Practical tips to care for a parent with dementia at home
Are you living with a parent with dementia? here are some practical tips to help you care for them.
If your parent has dementia, you are probably just as frustrated as the rest of the community after various failed promises have been made to cure the condition, indicating that dementia actions speak louder than words.
Unfortunately, according to statistics, you probably can’t rely on government care solutions for your loved one as they are shamefully inadequate. Instead, these practical tips will help you ensure your parent can receive the best care at home.
Hire live-in care
There’s no doubt you love your parent and want the absolute best for them. Aging is not for the faint of heart, and when it comes to dementia, the symptoms can be devastating for the entire family.
Instead of attempting to manage your parents’ needs alone, you should consider live-in care for the elderly. Hiring a caregiver to live with your senior loved one means they will receive round-the-clock care and assistance, keeping them safe from symptoms such as wandering and numerous others.
Opting for a care home is an expense many families simply can’t afford, which is why live-in care is the best alternative that will ensure your parent’s daily life stays intact.
Make your home more secure
Dementia patients are known to wander, become forgetful, and experience confusion. These can all be safety hazards for your parent, as your loved one could wander off in the middle of the night while they could also injure themselves accidentally while still at home.
A live-in carer will assist with these symptoms, although you should still make efforts to secure the home further. You can install a concealed gas stove in the kitchen or simply remove stove knobs; if you can spend a bit extra, you can also consider appliances that turn off automatically.
Secure your bathroom
Bathroom accidents such as slips and falls are prominent among seniors, so you should modify the bathroom to make it safer for your loved one. You can install railings, a walk-in bathtub, and anti-slip flooring that could even be affordable suction shower mats throughout the bathroom.
Prevent wandering
Even after hiring live-in care, you still want to be sure the home is secure enough for your parent. Because wandering is a problem for dementia patients, you should install door and window alarms to alert the caregiver that your parent has just wandered out of the house. You could also consider installing additional padlocks on the front and back door to make wandering less likely.
Caring for a loved one with dementia is hard
Caring for a loved one suffering from dementia can be taxing on the emotions of anyone, as dementia symptoms are heartbreaking as they generally include memory loss, which means your parent may eventually no longer know who you are.
However, there are ways to overcome this symptom while ensuring your senior loved one feels safe and loved. Whether your loved one lives alone or with you and your family, live-in care can positively impact your parents’ health and well-being.
Even though there is not a cure for dementia, ensuring your parent can hold onto a quality life in their golden years is still possible with live-in care.
Photo by Dominik Lange
