Companion care at home offers massive benefits for seniors with all sorts of health issues, but it can be especially helpful for people with dementia. Companion care offers dementia patients a chance to engage in reminiscence activities with someone and receive both emotional support and companionship. Companion caregivers help to support routines, which reduces anxiety and can enhance quality of life.
Do Some Advance Preparation
Preparing seniors with dementia for changes that might occur within their routines takes some careful preparation and communication. Talking to seniors about companion caregivers early and introducing the concept is a good plan and can prevent confusion. This gives family caregivers a chance to answer questions and reduces anxiety about what might happen.
Involve Seniors in Decisions and Choices
Whenever possible, seniors need choices and input into making decisions. That helps them to feel more empowered and positive about the experience overall. Seniors might choose options like how often the companion caregiver visits or what activities they engage in during the visit.
Use Routines
Seniors with dementia tend to do better overall with strong routines. Those routines help them to feel secure and safe because they know what to expect. Changes like bringing in companion caregivers can feel overwhelming, which is why preparation is helpful. Adjusting routines gradually makes it easier to accept something new.
Introduce Companions Gradually
Another helpful idea is to introduce companion caregivers gradually and along with someone the senior is already comfortable with on a regular basis. Shorter visits that are structured can help with the introductions, too. These visits give seniors a chance to get to know the new caregiver and allow them to build rapport with each other.
Establish Clear Goals
It also helps to have some goals with this type of care. Taking into account the senior’s preferences and needs helps to ensure that everyone involved understands the situation. This is also the time to talk about what companion care at home does and what they don’t do. Companion caregivers offer emotional support and companionship, but dn’t help with hands-on tasks. That’s more in line with how home care services can help dementia patients.
Monitor Progress
It’s also important to keep an eye on how well this is going as seniors spend more time with companion caregivers. Knowing what’s working and what isn’t ensures that family caregivers can make changes to things like the schedule or what types of activities seniors are companion caregivers do with each other. Keeping seniors involved in the evaluation process empowers them to share how they’re feeling and get what they need out of the experience.
Introducing companion care at home can feel like a big task at first. Taking the whole process a little slowly and carefully can help quite a bit. Seniors with dementia may need a few reminders about who the companion caregiver is and why they are there, but the benefits are immense. Experiencing meaningful engagement on a regular basis helps tremendously with every aspect of well-being from physical to emotional.
Reference
https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/choose-care-situation-loved-one-alzheimers
If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Parker, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Parker. 303-953-9924
