Helping People with Dementia to Stay at Home:
Recently, Lake Country Builders interviewed for a project involving Alzheimers residents. I found myself in unfamiliar territory and wondered what is Alzheimers and how is it different from other unfamiliar diseases such as Dementia? Below is a summary of research and information for our weekly Stay At Home Blog:
It can happen at any age -that's what people don't realize. People in their 50's die from it all of the time. There are 38 types of Dementia and Alzheimer's. Alzheimers and Dementia are basically two generic names given to them all. You cannot know which type of Dementia someone has unless they have their brain opened after death. Most often, this doesn’t happen and the disease remains mysterious and misunderstood.
With dementia, it is progressive and more and more brain goes missing- at some point your body starts to forget certain life things- like how to turn on a faucet, how to brush your teeth, go to the bathroom.
In fact, death occurs because your body will forget how to breathe, etc. Pretty scary stuff!
Dementia is one of the biggest health and social care challenges of our generation. Yet, as reports show, we are failing to address it effectively.
The next question worth wondering is, Can people with Alzheimers and Dementia remain in their homes with this disease?
While staying at home is not right for everyone we know many people want to remain in the familiar surroundings they are used to with family or loved ones. Only with the right support and improvements in the home will this be possible.
Many people are happier if they can remain independent and in their own homes as long as possible.
Helping people with dementia to live at home and preventing them from needing to go into hospitals could save 127 million a year, according to a report launched by Healthcare at Home today.
To achieve this, it may be necessary to make some adaptions to their homes or to use new equipment and/or assistive technology that has been designed to enable people with dementia to remain independent for longer or make it easier for others to give support.
There are several options for extending care at home:
Recently, Lake Country Builders interviewed for a project involving Alzheimers residents. I found myself in unfamiliar territory and wondered what is Alzheimers and how is it different from other unfamiliar diseases such as Dementia? Below is a summary of research and information for our weekly Stay At Home Blog:
It can happen at any age -that's what people don't realize. People in their 50's die from it all of the time. There are 38 types of Dementia and Alzheimer's. Alzheimers and Dementia are basically two generic names given to them all. You cannot know which type of Dementia someone has unless they have their brain opened after death. Most often, this doesn’t happen and the disease remains mysterious and misunderstood.
With dementia, it is progressive and more and more brain goes missing- at some point your body starts to forget certain life things- like how to turn on a faucet, how to brush your teeth, go to the bathroom.
In fact, death occurs because your body will forget how to breathe, etc. Pretty scary stuff!
Dementia is one of the biggest health and social care challenges of our generation. Yet, as reports show, we are failing to address it effectively.
The next question worth wondering is, Can people with Alzheimers and Dementia remain in their homes with this disease?
While staying at home is not right for everyone we know many people want to remain in the familiar surroundings they are used to with family or loved ones. Only with the right support and improvements in the home will this be possible.
Many people are happier if they can remain independent and in their own homes as long as possible.
Helping people with dementia to live at home and preventing them from needing to go into hospitals could save 127 million a year, according to a report launched by Healthcare at Home today.
To achieve this, it may be necessary to make some adaptions to their homes or to use new equipment and/or assistive technology that has been designed to enable people with dementia to remain independent for longer or make it easier for others to give support.
There are several options for extending care at home:
- In-home help refers to caregivers that you can hire to provide assistance for your loved one. In-home help ranges from help a few hours a week to live-in help, depending on your needs. You’ll want to evaluate what sort of tasks you’d like help with, how much you can afford to spend, and what hours you need. Getting help with basic tasks like housekeeping, shopping, or other errands can also help you provide more focused care for your loved one.
- Day programs, also called adult day care, are programs that typically operate weekdays and offer a variety of activities and socialization opportunities. They also provide the chance for the caregiver to continue working or attend to other needs. There are some programs that specialize in dementia care.
- Respite care. Respite care is short-term care where your loved one stays in a facility temporarily. This gives the caregiver a block of time to rest, travel or attend to other things. This gives time for in home improvements to be made by a certified remodeler and when the person in need returns to their home-they are more comfortable and happy.
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