Post No34…How dementia care can be provided at home, or in a care home

Introduction

I’m delighted to say that this is a unique post because it is the first collaboration on The Care Whisperer website, so a big thank you to Right At Home Solent who have agreed to join forces on this one 😊.

When a person is diagnosed with dementia, it is common for the family or spouse to be able to support them in the early stages, but as things progress the need for additional support is often required. Most families will start this journey by finding care in their own home, known as domiciliary care, and then later seek the services of a care home.

This post looks at some of the ways both domiciliary care providers and care homes help support people living with dementia.

Dementia Care at Home – Written by Lauren Pitt, Right at Home Solent

The advantages of being cared for at home are boundless; it allows one to remain in their own home, with their familiar surroundings, while keeping their independence for as long as possible. At Right at Home Solent, we are proud to support families living in Fareham, Gosport, Southampton & New Forest East, from the comfort of their home.

Many people choose to stay in their home for as long as possible; and for those who have been diagnosed with dementia, this is still the case, and that’s where we come in.

We often find that by caring for individuals living with dementia from the comfort of their own homes, we provide Next of Kin’s with peace of mind, knowing that their loved one is able to stay at home, whilst receiving the highest standards of dementia care.

Our Dementia Support Programme

In 2022, we launched our Dementia Support Programme, which has been a massive success. The programme is currently exclusive to our current clients; however, it is completely different to the hourly care they receive from us.

After assessing the clients, we create a personalised, tailor-made care plan for our Dementia Specialists to follow; it is completely based on their persons individual, dementia needs and their personal interests and hobbies. Our Dementia Specialists are recruited and specially trained, in-house, purely to support and care for individuals living with dementia.

Our Dementia Support Programme is there to help build confidence and create opportunities for social interaction with our dementia clients, which is again, completely tailored to their interests and the progression of their dementia.

Since starting the programme, we have seen significant progress with our clients living with dementia; of course, we know there is no cure for dementia, but the Dementia Support Programme has proved to slow down the progression of the condition, and allows them to live a better quality of life. Check out our Dementia Support Programme on our website for more information, just follow this link! - https://bit.ly/3yw2jld

Summary

Although there are many positives to someone living with dementia staying at home; we understand that caring for someone with dementia can be challenging, depending on the person and the how their condition progresses.

It is expected that as dementia progresses, the individual will need more care and support than before, and there may come a time when they need to move into a care home full-time. But until that time comes, we support those living with dementia to stay in their familiar surroundings, until they choose to go into a care home, or until it is unsafe or difficult for them to remain at home.

Dementia Care in Care Homes – Written by Chris Roby, The Care Whisperer

In a similar way to the Dementia Specialist, most care homes will provide dementia care in a person-centred way. This enables staff to better understand the person by having knowledge of their hobbies and interests, and perhaps their working life, which helps tailor activities. This approach is probably the same for the other types of care being provided by the home, so what makes dementia care different?

Staffing Ratio’s

Dementia care in care homes can come in different forms, but most importantly it is provided in a secure environment where additional staff are required. The need for additional staff stems from the care needs and behaviours of the residents who live there, with the ratios usually running around 1:4 or 1:5.

These ratio’s are higher than you will find in a purely residential setting, which would normally run at around 1:7, and is of course different from the role of the Dementia Specialist which is provided on a 1-1 basis in the persons own home.

Staff Training

Like the Dementia Specialist role, staff within a dementia setting are provided with additional training to help them better understand dementia. For example, it is often suggested that staff shouldn’t necessarily correct someone who is living with dementia, because in their world what they are saying holds true, and so disagreeing with them can sometimes cause further confusion.

Staff are also more aware of the impact dementia has on a person’s memory and decision making. Again, an example could be the use of show plates in the dining room, where a person is shown different plates of food rather than asked what they want to order from a menu, thus supporting the person to remain independent for as long as possible.

Conclusion

Sadly, dementia care be a long journey for the individual and for their family, sometimes surpassing 15 years, which progressively gets more difficult. By getting a diagnosis, making use of community support groups, domiciliary care agencies and care homes, the person can receive the care they need whilst the carer(s) can take breaks to recover their strength.

Having care provided in one’s home keeps the person in comfortable, familiar surroundings and is provided on a 1-1 basis, a ratio that care homes cannot match. However, care homes do provide stimulating environments of their own, and both set ups will have staffed trained to understand not only the person, but also dementia.

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