In-home dementia care: solutions families can trust

400,000 to 450,000 Australians are living with dementia as you read this. At least, according to an  AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) study from 2024.

These are troublesome numbers, to be honest. They are troublesome because they point to many Australians having to juggle their lives while caring for their loved ones who live with this syndrome. Nobody needs to tell anyone that this is a tough situation to be in.

In-home dementia care solutions exist to give respite to those devoted family members – children, siblings, or relatives who need it. These solutions are like a cool breeze in smouldering heat.

Let us, together, take a look at these solutions that can enhance daily living for both you and your loved one living with dementia.

Benefits of in-home dementia care

In-home dementia care is simply having caregiver support at home as you take care of your loved one living with dementia. A home care agency providing dementia support services steps in to provide respite care using your already existing care plan.

A cool breeze in smouldering heat.

But that’s not the only benefit of in-home dementia care.

You see, dementia is a debilitating condition. It erodes memory and personality, and the rate at which this happens depends on how your loved one came to live with it in the first place.

Dementia has several causes:

• Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause.

• Vascular dementia, which is dementia that happens when the brain stops receiving its usual blood flow for its functions

• Lewy body dementia

• Frontotemporal dementia

There are other secondary causes, like Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and chronic alcohol misuse. Some are reversible, like dementia caused by a lack of vitamins.

Experts say that in-home care can work to control the behavioural changes that come with dementia at a very low level. Even if they are not in their homes, making a place feel familiar and helping them do the things they’re used to – their favourite routines – can remove any care challenges you could face.

Take note that your care plan will need some assistive technology for you to enjoy this benefit. And if you opt to take them out of their homes for any reason, like the cost of care at home, make sure that assistive technology is a key part of your care plan.

These benefits, combined with the expertise of the home care agency, whose care professionals also ensure that your loved one is otherwise healthy, have brought succour to many families. They can do the same for you, too.

How assistive technology boosts in-home dementia care efforts

Speaking of assistive technology, here’s how they make personal care efforts for people living with dementia a whole lot easier:

• Voice assistants

Voice assistive tech can be installed around the house. With this tech, you can even remotely control certain things in the house, like lighting and smart kitchen appliances, using microphones in the house. You can also get these assistants to play calming background sounds or a playlist of your loved one’s favourite songs to soothe them. They can also be set up to announce reminders to your loved one, in case you’re not there.

• Smart pill dispensers

This is a pill box that’s rigged with the right tech that can beep when it’s time for the next dose of a medication. It is medication management at its best. This can help you feel less overwhelmed as you don’t need to monitor the clock for their medication.

• Sensors or GPS trackers

When your loved one wants to do something unsafe, like pick up a knife or turn on the gas stove, kitchen sensors can alert you. GPS trackers can be laced in their bracelets or clothes, in case they wander off when you take them outside.

• Video technology

Telehealth exists thanks to video technology. Your loved one, you and their doctor can sit together from the comfort of your home and their office, connected by video and getting medical intervention. Video recording tech also enables you to keep track of their movements for safety and pattern recognition reasons. And let’s not forget how it helps us stay connected to family and friends who are far away, which greatly helps to ground your loved one.

Even a Specialist Dementia Care Plan cannot do without the incorporation of these technologies. They enhance personal care provision, make home care services more efficient, improve medication management, and make sure that caregiver support is delivered as it should.

Activities of daily living: how personal care services uplift dementia care

Regular, consistent activity is the core of dementia support services.

This is why assisted living for people living with dementia involves something called “Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)”. These are everyday, mundane activities like bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, feeding and bedtime. Being able to do this consistently can help your loved one with the structure they need in their new reality. 

In conjunction with “Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)”, the care agency providing in-home dementia care for your loved one must be willing to “play” with them. This “play” sparks happy memories and helps their cognitive skills remain as sharp as the syndrome would allow.

It can even help them develop new hobbies that can ground them.

With a Specialist Dementia Care Programme, you can even have Allied health professionals (physios, occupational therapists, speech therapists) visit the home to help your loved one work on strength, mobility and communication.

And this is why selecting a skilled home care agency or care provider that understands assisted living is as important as choosing a medical treatment plan. Here are some tips to make sure you pick the best for your loved one:

• Training

Seek out agencies that offer specialised dementia training for their caregivers, not just overall disability care. Carry out thorough background checks on them and the caregiver they assign to your loved one. Some agencies will even allow you to interview their caregivers to select the one that fits.

• Trial

Some agencies offer trial periods. Take advantage of this so that you can make smart hiring decisions.

• Communication

You may need to set up a clinical trial for your loved one’s health. You may need to set up allied health care for them. You may need complex care or medical care optimisation, or palliative care. You may even need to interview a backup caregiver. If they don’t respond quickly or cannot help you with any of these enquiries, that’s a red flag.

• Flexibility

A good home care agency will be malleable enough to change care plans to suit your loved one’s current needs. They will also be malleable enough to respect cultural differences and preferences, while still delivering efficient care support services.

Now you have all the information you need to process in-home dementia care for your loved one.

In case this is above your budget, there are government-subsidised Home Care Packages that you can sign up for. Apply for them through My Aged Care to access these Home Care Packages.

Home care providers like Support Network help families navigate this process of application, while also being on hand to provide the care that gives you respite.

Also, when caring becomes overwhelming, in-home services can provide Complex Care, which is tailored to dealing with serious cases. You can reach out to Dementia Support Australia to help with this.

Dementia Support Australia will deploy Specialist Dementia Care Program units to your home or arrange short stays in a care facility.

And for you, the primary caregiver, who feels like they’re dancing on hot coals while balancing an egg on a spoon, joining a local support group can help take some of the pressure off you.

With the right mix of Home Care Packages, Complex Care and community support, family members can enjoy peace of mind and still care for their loved ones.