In-Home Care for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: What You Need to Know

Seniors living with dementia can remain in their homes or with family caregivers longer if they and the caregivers have proper education and resources, according to the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center.^[01]

Before choosing to provide dementia care at home for a loved one, consider your ability to offer the following care that Johns Hopkins researchers noted were vital for success.

Safety precautions

Seniors living with dementia often experience disorientation and may wander. A fall may result in hospitalization or an immediate need for a long-term care facility. Maintaining your loved one’s safety and mobility is key and it’s important to acknowledge that safety needs change as dementia progresses:

• Basic accommodations around the house can reduce safety risks in the early stages of dementia. It can be as simple as removing trip hazards, such as rugs and electrical cords, to create clear walking paths throughout the house or adding grab bars in appropriate areas.
• In the later stages of dementia, home care may consist of full-time supervision and more extensive home modifications. This may include automatic-off kitchen appliances and alarmed doors and windows to prevent elopement.

Health care

Regular medical treatment and appropriately administered medication can help a loved one age at home longer. But some health conditions, when coupled with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, present additional challenges.

Consider these examples of health concerns when determining whether you can care for a loved one living with dementia at home:

• Diabetes, high blood pressure, and other underlying conditions can be exacerbated by dementia symptoms, leading to poor quality of life.
• Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, that predate the onset of dementia, may intensify a loved one’s dementia symptoms.
• Poor dietary habits such as inconsistent mealtimes, overeating, undereating or eating food low in nutrition can result in challenges as dementia symptoms become more severe.

Stimulation

Appropriate stimulation through exercise and social activities can reduce agitation and make dementia symptoms more manageable. People living with dementia need socialization. Whether through group activities at a local senior center or frequent family visits, interaction improves quality of life.

• Seniors with early- and middle-stage dementia may benefit from memory exercises and productive activities.
• People with late-stage dementia need sensory stimulation from basic activities, textures, sights, and sounds.

Let our care assessment guide you

If your parent has refused to move into assisted living or memory care, it can be challenging to determine the supports needed to keep them at home longer. With the right tools and technologies, like dementia care apps, family caregivers can care for a parent with dementia over a longer period of time. Seniors diagnosed with dementia often face a long path of cognitive decline, but in-home caregivers can help by providing memory aids and opportunities for success.

Memory aids

Memory aids can help people become more organized and manage the symptoms of memory loss. The American Psychological Association (APA) offers several recommendations:^[02]

• Using a calendar, journal, or to-do list as a memory substitute for daily tasks
• Setting alarms or automatic reminders for medication and meals
• Establishing a daily routine consisting of engaging and meaningful activities.

Encouraging success through accomplishments

By emphasizing strengths, caregivers can help seniors with mild to moderate dementia feel a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Continued learning and achievement can reduce agitation over memory loss and slow the process of cognitive decline, according to the APA.^[02]

• Simplify tasks and routines. Your loved one may no longer be able to select their own clothes or get dressed, but choosing and putting on a hat each morning could be their responsibility.
• Provide visual and verbal cues for everyday activities. Labeling a bathroom or closet could help seniors find the door they’re looking for and avoid accidents.
• Break tasks into small steps. Although making lunch may be a complex task, straightforward objectives like taking bread out of a bag or peeling a banana may be more manageable.
• Select easy, productive activities your loved one enjoys. Consider their interests, and explore at-home activities for adults with dementia.
• Work on a puzzle or play games such as cards or trivia.

Talk with a Senior Living Advisor

As a family caregiver, providing care and support for a loved one living with dementia can quickly become a full-time job. Professional in-home care and respite care are two important resources to help support caregiver duties and give family caregivers a break.

Professional in-home dementia care

While there are distinct differences between home care and memory care facilities, home care aides trained to assist seniors with dementia care can provide numerous services including:

• Help with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and eating — especially during late-stage dementia, when someone may refuse these necessary tasks
• Assistance managing symptoms of sundown syndrome
• Sensory or reminiscence therapy to reduce agitation and inspire positive memories
• Pet therapy with specific dog breeds to help alleviate anxiety and depression
• Interaction and person-centered care while family caregivers work, run errands, or attend to other obligations

Know your loved one’s dementia symptoms, care needs, and expectations before screening and hiring an in-home care provider and make sure the aide has experience caring for individuals living with dementia. Once you’ve chosen a caregiver, share information about your relative’s life, memories, and experiences to help them connect.

Respite care

Respite care can be arranged at home, in a nearby senior living community, or at a memory care day center. Rather than a long-term commitment, it’s a temporary break for dementia caregivers. While someone else cares for your elderly family member, you can travel, go to medical appointments, or simply relax.

In senior communities, respite care may also be called short-term care or short-term assisted living. Gauge your own emotional well-being during this time. Periodic respite care may be a way for you to recharge. It could also reveal the benefits of a long-term memory care facility over home care.

Some older adults whose dementia progresses slowly may be able to age at home for years relying on family caregivers for support. But there’s currently no cure for dementia so it’s important to remember that symptoms are unpredictable and care needs can change suddenly.

Also, don’t forget that caregiver needs and abilities may change as well. Poor caregiver health is one of the most common reasons older adults with dementia move to memory care.

If dementia progresses to the point where a loved one’s safety, health, or quality of life can’t be maintained, memory care may be needed. Memory care should also be considered if your own emotional and physical health as a family caregiver are at risk. Talking to your parents about memory care and exploring options early can help prevent stress and worry when the time comes for a change.

Caring for a parent with dementia at home can become overwhelming for family caregivers. If you feel you need assistance caring for your loved one at home, reach out to our Senior Living Advisors. They can provide information about respite options, professional dementia home care, or memory care in your area — all at no cost to your family.