Dementia is medically described as a collection of symptoms that are associated with a sharp decline in memory and other thinking skills. The condition is severe enough to significantly reduce a person’s ability to perform day-to-day tasks.
Caring for someone who has dementia is a difficult job and dementia caregivers can often feel confused about what should be done to address the symptoms associated with dementia. People who have dementia from Alzheimer’s or other related diseases have a brain disorder which makes it difficult to perform every day thinking activities. This condition makes it exceedingly difficult for people with dementia to communicate with others, remember things (even names of their loved ones), think clearly, and take care of their wellbeing.
Furthermore, dementia is also known to cause a significant change in a person’s behavior and personality. All this highlights how difficult it can be to look after someone with dementia. In this blog post, we provide effective tips and strategies that you can use to deal with the troubling behavior and condition of people with dementia to provide them with adequate care.
How to communicate with someone who has dementia:
Due to the loss of memory and impaired social skills, it is natural that caregivers need to adopt a different communication style to reach out to someone with dementia. No one is born with the ability to communicate with a person who has dementia, but all of us can learn. Improving your communication skills is one of the first steps that you can take to enhance the quality of the relationship that you have with your loved one living with dementia.
Not just this, but effective communication will also reduce stress for you and help you in handling the difficult behavior that you might encounter when caring for a person with dementia.
Here are a few practical tips on how you can improve communication with someone with this dementing illness:
How to handle challenging behavior:
One of the leading challenges of being a caregiver for someone with dementia is to handle their personality, behavior, and mood swings. You can address these challenges by being creative, flexible, patient, and compassionate. What is important is to understand that people with dementia will often feel confused and aggrieved about their situation and thus, their actions or speech might be aggressive. In such a situation, you should not take things personally and maintain your composure and sense of humor.
For handling this troubling behavior of people with a dementing illness, consider the following:
Even though mood swings and behavioral problems are a symptom of dementia, they may have other underlying medical reasons as well. Whenever you see that the person is showing behavioral changes, it could be because they are experiencing a side effect from the medicines or are in pain. For instance, in some cases, people with dementia might experience hallucinations and therefore, might need proper medical treatment or medication to help them manage the problem. Therefore, you should always check with the doctor first to ensure that there are no medical concerns that might be causing the issue.
People who have dementia are typically not able to tell what they need or want. Sometimes, they might take actions such as taking all their clothes out of the closet, and caretakers will feel confused why. It is likely that if the behavior is not understandable, the person is simply trying to be productive and busy. Therefore, you should always consider what they are trying to achieve with their behavior and if you are able to understand, try to help them in any way you can.
Another important thing to understand is that all behavior is triggered by something. It could be something as simple as someone saying or doing something to the person with dementia, or as complex as a small change in the physical environment. An effective way to influencing behavior positively is to understand what causes the behavior change and disrupting the environment or tone accordingly.
Challenging behavior is caused by several factors that may change over time. The natural progression of dementia may cause the behavior to become more aggressive and troubling over time. This is the reason that solutions which are effective right not might need to be modified in the future. Some solutions might not work at all. Therefore, you will need to come up with a different approach. The important part here is to be flexible and creative in the strategies that you use to address given behavioral problems.
It is essential that you keep in mind that the person you are looking after has a brain disorder. This disorder has shaped them into who they have become. If you try to control or change this behavior then you will not just be unsuccessful but might also be met with resistance and increased aggression. Therefore, it is important that you:
Dealing with aggressive actions or speech:
A common situation that caretakers find themselves in is to deal with aggressive speech or actions. Often, statements such as I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to eat this, I want to go home right now can escalate into aggressive behavior.
One of the most important things here is to understand that this aggression, whether verbal or physical is being caused because of the disorder and the person is not doing it deliberately. Aggression can be triggered for a number of reasons such as discomfort, environmental factors such as an unfamiliar location, or poor communication from the caretaker’s end.
In such a scenario, here is what you should and should not do to deal with these aggressive actions or speech:
Get support from professionals:
At the end of the day, caring for someone who has a brain disorder, particularly dementia can be a very challenging task. It is important that you do not feel hopeless or frustrated by looking at the ultimate goal i.e. your happiness and the happiness of your loved one. Following the tips and strategies that we have outlined in this blog post will help you care for someone with dementia but if you ever feel like things are getting out of hand, get support from professionals.
