When a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia impacts someone you love, it can be overwhelming. There are a number of questions to get answered, decisions to be made, and education needed to understand the progression of the disease and how to best help your loved one.
One of the main concerns, especially in the current COVID-19 climate, is the thought of moving the senior into an assisted living facility. Many family members mistakenly believe there simply isn’t another option. After all, Alzheimer’s causes a number of cognitive and behavioral challenges that can be difficult to effectively manage. Yet moving into an assisted living facility can raise a number of challenges for someone with dementia.
At SYNERGY HomeCare, the top provider of in-home Alzheimer’s care in Chicago and the surrounding area, we’re pleased to offer an alternative solution: professional dementia care in the comfort and familiarity of home. Partnering with the dementia care specialists at SYNERGY provides a wealth of benefits for seniors and their families. Consider the following:
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- For someone with dementia, routines are crucial to help with feelings of confusion and disorientation. Home care allows each person to maintain a comforting routine according to his or her own preferences, rather than having to adjust to the routines already established for residents in a facility.
- To further minimize confusion, home care offers continuity of care, with the same regular caregiver(s) scheduled each day.
- Home care is delivered one-on-one, meaning needs can be met immediately and preemptively. Compare this to the US Department of Health & Human Services’ reporting of an average staff-to-resident ratio in one-fourth of assisted living facilities of one personal care aide for every 23 (or more) residents.
- Home care is highly personalized. An in-home caregiver is able to get to know the senior as an individual, including unique likes/dislikes, past history, and the little nuances that are important to daily life, such as having a slice of cinnamon toast with a cup of tea each morning in a specific seat at the table, taking a walk to visit the neighbors every day after lunch, the scent of a particular lilac soap, etc.
- Allowing seniors with dementia to be who they are is not always easy as the disease progresses. Working with trained caregivers who know not to correct or to question their reality and to enter their world vs. trying to bring them to ours can be a critical factor in building trust and calmness.
- Dementia care experts, who are specially trained in creative approaches to care, understand best how to establish a calm, soothing environment to help manage difficult emotions. For instance, our caregivers are adept in incorporating favorite music into their caregiving duties, as we know that someone with Alzheimer’s retains the memories associated with music long after other memories have begun to fade.
- Home care means avoiding the incredible stress known as transfer trauma that many seniors with dementia experience upon relocating to a facility. Transfer trauma, a common occurrence in those with dementia, involves the stress associated with relocation, and can lead to an increased risk of wandering, anxiety, isolation, and depression.
There’s simply no place like home, and that holds true for all of us, even (and perhaps especially) those with Alzheimer’s disease. Allow SYNERGY HomeCare to help your loved one with dementia remain safe and comfortable while maximizing independence, focusing on and celebrating his or her strengths, and gaining the socialization benefit of a caregiver’s companionship – all in the most preferred environment: home.
Contact us any time at (773) 868-3183 to learn more about our highly skilled and compassionate in-home care in Gold Coast and the surrounding areas, and help a loved one with Alzheimer’s experience the highest possible quality of life.
