Every year, September marks World Alzheimer’s Month – a great time for individuals, healthcare providers and charities to raise awareness and support for this cruel disease.
This year’s campaign is titled “Know dementia, know Alzheimer’s”. It is focused on talking about the power of dementia knowledge and the difference it can make to those both with and without the condition.
The Alzheimer’s Society is encouraging everyone to get to know the signs and symptoms of dementia, so they can get the right diagnosis and support as quickly as possible – or recognise when a loved one may start being impacted.
As the charity explains, by learning more about dementia and understanding changes in memory and behaviour, you and your loved ones can feel empowered to reach out for the help and support you need.
Different types of dementia can affect people in many different ways, but some of the most notable symptoms include:
Memory loss
Memory loss is a common early sign of dementia. This is because it is caused by diseases that damage the brain. This damage often affects areas of the brain involved in creating new memories and remembering older ones.
A change in behaviour
Changes in behaviour are sometimes the first sign that someone has dementia. For some people, they can come on gradually and be hard to recognise at first. For others, the changes can be more sudden or aggressive.
Finding daily tasks difficult
Dementia can make it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks and activities, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping. The sufferer may also get confused about times, places, and struggle to follow a conversation.
Trouble sleeping
A person with dementia experiences physical changes in their brain because of their condition. These changes can affect how much and how well they sleep. If these problems persist over time, poor sleep may make the symptoms of dementia worse.
Much more information about the symptoms of dementia can be found on the Alzheimer’s Society website, and it’s absolutely worth equipping yourself with this knowledge. The focus of the month is World Alzheimer’s Day, which takes place on 21 September.
How Blossom Home Care helps clients with dementia
Blossom Home Care prides itself on delivering the very highest levels of care to individuals who have been diagnosed with dementia, yet are still living in their own home.
Every type of dementia impacts people in unique ways, which is why we never operate a one-size-fits-all approach for those requiring dementia home care. Empathy, sympathy, and truly holistic care is at the heart of everything we do for dementia clients and their family.
We also know the immense feelings of stress and worry that having a loved one being diagnosed with dementia brings to the wider family. It’s why our dementia care goes above and beyond just helping the individual in need.
Working with multidisciplinary teams (MDT)
Our highly trained and experienced carers work extremely closely with the client’s family and multidisciplinary team (MDT) from the first moment we are enlisted to help. This includes but is not limited to:
● Doctors
● Nurses
● Social workers
● Mental health workers
● Physiotherapists
● Other healthcare professionals
Knowing every patient’s care needs are unique, this partnership-first approach allows us to carry out precisely the right level of holistic care for the client.
Relieving stress for family members and current carers
Being responsible for a loved one suffering with dementia is incredibly stressful. And even if you’re not the one providing care, simply worrying about whether they’re keeping safe and well is incredibly draining.
To alleviate this, our expert carers will take on as much responsibility as possible. For starters, trusting us to liaise and harmonise with the dementia sufferer’s medical team will take a huge weight off your shoulders.
A holistic approach to care
We focus on every aspect of clients’ wellbeing when devising their bespoke care plan. No matter what their specific requirements, limitations, hobbies, interests or wishes are, we work tirelessly with clients and their family to fully meet their personal needs.
Find out more about our dementia home care service on our dedicated page
If a loved one diagnosed with dementia is sadly struggling to cope with their daily life, please get in touch with us. We will help clients not just survive, but to thrive as best they can in the place they want to be most: home.
Ready to experience a new level of care?
Blossom Home Care has an unbreakable commitment to delivering exceptional levels of service. If you want to find out more about how our superb carers can help your loved ones, please contact us today.
We look forward to helping you.