Home Care For Dementia


by Kevin Stith - Date: 2007-01-26 - Word Count: 368 Share This!

Dementia refers to certain symptoms that ultimately lead to loss of functions of the brain as a side effect of some physical or mental illness. A common misconception about dementia is that it is described wrongly as a disease. It actually consists of symptoms of a functional disorder and is not a disease in itself. Symptoms of dementia may lead to lack of abilities in certain areas such as problem solving, loss of memory and confusion. Dementia is often found in elderly people as a harmful side effect of some mental illness, such as Alzheimer's, and might reflect as an after-effect of a medical treatment. Symptoms of dementia might occur due to vitamin deficiencies, head trauma, or Parkinson's disease. Dementia is mostly incurable with some rare exceptional cases. It is definitely not an easy task to provide home care for Dementia going by the nature of Dementia and its various symptoms.

While providing home care for patients suffering from Dementia, special considerations are required. Frequent change in routines and turnover of staff providing home care can have adverse effects on Dementia patients. It is highly recommended to ensure minimum turnover of staff and changes in support procedures. Persons providing care for Dementia need to have special training for handling Dementia patients that can be acquired from various organizations dealing with Dementia care.

Diseases such as Alzheimer's and related symptoms of dementia are usually chronic; they can last for ten years or more after they are diagnosed. These symptoms may include paranoia, anxiety, aggression, or agitation, making persons difficult to handle while providing home care. Appropriate support and care is thus required for patients as well as their families. Nature and intensity of care might again fluctuate as patients may go through different stages of effect of medication and treatment.

Most families have started forming self-help groups to provide mutual support, as it is difficult and emotionally draining to provide care to terminally ill patients. Professional help is always recommended although the family remains the core of a home care system. Community programs also play a significant role in improving the service and providing support. Necessary Government approval is also an important requirement for providing professional care for Dementia patients at home.


Related Tags: home care, hospice home care, home day care, home care products

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