Navigating Life With Dementia

Alzheimer’s is an incredibly difficult and debilitating disease which is faced by both the individual and their family and friends around them, in equal measure, but certainly for different reasons. Families are often aware of the circumstances surrounding their loved one and can see the problems that are faced whilst oftentimes the individual is unaware, especially in later stage dementia. Dementia is the name for a collection of symptoms which manifests itself through memory loss, difficulties with thinking, problem-solving and even language making daily tasks difficult.

However, with a change in abilities following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, there is a misconception that people with dementia can no longer do anything. This is certainly not the case, it just requires adaptation, patience, and assistance so that people with dementia can still do many of the things they once enjoyed. Retaining this sort of routine for as long as possible can provide a sense of distraction to the otherwise cruel symptoms.

There are different levels of dementia and different types. Some include (but are not exclusive to):

Vascular dementia (caused by problems with blood supply to the brain)

Mixed dementia (a mix of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease)

Dementia with Lewy bodies

Frontotemporal dementia

The purpose of Alzheimer’s awareness days is to educate people about the illness and to involve people with dementia themselves, the various stages from early-onset dementia through to acute and later stages of dementia. It helps people living with dementia to still maintain a good quality of life.

Caring for people with dementia and their families

As carers for individuals and families dealing with dementia on a daily basis, we provide support which includes general tasks and caretaking of the home, but our support and care workers also spend the time to understand each person as an individual. This helps people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s to look back on their life by sharing life stories, memories, and experiences which gets the brain thinking and can help to calm the symptoms of dementia temporarily.

Person-centred care

We are committed to providing person-centred care which involves our team supporting service users and their families to navigate the difficult situations that dementia can often bring. This means that when there is a struggle to find available care from friends or family, we can work with you to put the right support in place.

Dementia statistics

Currently, there are almost 50 million people living with dementia worldwide and it is one of the biggest challenges in the modern world. More than 520,000 people in the UK have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease, with the figure set to rise in the future.

At JRH Support, we provide live-in care and home care support around the clock for people living with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s Disease. If you are affected by dementia and want to understand more, or need somebody to talk to regarding your situation, call our team today.

You can get further advice and support from charities such as Alzheimer’s Society, who can offer generalised advice for dementia.