Guidance · Dementia care
Dementia Care at Home
Help with the day, arranged around the person: familiar routines, calmer evenings, good company, and a family that isn’t carrying it alone.
Dementia care at home is everyday help arranged around a person living with memory changes, so they can keep their own rooms, their routines and the people they know, and Endurance Home Care provides it across Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
What dementia is, and what it is not
Dementia is a word for changes in memory, thinking and everyday abilities that come from an underlying condition. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases, and there are others. Two people with the same diagnosis can have very different days.
It isn’t an ordinary part of getting older. Forgetting a name and remembering it later is ordinary. Changes that get in the way of daily life are worth mentioning to a doctor, sooner rather than later.
At home, what matters most is how the day goes: when your mother is at her best, which parts of the routine have become harder, and what helps her feel settled. That’s where good help at home starts.
The name for changes in memory, thinking and everyday abilities that are caused by an underlying condition. It looks different from one person to the next.
The most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases, though not the only one.
Forgetting a name and remembering it later is ordinary. Changes that get in the way of daily life are worth mentioning to a doctor.
A mixed-up body clock can leave someone tired through the day and awake at night, so sleep is often the first routine to shift.
Low light makes more shadows, and shadows can be confusing. Turning lamps on early is one of the simplest changes to make.
Caring for someone with dementia is a lot for one person, and 59 percent of dementia caregivers report high to very high emotional stress. Regular time off belongs in the plan from the start.
What often changes first at home
Many families notice the routine shifting before they notice memory. Sleep is often first. A mixed-up body clock can leave someone tired through the middle of the day and awake at night, and longer afternoon naps can make the nights harder still.
Evenings can be the other hard stretch, and light is part of the reason. Low light makes more shadows, and shadows can be confusing. The good news is that this is something you can change the same day you notice it.
The first useful changes are ordinary ones: lamps on before it gets dark, curtains drawn early, dinner at the same time each night, and a familiar person in the house through the part of the day that has become hardest to manage alone.
If you’d like help with those hours, read how we arrange in home dementia care in Fairfield County across Connecticut and New Jersey. In New York we provide companion care only. Near our Stamford office, read about dementia care at home in Greenwich, Stamford and Fairfield.
How a caregiver helps at home
A caregiver keeps the day steady: company and conversation, meals made together, help around the house, rides to appointments, reminders for medicines, safety supervision and, where it’s needed, hands-on help with bathing and getting dressed. It can be a few hours a week, the evenings, overnight, or around the clock. We provide personal care in Connecticut and New Jersey. In New York we provide companion care, by the hour, overnight, live-in or around the clock.
A registered nurse visits first and writes the care plan with your family. We choose the caregiver with your mother or father in mind and introduce them before the first visit. Our caregivers take part in dementia training, and our nurses hold the Certified Dementia Educator certification. Your Care Manager keeps you posted as things change.
Our founders cared for their own grandmother with dementia before any of this was a company. That’s why we start with the person and their day.
Looking after yourself, too
Nearly 13 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and 59 percent of dementia caregivers report high to very high emotional stress.
Caring for someone with dementia usually builds up slowly: broken nights, planning every trip out of the house, and less time to simply be a daughter, son or husband. It’s a lot for one person, and it’s fine to say so.
Regular time off belongs in the plan from the start. A caregiver who already knows the routine can cover an afternoon, an evening or a night, so you can sleep, see friends or keep your own appointments. That’s respite care for family caregivers.
- 13 million
Americans, nearly, providing unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or other dementias.
- 59 percent
of dementia caregivers reporting high to very high emotional stress.
- Respite
Scheduled hours so the person carrying the household can sleep, leave the house, or keep an appointment of their own.
More guides for families
Each guide answers one question families often ask. Start with the one that fits your week.
- what to do when sundowning startsWhy late afternoons and evenings can be harder, and what helps.
- early signs of dementiaChanges worth mentioning to a doctor, and how ordinary forgetting differs.
- dementia vs alzheimersHow the two words relate, in plain terms.
- dementia wandering and how to prevent itWhy someone may walk off, and practical steps families take at home.
- activities for dementia patients at homeEveryday things to do together that suit the person as they are today.
- how to talk to someone with dementiaSimple ways to keep conversations calm and kind.
- dementia proofing the homeRoom by room changes that make home easier to live in.
Questions families ask first
What does dementia care at home involve?
It means help arranged around the person instead of asking them to fit around it: a steady routine, good light in the evening, company, meals, and someone nearby through the parts of the day that have become harder. At Endurance Home Care, a registered nurse visits first and writes the care plan with your family, and the caregiver is chosen for your mother or father and introduced before the first visit. Help can be a few hours a week or around the clock.
Is dementia a normal part of aging?
No. Dementia isn't a normal part of getting older. It describes changes in memory, thinking and everyday abilities caused by an underlying condition, and Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Forgetting a name and remembering it later is ordinary. Changes that get in the way of daily life are worth mentioning to a doctor.
Does Endurance provide medical dementia care?
Our caregivers help with daily life: company, meals, the house, errands, rides to appointments, medication reminders and, where it's needed, hands-on help with bathing and dressing. For skilled nursing, home health aides or physical therapy in Connecticut, our separate company, Endurance Home Health, can help. Your parent's doctor stays in charge of diagnosis and treatment, and the care plan follows their advice.
How much do dementia caregivers usually take on?
Nearly 13 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or other dementias, and 59 percent of dementia caregivers report high to very high emotional stress. Those numbers are why respite is treated as part of the plan here, not a luxury.
How can I get a break from caring for my parent?
Many families start with regular hours that belong to the main caregiver: a few afternoons a week, an overnight so you can sleep, or cover while you travel or keep your own appointments. A caregiver who already knows your parent's routine makes those hours easier for everyone. Planned breaks belong in a good care plan, and we can talk through what would help most.
Can care start before a formal diagnosis?
Yes. Families often begin with a few hours a week when driving, meals or evenings get harder, before anyone has a diagnosis. If you've noticed changes, it's worth mentioning them to a doctor, and the Alzheimer's Association suggests booking an appointment when warning signs appear. Help at home can run alongside those appointments.
Let’s talk about what would help at home
Tell us about your mother or father, the parts of the day that have become harder, and what matters most to them. Daily-living dementia support at home across Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, from an agency registered in Connecticut and New Jersey. The first conversation is free, and nothing starts until you say so.