Caring for an aging parent with dementia can lead to long, stressful, and challenging days. However, receiving as much assistance as possible could ease your caregiving load and make the role less difficult. Continue reading to find ways to get the help you need when caring for a loved one with dementia.
1. Just Ask
You may seem like you have everything together, but the challenges of caring for your loved one can be exhausting. Failing to let others know you need assistance could increase your risk of burnout. To find the help you need, ask. Your siblings and other family members may be willing to come over a few days each week, giving you the temporary relief you need.
Getting assistance from a professional caregiver can give you peace of mind about your loved one’s safety and wellbeing. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of home care service. You can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
2. Create a Flexible Schedule
When your loved one is diagnosed with dementia, your family should sit down and create a schedule. Early planning could prevent problems in the future when you’re trying to find help. Make sure to consider everyone’s commitments, and remain flexible about future schedule changes. You should always develop a backup plan for unforeseen emergencies.
3. Base Caregiver Tasks on Strengths
When discussing duties, learn what your siblings excel at and what they’re uncomfortable with doing. Basing caregiver tasks on strengths can increase the amount of help you receive from others when caring for your parent.
4. Find Resources
When it comes to the financial aspects of dementia care, your loved one may not be able to keep up with the costs, especially if he or she is living on a fixed income. To manage these issues, find local and national resources that offer services, discounts, and other types of help to older adults with dementia. These resources could prevent your loved one from skipping meals, medication, and more.
Dementia can be challenging for seniors to manage, but they can maintain a higher quality of life with the help of professional dementia care. Lincoln seniors can benefit greatly from the Cognitive Therapeutics Method (CTM), an activities-based program designed to promote cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. CTM is included at no additional charge with any of the in-home care plans provided by Home Care Assistance.
5. Use Respite Care
Getting family and close friends to help out with your loved one’s care could be challenging, increasing your risk of burnout. Remember that you’re not alone and there are respite care agencies that specialize in dementia care. An agency can send a professional caregiver to your parent’s home to help with basic tasks as well as other strenuous duties associated with dementia care. Your family can utilize respite care on an as-needed basis and change the services you use as your loved one’s care needs change.
6. Stay Open to Suggestions
If you think your way of caring for your parent is the only correct way, your family may be reluctant to help out. Be open to suggestions, and allow others to use the strategies that work best for them. As long as your loved one’s routine and health aren’t compromised, you should remain flexible and considerate of others’ opinions.
7. Join a Support Group
There may be days when you need help simplifying mealtimes or handling combative behavior. A dementia caregiver group could provide you with the advice and support you need. Most of the group members are in similar situations, and they can help you plan activities and share tips on how to handle daily challenges.
Caring for a loved one with dementia is a challenging task for anyone. The responsibilities can sometimes feel overwhelming, but help is available. Seniors can face a variety of age-related challenges. Though some families choose to take on the caregiving duties, there may come a time when they need a trusted Lincoln homecare provider. Families sometimes need respite from their duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities, and some seniors need around-the-clock assistance that their families are not able to provide. Home Care Assistance is here to help. If you need professional home care for your loved one, reach out to one of our Care Managers today at (916) 226-3737.