When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, you may struggle to come to terms with your new reality. As symptoms progress, routines may change, they may become more dependent, and family relationships can be affected.
Caring for someone with dementia often seems daunting and stressful. However, with our helpful guide, you can learn the essentials of caring for your loved one and ensure the best possible standard of support.
Looking After Someone in the Early Stages of Dementia
During the early stages of dementia, many people don’t need help with everyday tasks. They should be able to continue living independently while enjoying life as before their diagnosis.
However, you can still offer support by checking in regularly and spending time with them to help prevent social isolation. You can remind them that you’re available to help with tasks like shopping, pet care, gardening and cleaning.
You can also help get a head start on safety and comfort at home by creating a dementia-friendly home environment.
Looking After Someone in the Middle Stages of Dementia
As their condition progresses to the middle stage, your relative or close friend may need more support as dementia affects more of their everyday life. They may need more support with remembering appointments, names and faces.
As dementia often changes how a person communicates, you may need to adjust how you talk to and listen to them. There are several ways you can help, such as:
Support with Nutrition, Eating and Drinking
People with dementia may struggle with eating and drinking if they don’t recognise that they’re hungry or thirsty. They may also struggle to recognise food, spit it out, or forget what they like to eat and drink.
These behaviours can be due to a range of factors, such as increased confusion, sore gums and mouth pain, changes in how food tastes, or swallowing difficulties.
To help, you can:
- Set aside more time for mealtimes to reduce pressure
- Offer foods you know they like, in smaller portions
- Give them finger food instead of anything they’ll need to use cutlery for
- Offer drinks in clear cups that are easy to hold
- Eat with your loved one to encourage them to do the same
Read our guide to the best foods for people with dementia to eat to learn more about nutrition and dementia.
Support with Incontinence
People with dementia often experience problems with going to the toilet. They may experience incontinence, which can be distressing for both of you to manage. Certain health conditions, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and constipation, may increase the risk of incontinence.
To care for someone with incontinence, you can:
- Clearly label the bathroom with a picture of the toilet
- Keep the toilet door open and light on at night
- Look for signs they may need the toilet, such as fidgeting
- Encourage daily activity to support regular bowel movements
- If they’re using incontinence toiletries, make sure they’re changed and clean regularly
- Remember that incontinence is not their fault
Support with Daily Routines
As dementia progresses, some people may struggle to maintain personal hygiene and other daily routines.
You can look after them by offering to help with:
- Getting dressed and undressed
- Bathing and toileting
- Brushing their teeth
- Putting on makeup or styling their hair
- Getting out of the house for fresh air
- Participating in social activities and hobbies
The individual with dementia may feel embarrassed about asking for help with some of these tasks. It’s important to reassure them that you’re there to help them, and try to honour their dignity as much as possible.
Support with Sleep Disturbances
As dementia progresses, it’s common for the condition to affect people’s sleep patterns. They may struggle to fall asleep or repeatedly wake up throughout the night. Consistent sleep problems can often make symptoms of dementia worse and even cause a rapid decline in health.
To look after a person with dementia experiencing sleep problems, you could:
- Use a dementia-friendly clock and keep it by their bed to help them know when it’s night time
- Encourage them to have lots of time outdoors during the day to support their circadian rhythm
- Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake at night
- Make sure the bedroom is comfortable and dark; blackout blinds can help
- Limit the number of daytime naps they take, if possible
Looking After Someone in the Late Stages of Dementia
Individuals experiencing late-stage dementia often require more comprehensive care. This often involves round-the-clock support to keep them comfortable and safe at home.
You may need to support them through a number of complex symptoms, such as:
Wandering
The individual walks around aimlessly or paces repetitively, sometimes leaving their safe environment and increasing their risk of getting lost. They may tell you that they’re trying to go home, even if they’re already home, or attempt to leave the house at night.
To manage wandering in dementia, try to look for the cause and address it. Wandering is often associated with boredom, anxiety or a desire to fulfil past duties. If you can find out what’s causing your loved one’s wandering, you may be able to stop it.
Time-shifting
A person with advanced dementia may believe they’re in a different time, such as when their parents were alive or when a major life event occurred. They may start asking for their parents or try to pick up children from school who are now adults.
This often occurs when short-term memory loss progresses to severe, so the brain has to rely on older, more familiar memories to make sense of the world.
To look after someone during a time shift, make sure you validate their feelings and gently redirect them to a safe space. Don’t try to argue with them. Unless what they believe is putting them in danger, let them believe their memories are true, as this can bring comfort and security.
Shadowing
Your loved one may follow you around constantly or want to be in the same room as you all the time, often as a result of feeling anxious and not knowing how to verbalise it. They may be experiencing a loss of self-confidence that affects their ability to be alone without fear.
To manage this, validate their feelings and let them follow you as long as you’re comfortable. Being with you may offer peace and stability, reducing feelings of worry and stress. You could also create a list of activities to keep their hands busy, such as folding towels or sorting items, to help reduce fears.
Delusions and Hallucinations
The individual may experience psychotic symptoms from the brain damage caused by advanced dementia. These can distort the person’s perception of reality and cause false beliefs, agitation and confusion.
Common delusions can include thinking that their carer is a thief or their spouse is an imposter. They may also feel like they’re being watched.
Hallucinations cause the person to see, hear or feel things that aren’t there. You may witness them start a conversation with someone who isn’t in the room, or respond to a noise that you didn’t hear.
Delusions and hallucinations can be worrying for you and your loved one, but the most important thing to do is reassure them of their safety and avoid arguing. Attempt to distract them with calming activities until they forget about their false belief or hallucination.
Sundowning
Sundowning is a set of symptoms, such as increased confusion, anxiety and agitation, that often occurs in the late afternoon and evening. It often causes people to pace back and forth, yell at loved ones, or experience worsening delusions as the sun sets.
Sundowning often occurs when needs aren’t met sufficiently. They may be hungry, tired or unable to relax. Poor lighting in homes can also increase the risk of sundowning, as people with dementia may be agitated or scared by shadows.
To manage sundowning, maintain a strict routine and ensure your loved one gets plenty of natural light during the day. Wind down with a relaxing evening and bedtime routine, and keep stimulation to a minimum after the sun has set.
How Trinity Homecare Can Help
At Trinity Homecare, we understand how important it is for family carers to take the time they need for themselves rather than focusing wholly on a person with dementia. Whether you require constant support from a live-in carer or respite visiting care for only an hour at a time, Trinity Homecare can help with experienced, compassionate carers.
At Trinity Homecare, we offer bespoke dementia care to individuals in all stages of dementia.
When working with us, you can expect:
- One-to-one support at home
- Completely bespoke care that has been tailored to you
- Specialist care for a number of different circumstances
- Home carers carefully matched to your needs
- CQC rated ‘Outstanding’ live-in care services
Talk To Us Today
At Trinity Homecare, our ultimate goal is to enrich your lifestyle in the comfort and familiarity of your own home. This allows you to live the independent lifestyle that you love without the daunting thought of moving into a care home. We are here to support you with various forms of around-the-clock support.
Call us now on 0207 183 4884 in confidence for a free no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.
