- Short Term Memory Lapses: One of the first signs of Alzheimer’s is losing short-term memory. First, little things, such as recent conversations, are forgotten. Eventually, memory loss progresses, making the person unable to recognize family and friends. They may even forget where they are.
- Wandering and disorientation: People with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia tend to wander around in a confused state because they are searching for something or even someone. Such wandering has the potential to become dangerous, particularly if they end up leaving their residence.
- Incontinence: This is a symptom commonly experienced during dementia or Alzheimer’s later stages. When the disease progresses, the individuals affected lose control over their own bodies.
- Changes in Mood and Personality: When individuals affected by dementia and Alzheimer’s are unable to remember something or cannot communicate with other people clearly, they can feel frustrated and become agitated. Furthermore, experiencing mood swings is common in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
- Difficulty with routine tasks: trouble managing medication, paying bills, or preparing a meal they’ve made for years.
If several of these sound familiar, that’s usually the point where families start looking into in-home dementia care rather than waiting for a crisis to force the decision.
What Our Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Includes For St Charles Families
With our Alzheimer’s and dementia care services, we will meet with you and your elderly loved ones to do an assessment of their care needs and a safety evaluation of the home. We then use that information to develop a customized care plan that properly addresses the client’s needs and guarantees safety.
The following can be included within our Alzheimer’s and dementia care services in St. Charles, IL:
- Companionship: In addition to being caregivers, we find importance in being a social companions to our clients, especially as it is beneficial for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Our caregivers will develop a relationship with seniors by talking with them about their history and favorite activities. We can also have them do mental exercises designed to combat memory loss.
- Personal Care: When dementia and Alzheimer’s disease progress, those affected have an increasingly tough time caring for themselves. Our caregivers will assist them in doing personal activities: restroom use, bathing, getting dressed, and incontinence cares among others.
- Wandering: Not much can be done to stop Alzheimer’s and dementia patients from wandering; however, actions can be taken to ensure their safety while wandering. Our caregivers will take the necessary steps to guarantee that your elderly loved ones stay inside their homes while wandering. We also stay with them as they wander to make sure they’re safe.
- Medication Reminders: It can be dangerous to neglect medications, but our caregivers will remind clients to take their medication, making sure they never miss a dose.
- Meal Preparation: It isn’t safe for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia to prepare their own meals, so our caregivers take on that responsibility. We prepare meals that ensure your elderly loved ones are properly nourished.
Why Fox Valley Families Choose Assisting Hands
- Certified caregiver training: every caregiver is certified in CPR and First Aid, trained in hospice-level support through Chicago Hospice Company, and trained in fall prevention through Fall Prevention Clinics of America, on top of dementia-specific redirection and safe-wandering response techniques.
- Bonded, insured, and background-checked: every caregiver passes a fingerprint-based background check before ever entering a client’s home.
- Consistent caregiver matching: we aim to keep the same caregiver or small team on a case, because familiarity matters more for dementia clients than for almost any other kind of home care.
- Recognized for care quality: Assisting Hands Fox Valley has previously been named a Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice by Home Care Pulse, an independent satisfaction-tracking firm used across the home care industry
For families managing a loved one alongside care from Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in nearby Geneva or another Tri-Cities provider, our caregivers can also help reinforce a discharge plan at home, tracking symptoms and medication changes your clinical team needs to know about.
