If your senior has dementia and you’re considering senior care services, they can be a huge benefit to your elderly family member’s care plan. Here are just a few of the reasons that is true and some explanations about why you may want to consider senior care much earlier in your elderly family member’s diagnosis.
Improving Safety and Comfort at Home
Home safety is one of the most important concerns for a senior with dementia. This is even more true when her plan is to remain in a familiar environment for as long as possible. Senior care providers are able to ensure that your elderly family member is safe and make adjustments as needed to help improve her safety. They’re also able to focus on ensuring that your elderly family member is comfortable and that her needs are met.
Keeping Tabs on Symptoms
Dementia causes changes in your senior’s thought processes and in how she approaches the rest of the world. Symptoms like memory loss, trouble with solving problems, and questionable decisions often get worse over time. There can also be good days for those symptoms and bad days. Senior care providers can keep an eye on symptoms and help your elderly family member more on days when symptoms are more pronounced.
Ensuring Your Senior Eats Healthy Foods
Eating a healthy diet is important no matter what health issues your aging family member is facing. It’s even more important with dementia, because she might forget to eat or choose foods that are nutritionally bereft. Having someone there who can ensure your senior is regularly eating healthy foods can help her to stay healthy in general, which is always helpful. Also, if cooking has become dangerous for your senior, she may have developed fears around cooking and around food.
Helping with Establishing Routines
Routines give your senior something to lean on, both early in her dementia diagnosis and later. Senior care providers can help with establishing and maintaining routines that support your elderly family member’s needs and wants throughout the day. A good routine helps your senior to ensure that she’s getting all of the important details covered.
Getting help sooner rather than later can be important for both your senior and for you. It ensures that your elderly family member is more accustomed to help when she still understands what’s happening and it ensures that you don’t overwhelm yourself with care tasks.