Can You Care For A Dementia Patient At Home
Dementia patients can be cared for at home with supportive services to help them maintain their independence and quality of life. Most dementia patients will start by having a senior caregiver assist them at home on a weekly or daily basis.
A senior caregiver is a professional who helps an older adult at home. A senior caregiver will visit an older adult at home on a weekly schedule to assist with household tasks such as, meal preparation, light housekeeping, and personal care such as, bathing, dressing, and grooming.
According to the Alzheimers Association, the top 10 warning signs of dementia are memory loss that affects day-to-day abilities, difficulty performing tasks, problems with language, disorientation to time and place, impaired judgement, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, changes in mood and behavior, changes in personality, and loss of initiative.
Dementia patients require assistance with reminders to do daily tasks such as, to change their clothing, to take their medication, to turn off the stove, to turn off running water, and other safety concerns in the home. Dementia patients also may lose the ability to drive which will require that they have someone to help with getting to appointments, running errands, and picking up prescriptions.
Other services that could help a dementia patient at home include delivered meals, medication delivery services, housekeepers, visiting nurses, home modification companies, and visiting physicians.
The Alzheimers And Dementia Care Journey
Caring for someone with Alzheimers disease or another type of dementia can be a long, stressful, and intensely emotional journey. But youre not alone. In the United States, there are more than 16 million people caring for someone with dementia, and many millions more around the world. As there is currently no cure for Alzheimers or dementia, it is often your caregiving and support that makes the biggest difference to your loved ones quality of life. That is a remarkable gift.
However, caregiving can also become all-consuming. As your loved ones cognitive, physical, and functional abilities gradually diminish over time, its easy to become overwhelmed, disheartened, and neglect your own health and well-being. The burden of caregiving can put you at increased risk for significant health problems and many dementia caregivers experience depression, high levels of stress, or even burnout. And nearly all Alzheimers or dementia caregivers at some time experience sadness, anxiety, loneliness, and exhaustion. Seeking help and support along the way is not a luxury its a necessity.
Just as each individual with Alzheimers disease or dementia progresses differently, so too can the caregiving experience vary widely from person to person. However, there are strategies that can aid you as a caregiver and help make your caregiving journey as rewarding as it is challenging.
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Planning For The Future
- Talk to the person with dementia to make sure that they have a current up-to-date will that reflects their wishes.
- Encourage the person with dementia to set up a Lasting Power of Attorney so that a responsible person can make decisions on their behalf when they are no longer able to.
- Talk to the person with dementia about making an advance decision to refuse certain types of medical treatment in certain situations. It will only be used when the person with dementia has lost the capacity to make or communicate the decision in the future.
- If the person youre caring for has already lost the ability to make or communicate decisions but doesnt have an LPA, you can apply to the Court of Protection who can make decisions on behalf of that person or appoint someone else to do so.
If the person you care for drives, the law requires them to tell DVLA about their diagnosis. A diagnosis of dementia doesn’t automatically mean someone has to stop driving straight away what matters is that they can drive safely.
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Learn About Burnout In Alzheimers Caregivers
Dementia care is incredibly demanding and emotionally challenging. Deciding to care for a loved one with Alzheimers at home is a huge decision that affects all aspects of a family caregivers life. Taking steps to prioritize self-care is crucial for your well-being and that of your care recipient.
Home Health Care Services
Home health care aides are skilled, licensed medical professionals who come to your home and help you recover from a hospital stay, illness, or injury. Aides provide skilled nursing care, physical, occupational, or speech therapy, and other medical services coordinated by your doctor. You need a doctors order for home health care services.
What to know about costs:
- Medicare or private health insurance may cover skilled medical care services in your home. Check with your insurer before signing an agreement.
- You must pay all costs not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance.
How to find them:
- Your doctor, health care professional, or hospital discharge social worker can give you a list of agencies that serve your area.
For more information about home-based long-term care, visit What Is Long-Term Care?
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Respite Care For Alzheimers Caregivers
Respite care is temporary assistance provided to the primary caregiver to allow them a break from caring for an individual with Alzheimers or dementia. It can be provided in the home, in an adult day care center, or sometimes in an assisted living residence or other residential setting. Respite care is sometimes provided free of charge or other times at a greatly reduced hourly rate. There are many different organizations and programs offering respite care services. It is worth noting that often times these are home care companies selling home care and marketing it as respite care even though they are charging the full hourly rate.
There are also federally funded programs that provide reduced rate or free respite care, such as the Lifespan Respite Care, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, as well as programs specific to individual states including Floridas Project R.E.L.I.E.F., New Jerseys Statewide Respite Care, and Connecticut Statewide Respite Care Program.
