Hiring a professional caregiver specifically trained in dementia care can be a breath of fresh air for struggling families. Why? A professional caregiver has the extensive knowledge, specialized training, and deep understanding of dementia needed to provide effective, compassionate care that meets your loved one’s needs. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the benefits of working with a professional caregiver, whether you’re a family caregiver looking to lighten your load or seeking a full-time caregiving solution.
What is Dementia?
Dementia is a progressive brain condition primarily found in older adults that affects memory, reasoning, behavior, and overall cognitive function. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type, making up 60 to 80 percent of cases, other forms like vascular dementia, Lewy Body, and frontotemporal dementia each come with their own symptoms and cognitive changes. As the condition progresses, daily activities can become more difficult to manage without full-time help, especially as behavioral changes and safety concerns increase.
Is it Time to Hire a Dementia Care Professional?
It’s common for family caregivers for seniors to become physically or emotionally exhausted managing care responsibilities while trying to stay on top of work, personal, and family obligations. If that sounds like you, you may be in danger of caregiver burnout, a surefire sign you need additional support.
So, if you’re realizing you can’t proceed without outside help, it’s time to start searching for a licensed care manager, a professional who is trained to help families plan for and manage their loved ones’ care needs. To find a care manager in your area, the Eldercare Locator searchable database is a great resource or get in touch with an advisor from Thrive Senior Living.
What Services Does a Professionally Trained Caregiver Provide?
When you hire a professionally trained caregiver for at-home care, they provide several essential services:
- Expertise in dementia care: Professional caregivers can offer your loved one personalized support for activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding, and grooming. They can also help with meal planning and preparation, as well as medication reminders and administration. They also have the skills to tailor each interaction and routine to support cognitive function and reduce confusion or agitation.
- Effective communication with families: A professional caregiver will keep families informed about any changes in their loved one’s behavior, health, or routine, while offering guidance and reassurance to help families understand disease progression and make informed care decisions.
- Enhanced safety: People living with dementia are at higher risk for falls, wandering, or accidents due to confusion and reduced motor skills. In-home caregivers can provide round-the-clock supervision, use proven strategies to prevent falls, implement home modifications for safety, and identify risks before they become emergencies.
- Behavior management: Agitation, aggression, anxiety, and sundowning are all possible results of dementia-related mood and behavior changes. But skilled caregivers have the knowledge to recognize triggers and employ proven de-escalation strategies like redirection.
What Emotional Needs Does a Professional Caregiver Fulfill?
In-home care allows older adults living with dementia to remain in familiar surroundings while receiving personalized assistance. Below are several benefits of in-home care as delivered by an experienced professional caregiver:
- Comfort and familiarity: Staying in their own home reduces confusion and agitation, which allows caregivers to manage behavioral symptoms more effectively.
- Individual attention: Caregivers provide one-on-one care that matches your loved one’s unique needs and generates feelings of warmth and security.
- Maintaining independence: Professional caregivers help individuals with dementia continue their daily routines in a supportive environment that encourages autonomy.
- Mental well-being: People with dementia tend to experience less loneliness with a skilled caregiver due to consistency, compassionate care, and companionship.
How Thrive Can Help
If professional at home care isn’t enough support for your loved one, transitioning into a memory care community may be the right move. Thrive Senior Living communities provide quality memory care that offers a secure environment, cognitively stimulating activities, compassionate support, and specialized programming for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
For more guidance as you consider your next steps, download our Caregivers Support Guide, which features tips for balancing dementia care responsibilities, ways to cope with caregiver challenges, and how to know when it’s time for a move to memory care. You can also call one of our senior living experts to learn more about Thrive or schedule an in-person tour of one of our communities!