How to Know if Your Loved One With Dementia Needs Nursing Home Care?

Dementia is a condition in which a person’s ability to remember and think is affected. If the effects of dementia start to interfere with your everyday life, it is considered a problem. Older adults are most likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common types of dementia. An older person is commonly presumed to suffer from dementia as a normal part of aging, but it is an abnormal condition that may require more attention.

A person with old age’s memory changes is different from one with dementia. Memory changes due to old age do not usually require assistance, but a person with dementia would need the help of family and community service.

What is the difference between normal aging-related changes in memory and dementia?

We must understand how memory normally changes with age to answer this question.

Memory changes associated with aging can be seen in the following ways:

• Misplacement of daily objects like car keys, spectacles, and wallets.
• Strain to remember a word or names of friends and colleagues, then remember it later.
• Not remembering upcoming events or recent events.

But memories of childhood and pieces of knowledge acquired throughout stay pristine. Likewise, skills and languages are unimpaired, which is not the case in patients with dementia.

Dementias symptoms usually look like the following: 

• The problem with memory is that it interferes with daily life.
• Lacking attention most of the time.
• Struggling to communicate.
• Child-like behaviour, trouble with judging, logic, and reasoning.
• Deteriorating problem-solving skills
• Visual perceptions
• Not being able to navigate the way back home.
• Usage of unfamiliar vocabulary for ordinary daily objects.
• Having trouble remembering a close friend or family member’s name.
• Not being able to revoke childhood memories or forgetting them altogether.
• Incapable of competing for daily tasks without the help of anyone.

If a loved one starts showing the above signs of dementia, they might need daily care and assistance with everyday living. Dementia symptoms differ from person to person, but once they progress, the person suffering from it might need full-time care and constant support. It is difficult to provide attention and protection at all times, so a dementia nursing home might be suitable to look after them.

The benefits a care home provides:

• Full-time 24 hours care and service, which you may be unable to provide.
• You can carry on with your daily duties knowing that your loved one is taken care of and is safe and sound.
• Being able to have social ventures with other residents.

Choosing to move your loved ones into a care home:

If your loved ones still have the ability to think and make decisions, they can choose to move into a care home by themself. If the person with dementia still has intact communication skills, try asking them for their preference and let them know about the benefits of a care home. Although if they are unable to do so, it is up to the family members to decide on their behalf, keeping their loved ones’ best interests in mind.

What are the types of care homes?

There are two types of care homes that you could choose from, and they are:

• Residential
• Care homes

Sometimes a care home might provide both services. However, when picking a care home, it is important to ensure they have staffed a registered nurse to care for the person with dementia. A residential home usually does not provide medical services but can take care of personal needs like taking them to the toilets, feeding them, and cleaning them up. A residential home staff can also administer medication if they are professionally qualified.

Before taking your loved one to a care home, make sure to visit the care home to take note of the comfort and facilities of the place, talk to the managers and staff and get to know more about them.

Make sure that the care home is close to where you live or close to a relative’s home so you can visit them whenever you like. Other things to note are their transportation services and if they have shops and medical facilities nearby.

Conclusion:

While it might be a tough decision to make, putting your loved ones in the hands of a dementia nursing home may be for their best. It will also put you and your family members at ease as you won’t have to worry about them constantly.