Where and how a person with dementia lives has an incredibly significant effect on their quality of life and subsequent overall state of mind. The range of care and support available across the United States can, quite understandably, feel overwhelming and incredibly daunting, and to succinctly outline the options available to you, here are the main support systems available to you and your loved one in the United States.
Financial Support
Dementia care is undoubtedly expensive, with the cost significantly increasing as and when the disease becomes more and more advanced. Luckily, the federal government can offer financial assistance in certain individual cases, and state-by-state support and other types of help now being readily available. Additionally, certain types of loans are available from certain banks that are specifically for people living with dementia and/or their families to assist with care costs. A rather distasteful yet unfortunately necessary consideration when choosing a care plan for a loved one who has dementia is indeed cost. Therefore, it is vital to ask your elected nursing home every question before you commit.
In-Home Services
There are four main kinds of in-home services available to people living with dementia, and each one is designed for specific types of needs. Every individual is entirely different in terms of their needs, desires, and how their care plan will evolve and shift during their stay at the nursing home.
Companion services offer help with recreational activities, provide company when family members and loved ones are otherwise engaged, and assist with supervision. Homemaker services do what they say on the tin; this service offers help with shopping, meal preparation, general housekeeping, and day-to-day chores. Personal care services assist with dressing, personal ablutions, exercising, eating, and skilled care in-home services provide help with physical therapy, injections, and other medical needs by a licensed medical professional.
Assisted Living Facilities
Assisted living facilities are essentially the middle ground between living independently after a diagnosis of dementia and moving into a nursing home. They consist of self-contained, individual flats, and each resident is free to do as much as they can and indeed desire, with constant medical help and general assistance provided on-site if and when they require it.
Assisted living helps people living with dementia and allows them as much independence as they need and desire. It is one of the best options for a loved one with dementia.
Support for the Caregiver Themselves
In addition to the unfortunate financial burdens upon friends and family, especially upon the primary caregiver, loved ones surrounding a person with dementia are often incredibly drained, emotionally frustrated, and frequently overwhelmed because they do not always understand the condition, or that their loved one is no longer always the person that they knew.
It is vital, then, to ensure you, as the primary caregiver for your family member, receive at least some respite; if you are physically and mentally fatigued, you cannot look after your loved one to the best of your abilities.
