How assisted living can help the sufferer and the carer
What is assisted living and how does it help a person with dementia? What should you expect from assisted living care provided in your home, at a residential care home or with an assisted care living facility. Is assisted living only provided at a care home.
These are some of the questions you may ask when first considering help in the form of assisted living. There is a need and desire for families and carers of people with dementia to allow the sufferer to live an independent a life as possible for as long as possible. But sometimes the condition of dementia is at a stage where they or you as the carer, need a little help or assistance with activities and jobs that are becoming more difficult as the dementia in the person progresses.
We take a look at different kinds of assisted living that are available and how you can get the best out of this help.
What is assisted living
The term “Assisted living” is a very broad term which can cover many care situations. Generally it is where a person with dementia or disability, receives help with anything from cleaning their own home right through to help with day to day living needs like washing and dressing care that may take place if a person has difficulty carrying out these tasks on their own.
Assisted living is usually given to people with dementia who do not need 24 hour a day medical care that is provided in a nursing home but they may need help and assistance in some way to help with everyday tasks to give the person a better quality of life.
Who provides the assisted living
Depending on what stage the dementia is at in a person, assisted living will vary according to the care needs the person requires. If the person is living in a residential care home, usually the care home will have provisions in place to provide assisted living with the needs the individual will require. If the person is living in their own home then outside organisations may provide help and give assistance with the needs the person or carer will require. Social services and local councils usually have facilities in place to provide assisted living to people with dementia in their own homes but help can also be provided from charitable groups.
Ways in which a person can be helped with assisted living
- Washing and dressing
- Feeding
- Walking
- Medical needs such as prompting and taking medication
- Cooking
- Paying bills
Products to help the dementia carer and sufferer with assisted living
If you are caring for a person with dementia that lives in their own home there are products available to help make your work a little easier. These can range from alarm monitors for the persons home to warn you if a person is leaving their home or wanders, right through to aides to help with bathing. There is a long list of dementia products that can help give assisted living. You can find more on our products page
