How to Care for a Dementia Patient at Home
Dementia can be described as a loss of cognitive function that happens with some diseases. It affects thinking, behavior and memory.
A family member with dementia will require support in the home as the disease worsens. You can support such individuals by trying to understand how the person with dementia sees their world. Give the person the opportunity to talk about any problems and take part in their day-to-day care.
In this blog post, we will be sharing useful tips on how you can care for people with dementia right in the comfort of their homes.
1. Talk to your healthcare provider
You must talk with your healthcare provider to get useful information on how you can help a person with dementia stay calm and oriented, manage behavior and sleep problems, and encourage activities that are both enjoyable and stimulating.
2. Reduce Confusion
The following are ways you can reduce confusion in persons with dementia;
- Having familiar people and objects around. A picture album of the immediate family can also be useful.
- Make sure lights are on at night.
- Talking about present happenings.
- Using notes, reminders for day-to-day activities.
3. Regular Walks
This is another effective way of taking care of loved ones with dementia. Observing regular Walks with a caregiver can help prevent wandering and also improve communication skills.
4. Calm Music
Playing calm music may ease anxiety, reduce restlessness and also improve behavior and sleep.
5. Regular Checks
It is important to note that people with dementia should have regular checks most especially their ears and eyes. Hearing aids, glasses may be needed if problems are found with their eyes or ears.
Also, it is not safe for persons with dementia to drive.
6. Supervised Meals
People suffering from dementia most times forget to eat and drink and as a result, can become dehydrated. Supervised meals can help with feeding. This will ensure they eat and drink as and when due and also make sure they get extra calories because of high physical activity from wandering and restlessness.
7. Increase Home Safety
Ensure that you increase safety in the home to prevent falls, take out objects that are harmful and also improve the safety of the bathroom.
Also, persons with dementia should wear an identification bracelet as required by the Alzheimer’s Association’s Safe Return Program. This makes it easy for them to be found should they wander.
Sooner or later, persons suffering from dementia may require 24 hours monitoring and support to meet their needs, safe environment, and control aggressive or agitated behavior. This requires long-term care.
In certain communities, support groups related to dementia are available. Family counseling is also beneficial as it helps family members get along with home care.
At Applied Home Health Network, we offer respite care services that provide a pivotal break for family members or guardians that are struggling with the demands of home care for their loved ones. Our respite care programs provide a support care system driven by our caregivers with the sole purpose of alleviating the primary home care provider of their duties.
Our in-home respite care offers specialized care for patients battling Alzheimer’s and dementia which includes our standard services.
Applied Home Health Network respite care provides families with a free, no-obligation consultation before starting the respite care program, that way a custom plan can be devised for the client that meets their needs.
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