Page 22 - tmp

22 COMPANION, HOME HEALTH CARE & HOSPICE CARE

By: Kevin Bush
Senior care for dementia can rapidly address,
manage and improve the quality of life, not
only of the sufferer of this condition, but also
for family members and loved ones involved
in their care. Because this illness occurs in The primary benefit of a senior care service
multiple forms and affects each person differ- is the direct care involved. This can help to
ently, it’s important to understand that senior alleviate the often stressful burden of
care for dementia must be individualized in constant care for a person who is no longer
its approach. Knowing exactly what senior able to properly care for themselves. Direct
care can do for your loved one afflicted with care includes:
dementia is critical in order to make the right • Hygiene - bathing, teeth care, showering
choices for your family. and grooming • Assistance with mobility
In many cases difficulties in caring for a loved • Care for incontinence • Grocery
one with dementia arise because the home shopping, meal preparation and special diet
living environment is not properly equipped maintenance • Light housekeeping, laundry
to provide the right level of support. In-home • Shopping and errands • Transportation to
care specialists will often work together appointments • Medication Reminders
with family members to create a safe and • Relief and respite care for family or
functional space that caters to the needs of a other caregivers and attentive and
dementia patient. This can include: patient companionship.
• Installation of security and safety devices A senior care in-home service will help to
(locks on doors and windows for carefully educate family members and oth-
seniors that might wander and become ers that interact with the dementia-afflicted
disoriented, safety locks on dangerous senior about this condition and how it can be
household items, rubber runners on correctly managed. This education is critical
furniture edges, etc.) in order to assist loved ones in understand-
• Safety bars in the shower, near the toilet, ing dementia-related behaviors that might be
and anywhere else where physical difficult to deal with if not approached from
stability is needed in the home the right perspective.
• Installation of safety lights, night lights
and other means of illumination A lack of social stimulation is harmful
• Arrangement of household furniture for people living with dementia. It
for better access, including acquisition of exaggerates the impact of the condition,
senior-care related items like specialized can lead to depression and it encourages
chairs or recliners. the person to withdraw into themselves.
Of course, this is just a partial list - each case —Bob DeMarco
is different and so each home will therefore AlzheimersReadingRoom.com
need to be setup differently.

Article Source:
http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051560419-1-senior-care-for-dementia/ Reprinted with permission