How Much Does In Home Dementia Care Cost
The hospital stay is usually stressful and exhausting, physically and emotionally for the patient and the family. In addition, the cost of hospitalization for the health system is very high, not to mention that these harmful consequences multiply when it comes to prolonged hospital stays.
Faced with this dire scenario, a specific question arises: What is the best model of care for the Dementia patient?
As a premise, a balance must be established between clinical and functional results, quality of life, rehabilitation, with reasonable costs for the system. It is then in-home care where the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary health team with up-to-date technical resources is most evident.
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Help With Legal Needs
Families who cannot afford a lawyer can still prepare documents and express their wishes in advance. Samples of basic health planning documents are available online. Area Agency on Aging officials may provide legal advice or help. Other possible sources of legal assistance and referrals include state legal aid offices, state bar associations, local nonprofit agencies, foundations, and social service agencies.
Visit the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization for free sample documents.
For help with legal advice, contact the Eldercare Locator.
Counseling From A Mental Health Or Social Work Professional
Mental health or social work professionals help you understand your feelings, such as anger, sadness, or feeling out of control and overwhelmed, and help you deal with any stress you may be feeling. They also help develop plans for unexpected or sudden events.
What to know about costs:
- Professional mental health counselors charge by the hour. There may be big differences in the rates you would be charged from one counselor to another.
- Some insurance companies will cover some of these costs.
- Medicare or Medicaid may cover some of these costs.
- You must pay all costs not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance.
How to find them:
- It’s a good idea to ask your health insurance staff which counselors and services, if any, your insurance plan covers. Then check with your doctor, local family service agencies, and community mental health agencies for referrals to counselors.
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Understand And Accept Your Loved Ones Dementia Diagnosis
A dementia diagnosis is difficult on both the patient and their loved ones. For many, a diagnosis is the beginning of a long and uncertain journey. The road ahead could be difficult, but there are resources and education that can help, says Suzanne Havrilla, D.P.T., director of home support with Johns Hopkins Home Care Group.
Many families begin their path to acceptance by learning more from Alzheimer’s support organizations. These organizations often hold support groups for patients and families affected by dementia. They can also connect families to area practitioners and information. Its important to reassure families that patients can have a very good quality of life with this diagnosis, explains Havrilla. Once they are accepting of that, it may be easier for the caregivers.
Being There For A Person With Dementia At The End Of Life
As dementia progresses, caregivers may find it hard to provide emotional or spiritual comfort to a person who has severe memory loss. However, even in advanced stages of dementia, a person may benefit from such connections.
Sensory connections targeting someones senses, including hearing, touch, or sight may also bring comfort. Being touched or massaged can be soothing. Listening to music, white noise, or sounds from nature seem to relax some people and lessen agitation. Just being present can be calming to the person.
Palliative or hospice care teams may be helpful in suggesting ways for people with dementia and their families to connect at the end of life. They also may be able to help identify when someone with dementia is in the last days or weeks of life.
Signs of the final stages of dementia include some of the following:
- Being unable to move around on ones own
- Being unable to speak or make oneself understood
- Eating problems such as difficulty swallowing
Though palliative and hospice care experts have unique experience with what happens at the end of life and may be able to give a sense of timing, its hard to predict exactly how much time a person has left.
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Cope With Changes In Communication
As your loved ones Alzheimers or dementia progresses, youll notice changes in how they communicate. They may have trouble finding words, substitute one word for another, repeat the same things over and over, or become easily confused. Increased hand gestures, losing their train of thought, and even inappropriate outbursts are all common as well.
Even if your loved one has trouble maintaining a conversationor less interest in starting oneits important to encourage social interaction. Making them feel safe rather than stressed will make communication easier, so try to manage your own frustration levels.
Be patient. If your loved one has difficulty recalling a word, for example, allow them time. Getting anxious or impatient will only inhibit their recall. Gently supply the word or tell the person that you can come back to it later.
Be aware of your body language. Your loved one responds to your facial expression, tone of voice, and nonverbal cues as much as the words you choose. Make eye contact, stay calm, and keep a relaxed, open posture.
Speak slowly and clearly. Give one direction or ask one question at a time, use short sentences, and give your loved one more time to process whats being said. Find a simpler way to say the same thing if it wasnt understood the first time.
Maintain respect. Dont use patronizing language, baby talk, or sarcasm. It can cause hurt or confusion.