There are a number of support groups, service, and organizations that are experienced with caring for people with dementia. For example, HomeCaring is a professional service that helps you care for your loved ones with conditions that have dementia. The benefit of hiring a professional service is that they are experts who are trained and experienced. They know exactly how to handle the behavioral changes, needs, and wants of people with dementia. Hiring Home Caring services will help you enjoy peace of mind and ensure that your loved one is happy and healthy.
From our Home Caring family to yours we wish you a truly wonderful Christmas filled with love, joy and togetherness.
Today as we celebrate we're reminded of the incredible clients and families we've had the privilege to support throughout the year. Your trust and connection mean the world to us and it's our honour to be part of your journey. We hope you've had a beautiful day surrounded by loved ones and the warmth of the season. Merry Christmas! 🎄✝️❤️
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’Twas the Friday before Christmas & all through the land,
Home Caring united, a festive day so grand.
With our staff and clients together as one,
We celebrated Christmas, full of love and fun.
From Craigieburn’s cheer to South Perth’s delight,
Rockhampton’s joy sparkled so bright.
Campbelltown gathered, Hurstville did too,
Smithfield and Altona also spread Christmas hues.
With laughter and love felt far and wide,
Our epic Christmas parties warmed hearts inside.
A shoutout to every team who made it so sweet—
This festive season you’ve made it complete! 🎄🩵
#HomeCaringChristmas #TogetherAsOne #FestiveJoy #MeaningfulConnections #CelebratingCare #haveahollyjollychristmas
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The Australian Government has announced significant changes to the aged care system introducing the Support at Home program set to commence on 1 July 2025. This initiative aims to enhance support for older Australians enabling them to remain in their homes longer and receive more personalised care.
Key Features of the Support at Home Program:
• Reduced Wait Times: The program will shorten the waiting period for in-home aged care services ensuring timely assistance for those in need.
• Tailored Support Levels: Support at Home introduces eight levels of ongoing care replacing the previous four, to better match individual needs.
• No Caps on Cleaning and Gardening: Unlike previous programs there will be no annual caps on cleaning and gardening services allowing for more comprehensive support.
• Care Management Cap: A 10% cap on care management costs will remain in place to maintain affordability.
• Assistive Technology Access: The program will expedite access to assistive devices like walkers and wheelchairs enhancing mobility and independence.
• Increased Support Funding: The maximum support level will rise from $61,000 to $78,000, providing more resources for those with complex needs.
• Restorative and Allied Health Services: There will be a temporary funding boost for restorative and allied health services, aiding recovery and well-being.
• Palliative Care Support: The program includes provisions for palliative care allowing older Australians to spend their final weeks at home surrounded by loved ones.
Staged Implementation of Price Caps:
Price caps on services will be phased in starting from 1 July 2026. For the first year providers will continue to set their own prices similar to the current Home Care Packages program. In early 2025, consultations will be held with older people, advocates, families, carers and the sector to ensure fair pricing and robust consumer protections during this transition.
No Worse Off Principle:
To protect existing Home Care Package recipients, the government has introduced the “No Worse Off” principle:
• Grandfathering: Individuals approved for a Home Care Package as of 12 September 2024 will transition to the new system without financial disadvantage.
• Fee Structure: If you were a full-rate pensioner paying no fees under your Home Care Package as of 12 September 2024, you will continue to pay no fees under Support at Home. If you were required to pay fees, you will pay the same or less under the new program.
At Home Caring we are dedicated to supporting our older community members through these changes. We are committed to ensuring the financial safety and well-being of our clients providing personalised care that aligns with the new Support at Home program. Our team is here to assist you in navigating these updates, ensuring you receive the care and support you deserve. 🩵
For more detailed information please refer to the Department of Health and Aged Care’s consumer fact sheet: www.health.gov.au/resources/ publications/support-at-home-program-fact-sheet-changes-to-support-at-home-pricing-arrangements-for-older-people-families-and-carers?language=en
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Happy Friday HC fam! Sending love from our wonderful Home Caring Craigieburn team! It’s been an incredibly productive week filled with exciting events across Australia and we couldn’t be more thrilled about what’s to come. As the new year approaches we’re counting down the days to continue growing innovating and supporting our cherished clients with the care they deserve 🩵 ... See MoreSee Less