As your parents age, the likelihood of them requiring support increases. Certain chores demand strength that they may soon no longer have. Aside from that, there’s a risk of loss of mental sharpness, indicating dementia.
You can choose to either keep them living in their own home or bringing them to yours. Either way, there are ways to provide excellent in-home health care for dementia.
Some things will need to alter while caring for a parent with dementia at home. Just like your parents changed your surroundings after you were born, you need to do the same.
Here are some basic guidelines for providing care, when to seek out specialists, and the overall benefits of employing a home care professional worker.
Observe these guidelines for your parents’ safety and happiness:
1. Assess Each Room
You’ll need to consider the layout of each room in your house. Carefully examine each one and see how you may need to redecorate or even remodel to accommodate your family’s needs with dementia. In the end, everything needs to be redesigned for their safety and accessibility.
2. Install Safety Locks and Devices for Security
People with dementia may sometimes forget where they are, get overwhelmed, or get confused with directions. It is why they should always be with someone who can look after them when episodes happen. If you have exit points in your home, you’re concerned about increasing safety by adding safety locks and other precautions.
Within your home, you can also add locks to kitchen and bathroom cabinets, laundry cabinets that may contain harmful chemicals, the garage that may house dangerous equipment, and so on.
3. Keep Emergency Phone Numbers in Multiple Places
Don’t just rely on your smartphones and directory for phone numbers. In case of an emergency, having several lists in various places can save time.
Ensure the emergency numbers are readily available in multiple copies placed at various places in the house where they are accessible. Leave some in the glove compartment, your wallet, and landline phones too.
4. Consider Bathroom Modifications
Have peace of mind whenever your parent or loved one uses the bathroom by installing additional features that prevent accidents from occurring. Doing so means they can take a bath or do duties like handwashing with ease.
You can install a walk-in shower or tub with ample shower bars at the vanity or toilet for support, as well as purchase anti-slip mats to help them move around.
5. New Spot Lighting
Initially, you may not realize that some sections of your home are dark. Consider adding lighting to gloomy places in your home. It can be in hallways, stairwells, basements, or attics. More light helps you notice what’s coming and prevent it if you can, and this also helps them be more aware of their surroundings.
6. Sort through the Excess Things and Begin to Declutter
You would need to be ready to let go of anything that’s just making the home look messy and cluttered. Remember that it is best to give your loved ones a safe environment free from hazards before moving them into your home, and this means donating or throwing away the unnecessary.
Conclusion
Even though you want to help your loved one, there are instances when you simply cannot. You may need professional care, such as in-home health care for patients, to help your dementia-afflicted loved one stay at home with you. It guarantees the care is always there and allows you to care for yourself while still caring for your loved one.
Gateway Home Health is dedicated to providing only the best home health care in Denver, Colorado Springs. Our highly qualified clinicians and therapists strive to provide our patients with home-based patient care, keeping respect and human dignity at the center of our service. Reach out to us today.