The moment that you find out that your loved one is diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s, it can turn your world around. There is so much you need to learn about the illness, how to treat it, how to provide the right kind of environment that is safe and suited to someone with the disease, and how to find the right doctors and therapists. It can all be a bit overwhelming, especially if you need to make a decision soon and you feel unprepared. As dementia progresses, the person will become increasingly forgetful, start to become more unsettled and anxious, as well as show signs of mobility issues and other health concerns. Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease requires specialised care and treatment, which is simply not available to the extent that they will need it in a general retirement home.
The treatment of dementia requires special dementia care staff, as well as the activities specially tailored to those suffering cognitive decline. Even the physical design of the living environments needs to be carefully designed with people with dementia in mind, so that they do not easily become lost, confused, or even accidentally find themselves somewhere unsafe. Dementia and Alzheimer’s care specialists need to have ongoing training to be kept up to date with new developments in treatments aimed at helping those with memory-related illness.
The best environment for someone with dementia is a specialised dementia care facility, with access to an expert team of neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, doctors, and individual dementia carers. Sean van Wyk, Quality of Life Manager at Livewell discusses home care vs Livewell in this video below: