Finding care for the Dementia or Alzheimer's sufferer

An Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis is a scary proposition.  Moving into a memory care center creates more stress for someone who is slowly losing themselves.  A loving and less stressful alternative is seeking out skilled Alzheimer’s home care.
  When a senior with dementia begins to lose their ability to organize their finances, keep their home clean, cook meals, or is not caring for their personal appearance, having a skilled home care provider can not only help an elderly loved one perform these tasks, but they can also brighten their day.  Alzheimer’s home care is actually a continuum of services provided by home care agencies.  Personal care agencies can help with companion services, dressing, bathing, light house work, shopping, eating and assist in reminding Alzheimer’s patients to take their medication.  As the disease progresses, home health care agencies can provide therapeutic care and activities as directed by the patient’s doctor.
  Prior to hiring a home care provider, there are steps follow to assure the needs of the sufferer are met:

•     Make a list of needs.  Be specific in both the needs and what the expectations are for how those needs will be met.  If the family expects breakfast and lunch to be prepared, light housework, medication reminders and assistance with bathing, they must outline these needs and how they expect them to be carried out.

•     Always screen the agency by phone first.  This not only ensures that the agency provides the type of  home care needed, but allows the family a first look at the customer service of the agency. How helpful are they over the phone?  Do they completely answer questions or provide vague responses?  First contact can be indicative of the overall attitude of the agency.

•     The majority of home care agencies will come to the patient’s home to do an on-site assessment at no charge.  Review the list of needs with the agency.  Families may want to have a few members present during the assessment so they can review the assessment afterward to see if the agency is a good fit for their loved one.

•   Make a list of routines. While this may seem trivial, we take for granted how we go through our daily activities, and we typically follow a daily pattern.  For a memory sufferer, having a consistent routine can be comforting.  Writing it down will help the incoming caregiver to continue this routine and put the sufferer at ease.

  Once a home health agency has been hired, be sure to share the loved one’s memories.  This allows the agency’s caregivers to form a bond with the patient.  The stronger the bond becomes with the senior, the happier they will be.  Sharing personal preferences, photos and accomplishments will aid in the bonding process as well.

Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!