Home Helpers And Companions
There are several other in-home services you can get for further assistance. These include help with housekeeping and grocery shopping, and hiring companions who can visit to help prevent boredom and reduce the potential for wandering. These services are sometimes referred to as home care services, in contrast to the home health services described above, as medical care is not being provided.
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At Home Dementia Care
During the early stages of dementia, you may find it easier and feel driven by a sense of loyalty to care for a loved one at home. You may only need to make some minor adjustments to accommodate the person until the disease progresses. If you’re considering taking care of someone with dementia at home, you may want to consider the following pros and cons:
Pros: Your loved one may prefer to remain within the comforts of their own home during the early stages of dementia for as long as possible, and this option honors those preferences. The familiarity of the surroundings and ability to maintain as much independence as possible may also benefit them. You don’t have to assume full responsibility for dementia care either, because in-home visits are often an option to address medical needs and provide support.
Cons: You may not be physically or mentally equipped to care for someone with increasing needs over the course of their disease. Caring for an elderly person with dementia can place significant pressure on your work life and mental health, among others. Your loved one may eventually need more support and supervision than you can provide.
Develop Helpful Daily Routines
Having general daily routines and activities can provide a sense of consistency for an Alzheimers or dementia patient and help ease the demands of caregiving. Of course, as your loved ones ability to handle tasks deteriorates, youll need to update and revise these routines.
Keep a sense of structure and familiarity. Try to keep consistent daily times for activities such as waking up, mealtimes, dressing, receiving visitors, and bedtime. Keeping these things at the same time and place can help orientate the person with dementia. Use cues to establish the different times of dayopening the curtains in the morning, for example, or playing soothing music at night to indicate bedtime.
Involve your loved one in daily activities as much as theyre able. For example, they may not be able to tie their shoes, but may be able to put clothes in the hamper. Clipping plants in the yard may not be safe, but they may be able to weed, plant, or water.
Vary activities to stimulate different sensessight, smell, hearing, and touchand movement. For example, you can try singing songs, telling stories, dancing, walking, or tactile activities such as painting, gardening, or playing with pets.
Spend time outdoors. Going for a drive, visiting a park, or taking a short walk can be very therapeutic. Even just sitting outside can be relaxing.
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Locating Assisted Living Memory Care Facilities In Alabama
Once you decide that a memory care facility is in your best interest, youâll want to locate one nearby. Rehab Select has five Alabama care locations close to major cities: For families needing dementia care in Huntsville, Birmingham or Montgomery, we can help.
We come alongside you and your loved one to provide a safe, nurturing environment to meet your personal and healthcare needs. In the care of our compassionate, competent providers, you can rest assured you made the right decision. To learn more, contact us today.
Learn Alzheimers Communication Tips
Communicating with a person who has Alzheimers disease can become incredibly challenging, but much of what a family caregiver does depends upon mutual understanding. Without clear communication, both caregivers and patients are left feeling frustrated and misunderstood. When combined with ample practice and patience, the following suggestions can improve interactions and facilitate daily care tasks.
- Choose simple words and short sentences and use a gentle, calm tone of voice.
- Speak slowly and clearly, but do not talk to the person with Alzheimers like a baby.
- Maintain respect dont speak about them as if they werent there.
- Minimize distractions and background noise, such as the television or radio, to help the person focus on and process what you are saying.
- Allow enough time for them to respond, and be careful not to interrupt.
- If you cant understand what they are trying to say, look for nonverbal clues and take their surrounding environment into consideration.
- Learn to interpret gestures, descriptions and substitutions.
- Offer choices instead of asking open-ended questions.
Read more:10 Tips for Talking to Someone With Alzheimers
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Dont Neglect Your Own Needs
By always focusing so diligently on your loved ones needs throughout the progression of their dementia, its easy to fall into the trap of neglecting your own welfare. If youre not getting the physical and emotional support you need, you wont be able to provide the best level of care, and youre more likely to become overwhelmed and suffer burnout.
Plan for your own care. Visit your doctor for regular checkups and pay attention to the signs and symptoms of excessive stress. Its easy to abandon the people and activities you love when youre mired in caregiving, but you risk your health and peace of mind by doing so. Take time away from caregiving to maintain friendships, social contacts, and professional networks, and pursue the hobbies and interests that bring you joy.
Talk to someone. Talk to a trusted friend, family member, clergy member, or therapist, about what youre going through. The simple act of talking face-to-face with someone who cares can be extremely catharticand a great stress reliever.
Stay active. Regular exercise not only keeps you fit, it releases endorphins that can really boost your mood. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days. If you cant get away for that long at once, break the time up into 10-minute sessions throughout the day.