Is Senior Home Care a Good Option for Someone with Dementia or Alzheimer's?

When a senior is struggling with either dementia or Alzheimer's, their children are usually the first people to notice the problems that come along with these progressive diseases. While both are different, both diseases affect the mind. If your parent is just starting to develop either of these and needs some help, you might wonder if senior home care services would be a good option. If you are wondering about this, you should know the following three things.

1. Understand What Progressive Means and How This Affects the Decision

When using the word progressive to describe these diseases, it simply means that it worsens over time. A person who gets dementia or Alzheimer's might not have a severe case of it at first. Instead, it starts off slowly and there are few signs that the person has it. As time passes, the disease worsens, though.

Because of this nature, home care services for seniors can be highly beneficial for seniors who have either type of disease. It depends on the severity of the person's symptoms. Home care services are almost always ideal for a person when they initially get one of these diseases, but it might not be the best option for a person who has major symptoms and problems from the disease.

What Your Parent Is Still Able to Do Matters

Therefore, determining if your parent could benefit from home healthcare services for seniors will depend highly on what they can still do. Can your parent still live alone in a manner that is safe for them? Can they do basic things each day that involve personal care? Does your parent need constant supervision? You should talk about these things with a home care company to find out if your parent could benefit from the services of a home care company.

Home Healthcare Is a Good Place to Start

In many cases of dementia or Alzheimer's, home healthcare is often a good place to start, but it is important to know that this might not always be the best choice. After a while, the disease will likely progress and worsen, and at some point, your parent might need to move to a nursing home or senior care facility for full-time care.

You probably still have questions about home healthcare services and whether they're right for your parent. You can learn more by contacting a company that offers senior home care. 

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