The Benefits of In Home Dementia Caregivers

Although an incredible number of older adults are dealing with the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, an even greater number of family members are struggling with caring for them. Surprisingly, nearly 75% of family caretakers are managing their senior loved ones’ dementia care needs by themselves, with only 26% reaching out for professional care support.

Naturally, families want to do all they possibly can in order to satisfy their loved ones’ needs, but dementia caregiving may cause an exceedingly high level of both mental and physical stress. This takes a toll on the caregivers’ own overall health over the years, specifically once the disease progresses. And many family members think there is an all-or-nothing approach: either oversee the senior’s needs at home, or face moving her or him into residential care.

All Care, fortunately, offers an alternative that is good for seniors with dementia along with their family caregivers: the addition of certified in home dementia caregivers to offer as much or as little respite care as necessary. Here is why we believe dementia care at home is most beneficial:

• Highly trained care. Because our care providers are both skilled and experienced in the many intricate components of Alzheimer’s disease along with other forms of dementia, they can proactively cope with and more successfully manage even the most challenging of behaviors, like wandering, aggression, sundowning, and others.
• Enhanced safety. The potential risk of accidents is increased for everyone with dementia. Even something that seems as simple as helping your family member into the shower or onto the toilet can cause a dangerous fall risk. Skilled caregivers know how to watch for and avoid falls, keeping both you and your loved one safe from personal injury.
• Sustainable aging in place. Sometimes, family caretakers become so stressed trying to meet all of a senior loved one’s needs in tandem with their own that a move to a residential dementia care facility appears to be inevitable. But working with a professional dementia care provider opens up the possibility of long-term, effective care at home.
• Ease of mind. Understanding your loved one is in capable hands lets you take a breath, relax, and step away from the stresses of caregiving for the essential breaks that alleviate stress and the prospect of caregiver burnout and depression.

It’s better to look into in-home dementia care choices as early in the disease as possible, to allow for an even more seamless transition and also to be sure that your senior loved one gets the best care from the start. Call our Ashland memory care team, available locally and in the surrounding communities, at (541) 857-9195 to ask about a consultation in the comfort of home, where we can establish a highly individualized plan of care that will improve wellbeing for your senior loved one today, and as needs change in the future. To learn more about all of the areas that we serve in Oregon, visit our Service Area page.