Tips For Dementia Care At Home Miami-Dade County

By Mattie Knight


Dementia greatly changes the life of a person affected. When a person lives with dementia, it makes them highly vulnerable to many things. This disease affects every part of their life and makes living by their own difficult. People living with the disease often deal with anxiety, sadness, dejection and withdrawal from the outside world. The disease leaves many relatives of the affected individual without knowing what to do. It is difficult for them to see their once energetic member of family facing such hard times. The following tips on Dementia care at home Miami-Dade County practices can help in caring for dementia patients.

As relatives of the affected individual, you can opt to provide assistance to your patient by hiring a caregiver to come to your home and provide support services to him or her. Caregivers offer services such as laundry cleaning, bathing a patient, dressing them and providing meals to them. You can also rely on the services of local authority assistance such as meals on wheels, library and laundry services. Many relatives preferred to take their loved to care homes where professional care can be provided by the skilled caregivers employed there.

There are many services that a person suffering from dementia will require from their caregiver. The most important is feeding and preparation of meals. As the disease advances, a patient may fail to recognize food when placed in front of them. They may also fail to have the coordination to use a fork, knife or spoon. This makes feeding difficult for them. They can even refuse to eat at all resulting to malnutrition.

The disease may cause the patient to have impaired coordination and concentration to a point where even dressing becomes a struggle. In this case, you need to learn to dress the patient. Know when to provide them with cool or cold clothing depending on the weather conditions. Also help them shop for clothes that are easier to wear and remove.

Washing and bathing is also a support service that will be required by your patient. However, bathing a patient is always a difficult task considering that many adults receive bathing as a private task. It can be difficult for you as a caregiver too especially if this is your first time. Approach the task with an open mind and get the patient to trust you until they are comfortable with you washing them

You will also need to help the patient with moving, sitting and lifting. To care for a person with dementia requires patience and compassion from the heart. There are many situations where you will need to physically handle them. This includes getting them out of bed, helping them to the toilet and even lifting them after a fall.

A patient can also face mobility problems. In this case, you need to consider getting them a wheelchair. Consider selecting a wheelchair that will be both friendly for use to the patient and you as the caregiver.

Dementia makes the patient lose balance, ability to react quickly and also impairs their judgment. This is a great risk to their life. It is important to have a system that monitors their movement to prevent them from wandering into unsafe areas.




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