What Can a Dementia Care Agency Do in Your Own Home?
Most people, when they think about dementia care, focus on live-in facilities. Indeed, most dementia patients do eventually benefit from living in a dementia care center where they can receive constant observation and care. But if your loved one is not ready for this around-the-clock care yet, that doesn't mean they don't need dementia care at all. They may really benefit from some in-home care from a dementia care agency at this stage of their disease. Here's a look at what dementia care services can do for your loved one in their own home.
1. Medication Monitoring
Medications can help manage the symptoms of dementia and keep them from worsening, but the fact that dementia makes patients forgetful means that a lot of dementia patients don't take their meds as instructed. A local dementia care agency can send a nurse to stop by once a day and administer medications. They can also put meds in pill packs for you to help your loved one take later on.
2. Companionship
For many patients with dementia, being alone tends to make symptoms worse. If you work during the day and have other family responsibilities, then your loved one may be alone for much of the day. A dementia care agency can have someone stop by, even if it is just for an hour or two every day, to visit with your loved one. Simply having some conversations with this person, playing some board games, and even watching TV alongside them can help keep them stimulated and minimize their symptoms.
3. Bathing and Hygiene Care
Dementia sometimes causes patients to stop caring for themselves and performing daily hygiene tasks. This may be because the tasks are difficult for them to perform physically, but it may also be because they're simply forgetting to do things like brush their teeth. A dementia care agency can send a caregiver to help bathe your loved one, trim their fingernails, maintain their hair, and so forth. It is often easier to have a professional do this for your loved one than to do it for yourself. Professionals are trained to offer this care with dignity and tact, minimizing embarrassment.
Dementia care is not just a live-in service. Your loved one can remain in their own home for quite a while, meanwhile taking advantage of a local dementia care agency to offer some services to make their life easier.