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How Can Families Know What Seniors with Dementia Need?

24-Hour Home Care in The Heights TX: Seniors with dementia have significant needs, especially as their conditions progress. But how do families determine them?
24-Hour Home Care in The Heights TX
24-Hour Home Care in The Heights TX

Taking care of seniors with dementia can be frustrating for families, particularly if they’ve never helped someone with cognitive illnesses before. As dementia worsens, seniors may have more trouble at all hours of the day, making care even more difficult on family caregivers. 24-hour home care providers can be there around the clock, helping families get the support they need for seniors with dementia.

Talk to Some Experts

If dementia is a new challenge for families, family caregivers should start out by talking to healthcare providers and other experts. They can help families understand more about how dementia progresses and what changes seniors may experience. It can also help for family caregivers to consider joining support groups to learn more from other family caregivers.

Get Help with Difficult Tasks

As dementia progresses, it can be difficult for family caregivers to stay on top of everything that has to get done. When family caregivers don’t feel as if they know how to cope with the needs their senior has, they may feel deeply unprepared for what’s happening. Scheduling everything from meals to baths and overnight bathroom visits can feel especially overwhelming. Home care providers can help with these tougher tasks, including helping seniors with dementia bathe, eat, and safely get through their days.

Use Visual and Physical Cues

No family caregiver is a mind reader, of course, but they can start using visual and physical cues that help them understand what seniors with dementia might need. Facial expressions might indicate different concerns now than in the past, but learning what they mean now helps a lot. Staying on schedule can also help immensely, especially when it’s time to guess about what might be going on.

Try Not to Take Things Personally

It’s tough not to take some things personally, especially when seniors with dementia are frustrated and upset. They may say or do things that are unexpected or upsetting, which can leave family caregivers unsure how to react. Being able to take a break while knowing seniors are in good hands can make all the difference. 24-hour home care providers can be there, allowing family caregivers to take care of their own needs for a while.

Rely on Experienced Assistance

Uncertainty and not knowing what to do can be deeply frustrating, especially when family caregivers just want to do the best they can for the seniors they love. 24-hour home care providers have a lot of experience helping families and seniors with a variety of health concerns, including dementia. They can offer advice based on that experience, sharing what they know. That shortens the learning curve that family caregivers might feel is impossible to overcome otherwise.

Seniors with dementia experience big changes as dementia progresses. It can be frustrating for everyone involved to keep up with those changes and figure out how to accommodate them. 24-hour home care providers can be there during the day and at night, ensuring that seniors with dementia and the family members who love them are better able to get their needs met.

If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-hour home care in The Heights, TX for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.

At Your Side Home Care, provides exceptional home care assistance for seniors and families in Houston, West Houston, Katy, Memorial, The Heights, Spring Valley, Garden Oaks, Hunters Creek, River Oaks, Hilshire Village, Galleria, Cinco Ranch, Spring Branch, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenburg, Piney Point, Bay City and surrounding areas.

Donna Wrabel, LMSW
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