Dementia care – how to support your loved one
Dementia is causing the UK’s biggest social care and health crisis, but with effective care your loved one can live their best possible life.
It is expected that there will be around one and a half million people living with dementia by 2040 and one in three people born in the UK in 2025 will be diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime, so caring for someone with dementia will become increasingly important to many of us.
Dementia
Rather than being a single disease, dementia is number of different conditions, including Alzheimer’s, which affect the brain’s proper functioning leading to memory loss, difficulty in thinking and other cognitive abilities. It worsens over time and severely impacts lives.
Care at home
Most people with dementia can live happy and safe lives at home, especially when the condition is in its early stages. Living at home helps sufferers feel safe and secure because familiarity will help reduce stress for someone with dementia. They can live fulfilling lives and be cared for easily.
Professional support
Carers should seek professional support in the early stages of dementia. GPs and dementia professionals can offer invaluable advice. For example, they can advise how best to deal with challenges like sundowning which is where confusion and anxiety can arise in the evening. GPs can put carers in touch with organisations that can offer support both for the dementia sufferer and carers.
Help available
Dementia care, whether at home or not is very much tailored to the individuals needs and can include scheduled visits, live in help or respite care to help carers cope. Some people with dementia need to have their homes adapted, sometimes in small ways, such as placing labels around the home to reduce confusion, sometimes in bigger ways like widening doorways and installing ramps. And because there is varying financial support depending on where they live, advice is sometimes needed as to what is available.
Care strategies
Most types of dementia care begin with a needs assessment, which is done by social services to identify the types and level of care required, the cost and what financial assistance is available.
Choosing a care home
The move from home to a care home is a big change for anyone and is entirely dependent on the circumstances of the dementia sufferer and their carer. Choosing a home is a big decision but the best dementia care is proactive and provides structured activities to meet the needs of residents.
The location of a care home is important and maintaining the link with friends and family is vitally important for people with dementia.
Care costs
The cost of caring for someone with dementia is high because of the high staff to resident ratio and the level of experience and training staff need to maintain the very highest levels of quality care.
By seeking professional help early and getting all the help and support that is available dementia care can offer people with the disease the chance of living their very best lives.
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