Dealing with a loved one’s dementia diagnosis can be challenging for the whole family, especially when it comes to deciding on the next steps to take. Ensuring that your loved one is supported and kept safe is of utmost importance as the condition progresses and living alone becomes more challenging.
Dementia not only affects an individual’s ability to carry out everyday tasks and activities, but the condition also leads to feelings of emotional distress. Therefore, finding the most suitable care for your loved one living with dementia is essential in order to gently support them and not cause them undue upset or upheaval.
Live-in dementia care is a popular choice of care for this condition as it provides personalised care and recognises the challenges faced by those individuals living with dementia.
For more information about live-in care for dementia, take a look at our live-in dementia care guide.
What is live-in dementia care?
Live-in dementia care is a service that provides dementia care in the home, with no need to relocate to a care facility. With live-in dementia care, a private carer lives with your loved one in their home, offering around-the-clock care and assistance. Having an experienced live-in carer on-site ensures that your loved one receives a high standard of one-to-one support whenever they require it.
As dementia is a progressive condition, the symptoms may start off mild and get increasingly more noticeable as time goes on. Individuals living with dementia may experience few obstacles to everyday life at first, but as the condition progresses may find the need for regular and personalised support. The symptoms of dementia also vary from person to person, but enlisting the help of a carer who understands the nature of the condition is highly important.
Live-in dementia care is different from other forms of care as it specifically focuses on gently alleviating the challenges faced by people living with dementia. Live-in dementia care ensures that their individual symptoms are addressed through one-to-one personalised care. Additionally, this form of care allows your loved one to remain in the comforting surroundings of home, which is important for individuals living with dementia.
What Does live-in dementia care include?
The various stages of dementia require different approaches to care. Dementia can be split into three phases and depending on which stage an individual is at, this dictates the type of care they might typically need.
Here are a few ways in which a live-in dementia carer can support your loved one through the three stages of dementia.
Early stage
In the early stages of dementia, the symptoms can be quite mild and most commonly include memory loss, confusion and difficulties with language, such as finding the right words in conversation. A live-in carer can help with providing regular cognitive stimulation through chatting with your loved one. At this stage of the condition, live-in carers can offer gentle reminders if your loved one has difficulty remembering to take medication, eat and drink regularly, and other things they may have forgotten.
Middle stage
The middle stage of dementia is often the longest period, spanning two to four years on average. Here, the symptoms become more pronounced, with individuals experiencing greater challenges in navigating daily life. Live-in care for dementia at this stage typically includes monitoring for signs of distress or confusion at any time of the day and even at night. In addition, behavioural changes begin to occur in the middle stage. Dementia care at home tends to focus on managing feelings of depression, anxiety, anger and frustration commonly experienced by those living with dementia.
Late stage
Dementia is a life-limiting condition, and by the later stages, individuals may require full-time care. By this stage, help is needed with personal care such as bathing, dressing, and toileting. Individuals at this stage experience difficulties swallowing food, getting around and controlling their bladder and bowels. Live-in dementia care at this point is a
lot more exhaustive and involves ensuring the physical and emotional comfort of the individual living with late stage dementia.
Find out all you need to know about dementia, including the symptoms, stages, treatments and other useful resources in our dementia guide.
The benefits of live-in dementia care?
Live-in dementia care can offer your loved one many benefits compared to other forms of care. With live-in dementia care, individuals living with dementia can:
- Stay independent for as long as possible
- Remain in the home they love
- Avoid the stress of moving home and selling up
- Receive personalised one-to-one dementia care
- Feel safe and secure
- Maintain regular routines, hobbies and interests
- Help manage feelings of distress, anger, and frustration
- Stay close to neighbours, friends and family
- Receive around-the-clock care and support
- Have someone to talk to for social and cognitive stimulus
Live-in dementia care not only provides all this for the individual living with dementia, but it also offers friends and family the peace of mind of knowing that their loved one is in expert hands. For more information on live-in care and what it includes, our guide to live-in care explains it all.
The costs of live-in dementia care?
Comparable to a care home, live-in dementia care costs are similar. However the benefits of live-in care means that this form of care can be seen as better value for money.
Live-in dementia care costs are calculated at a weekly price depending on the individual’s needs. Unlike a care home, these weekly costs are all-inclusive, meaning that there are no additional fees to pay. Care homes typically charge separately for care and accommodation. In addition, they usually add further fees for extras like hairdressing, newspapers, therapy appointments like chiropractic, and social events and activities.
With live-in dementia care, once the cost of care is agreed, there will be no surprise fees or added extras charged for. The cost may increase if your loved one’s needs call for more support. The costs of care can be covered through self-funding, where you pay for care yourself, or through accessing funding.
For more information on the costs of live-in care, visit our helpful financing and funding guide.
Trinity Homecare’s private dementia care services
The challenges experienced by those living with dementia can be difficult to overcome alone. However, live-in dementia care can help support individuals and their families through the stages of this progressive condition. With the expert assistance of an experienced live-in dementia carer, the symptoms and changing nature of this condition can be safely managed in the comfort of your loved one’s own home.
Trinity Homecare is a fully managed care agency with an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating, placing Trinity amongst the top 4% of all nationwide care companies in England. With this in mind, you can rest assured that your loved one will receive the highest standard of care and specialist support.
If you have any questions about arranging live-in dementia care, simply get in touch with our helpful and knowledgeable care team.
Arranging nationwide live-in dementia care with Trinity is straightforward. Simply follow these five steps:
- Call our care team
- Undergo a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your care needs and arrange a care assessment
- After the assessment, a plan of care is created
- A well suited carer is found and placed
- Care can be adapted at any time
