For most families, taking care of a person with dementia is not a single-person job, rather it’s the role of many people who share responsibilities –such as friends, partners, family, and professional caregivers.
If someone from your family is dealing with Alzheimer’s or relative dementia, the best way to make life easier for you and your loved one is to hire a home-care service provider. However, taking care of another person can still be overwhelming, even if you have a professional caregiver to do most of the tasks.

This is why, in this post, we will be focusing on how you, as a family member, can make things easier for people you care about. Here are some useful tips for families of people with Dementia

1. Allow Them to Keep As Much Control in Their Lives as Possible
Early on, people with Alzheimer’s might experience changes in thinking, remembering, and reasoning which may affect their ability to perform daily life tasks. Eventually, they will need more help with even simpler and personal tasks like bathing, grooming, and dressing. This can be extremely upsetting to the person.
Therefore, it is important to allow them to keep as much control in their life as possible. Encourage the person to write things down in a notebook or a calendar. Try to buy loose-fitting clothing items that are easy to slip into. While bathing and dressing, let them do things they are capable of.

2. Establish a Routine
For Alzheimer’s patients, paranoia, fear, and confusion are something that they experience every day. To make them feel more relaxed and comfortable by establishing a routine. Do bathing, eating and dressing at the same time each day. Serve meals in a consistent familiar place and give them enough time to eat.

3. Set Reminders for Them
Instead of giving them medications yourself every day, try to set reminders for them. So that they can get used to taking their meds every day even if there is no one present to give it to them. However, it’s important to make sure that they are responding to the alarm and taking their prescriptions on time.

4. Communicate and Reassure
Communication is very important for both the family and the caregiver. Try to be gentle and respectful, and tell them step by step what you are going to do if you are helping them bathe or dress. If they don’t remember anything, remind them. But don’t say things like “You don’t remember?” or “I’ve already told you.”
All in all, try and be patient while communicating with someone dealing with dementia. Maintain two-way communication for as long as possible, even if they are talking about the same thing over and over again. Talking will help them remember things more efficiently and deal with their emotions.

5. Make Them Take Decisions
It’s hard for people with Alzheimer’s to make decisions. Try to give them choices and make them decide between two things to boost their decision-making ability and give them more control. For instance, you can do this with food. However, you must make sure the choices are easy. For example, “Would you like yogurt or cottage cheese?”

6. Talk to Their Caregiver
If you have hired a home care service for your loved one, make sure that you talk to him/her about the person’s symptoms and behavioral changes. Figure out things they like to do, and spend some time together whenever you can.
At Caring For You Home Care, we provide a variety of home care services for aging seniors with dementia and other disabilities. We believe in treating others with love and care. Our clients and kind caregivers make sure that the person feels comfortable and relaxed.

Don’t face the challenges of dementia care alone. Let Caring For You Home Care be your partner in providing compassionate and professional care. Visit our Contact Us page to schedule a free in-home care assessment today!