Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are common conditions affecting 5.8 million people in the United States. Since seniors with dementia need to be continually monitored, the home is among the safest places they can live. Here’s how to provide effective dementia care at home.

Seniors diagnosed with dementia need to reside in an environment that is safe and provides comfort. For many dementia patients, the ideal place is home. The home environment provides those living with dementia feelings of security and familiarity—both of which support them through their illness.

Quality of life improves for elderly individuals with dementia when they remain at home for as long as possible and receive dependable support. The essential assistance dementia patients need may come from family members, professional dementia caregivers, or the community.

Understand Dementia Symptoms

The most important first step in the journey of effective dementia care is understanding the course of the illness. Mild dementia may start off with disruptions to memory, language, problem-solving, or other thinking skills, then progress to severe dementia, where the senior depends entirely on caregivers.

The senior’s feelings and behaviors change as a result of this progressive brain disease. The decline in cognitive abilities may gradually become severe enough to interfere with the senior’s ability to independently perform the activities of daily living. Memory care at home becomes necessary.

Ease Common Frustrations

Caregivers will notice frustrations heighten in the senior who realizes he is losing his independence. Simple tasks that he could perform easily before become extremely difficult once dementia sets in. Caregivers are encouraged to help care recipients limit their agitation and ease their frustrations.

One way to calm an agitated dementia patient is to establish routines. Seniors with dementia thrive when they know what to expect on a daily basis. Caregivers can schedule baths at the same time each morning and set mealtimes at specific times of the day. Allow flexibility for difficult days.

Encourage Independence

Incorporate extra time for the senior to accomplish an activity, whether that is putting on shoes or getting out of bed. When assisting the senior in these and other activities, give him as much independence as possible. This means allowing the senior to do what he can with limited assistance.

The senior with dementia will experience a boost of confidence when he responds to visual cues that prompt him to set the dinner table, for example. Similarly, the elderly individual will dress independently when the caregiver lays out clean clothes on the bed each morning.

Be aware that a person with dementia may wish to wear the same clothes each day. Rather than oppose his preferences, the caregiver is advised to purchase identical sets of clothing. Flexibility and adaptation in routines are the keys to minimizing frustrations in both the caregiver and senior.

Offer Two or Three Choices

A dementia patient responds well when choices are offered. But rather than confuse the senior with multiple options, pick two or three. Ask the older adult if he’d like coffee or tea. When providing options for leisure activities, ask if he’d like to watch a movie or read a book.

Maintain Safety at Home

To a dementia patient with impaired judgment and poor problem-solving skills, even the home environment can be a hazard. Caregivers are urged to promote safety to reduce the risk of injury in their care recipients. Simple home modifications are the solution.

Install locks on cabinets that contain dangerous substances or materials, such as toxic cleaning supplies, guns, or alcohol. Keep lighters and matches out of reach; if the elderly individual smokes, monitor the smoking sessions. Ensure a functional fire extinguisher is easily accessible.

Additional minor home modifications include installing grab bars in the bathroom to prevent slips and falls on the slick, wet floors. Clean up clutter to eliminate fall risks. Move extension cords out of the way to prevent tripping, and tape down rugs that the senior could easily slip upon.

Hire a Qualified Dementia Caregiver

Providing ongoing care for a person with dementia is 24-hour task. Rather than risk burnout and the reduced quality of care that follows, caregivers are urged to utilize the services of a dementia caregiver. Professional memory care at home can be scheduled routinely or intermittently, as needed.

Dementia caregivers first visit the senior at home in order to assess care needs and develop a flexible care plan. The family caregiver will receive tips to improve the safety of the home environment. Together, the family and professional caregivers work to improve the senior’s quality of life.

Receiving professional assistance with dementia care at home has been shown to allow the senior to remain at home for a longer period of time. Dementia patients living at home with support are less likely to move to an institution or die early from their disease.

When your elderly loved one would benefit from dementia care at home, choose Assisting Hands Home Care. We offer compassionate memory care services in the comfort and familiarity of the home environment. Our dementia caregivers are highly skilled, experienced, and promote overall well-being.

Assisting Hands Palos Heights

Seniors living with dementia are likely to become incontinent. When accidents happen, our memory caregivers discreetly assist the senior with bathroom use and hygiene. Mood swings are also common in seniors with dementia. Our caregivers effectively calm the patient with distractions.

If your aging loved one tends to wander as a result of dementia symptoms, our memory caregivers will lead him back to the safety of home. We also prepare nutritious meals and ensure care recipients remain hydrated. Light housekeeping, medication reminders, and grocery shopping are included.

Assisting Hands Home Care provides the highest level of dementia care in Palos Heights, Illinois. Help your loved one live safely and comfortably at home by utilizing our Alzheimer’s and dementia care services. Call us today to schedule a complimentary in-home consultation and start quality senior care.