The Importance of Continuity of Care for Dementia
Dementia can be distressing for someone living with this condition and for their family and friends. Continuity of care for dementia is important as it can reduce the sufferer’s confusion or agitation. When it comes to caring for a loved one with dementia at home, it’s important to make them feel safe and secure. We look at why consistent care is essential for dementia.
Dementia covers several conditions that relate to a decline in mental ability and other symptoms. The four most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy Bodies.
What is the Meaning of Continuity of Care?
You might hear a care provider mentioning ‘continuity of care’ in relation to dementia, but what does this mean? Consistent and coordinated support from the same caregivers helps to improve trust and reduce anxiety in those living with dementia.
When people have dementia, this can make them more anxious, especially when they are experiencing memory issues or confusion. Familiar faces, routines and surroundings are reassuring and very important in helping someone to feel emotionally secure.
Flexible home care can help family caregivers provide the support needed for someone living at home with dementia. A dementia care plan should include a small rota of regular and familiar Care Assistants. This helps to build trust and relationships, while minimising any confusion or agitation. A sudden change in Care Assistant or routine can distress dementia sufferers, and this can also make it harder to provide them with support.
In the later stages of dementia, live-in care can be effective because it provides continuity of care 24/7. A dedicated Live-In Care Assistant supports someone in their own home. This avoids the need to move a loved one into an unfamiliar setting such as a residential or nursing home. They can stay at home, close to their family, friends and community.
For more information, see our blog, Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s at Home.
Spotting the Signs of Dementia
If you plan to spend time with a loved one over Christmas or at another family gathering, it can be useful to understand the early signs of dementia. It’s important to approach any concerns with sensitivity, care and respect. It can be difficult for someone to accept they may have dementia, and many people never do.
Below are some common signs of dementia:
In later stages, people might feel as if they are living in an earlier period of their life, such as childhood, reliving past memories.
Gradual changes in memory, communication, and perception.
Increasing forgetfulness such as recent events or familiar travel routes.
Conversations can become harder to follow, as they struggle to find the right words.
Mood changes, such as anxiety, feeling unsettled, or a lack of interest in a favourite activity.
Increasing discomfort with everyday noises, smells, or occasional visual misinterpretations.
Confusion can become more frequent around time, place, or recognising familiar faces.
Dementia Care Plan – Caremark Warwick
It can be very distressing to see a loved one living with any form of dementia. Throughout every stage, it’s important to provide continuity of care, gentle reassurance and support.
Caremark Warwick’s dementia care programme helps to reduce pressure on caregivers by supporting a loved one within their own home. Our fully trained Care Assistants provide personalised care and stimulating activities to keep your loved one active and engaged.
“We have been fortunate to have such dedicated care from Caremark for my dad, who lives with dementia. From the very beginning, the team has shown not only professionalism but genuine warmth and humanity. They have taken the time to understand his routines and most importantly-him as a person and are keen to be flexible and to support a change of time when he has a medical appointment. They treat him with patience, dignity, and kindness when helping with daily tasks, engaging him in conversation, or simply sitting with him. We feel supported, listened to, and reassured knowing he’s in such caring hands. I couldn’t recommend them more highly and the social media app with the office make communication so easy…”
Get in touch to find out more about our dementia care in Warwick, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and the surrounding areas.
About Caremark Warwick
Get in touch to find out more about our dementia care in Warwick, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and the surrounding areas.