Alzheimer's and dementia care at home, from caregivers trained for it
Patient, familiar help for someone living with memory loss, with a routine that keeps the day calm and the house safe.
From our office in Cranford, serving Union County, NJ.
Care that changes as the disease does
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias change a person slowly, and the help they need at home changes with them. Early on it might be a few afternoons a week: someone to keep the calendar straight, cook a proper lunch and make sure the stove is off. Later it's help with every part of the day, and someone awake at night.
Our caregivers are trained in Alzheimer's and dementia care and keep learning newer memory care techniques. They know how to redirect instead of argue, how to make a bath feel safe, and how to keep a routine steady enough that the difficult hours of the day get easier.
A diagnosis at Overlook, and day programs nearby
For a diagnosis, families in Union County can turn to the Memory and Cognitive Disorders Program at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, part of Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, which works out the cause of memory loss and treats it, with social work and follow-up care for the family. Overlook also hosts a dementia caregiver support group once a month; registration is required.
Outside the house, the Union County Division on Aging can point you to adult day programs, including ones for people with dementia, and to respite help for family caregivers. At home, our caregivers bring what a program can't: the same person on the same days, a routine that keeps its shape, and someone who notices when the late afternoons start getting harder.
What dementia care looks like at each stage
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Early stage
Your loved one still lives much as before, but forgets appointments, repeats questions and gets turned around on unfamiliar roads. A caregiver a few times a week helps with the calendar, shopping, cooking and rides, and quietly checks the fridge and the pill organizer. They stay in charge of their own day.
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Middle stage
Usually the longest stage, and the hardest on families. Your parent or spouse may need help choosing clothes, bathing and using the toilet. They may grow anxious late in the day, insist that someone took their wallet, or try to leave the house to go to a job they retired from years ago. Caregivers keep a steady routine, help with personal care and keep an eye on the doors.
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Late stage
Someone in the late stage needs help with nearly everything: eating, moving, turning in bed, staying clean. Caregivers do this gently, watch for discomfort that a person can no longer put into words, and keep them company. Many families add round-the-clock care at this point, and often hospice.
Our family guides cover the seven stages of dementia and the particular course of Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia. For care through the night, see overnight care and 24-hour home care.
The hard parts, and how caregivers handle them
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Sundowning
Restlessness, confusion or anger in the late afternoon and evening. Caregivers keep the house well lit, the evening quiet and the routine the same every day, and they put the harder tasks in the morning, when your parent is at their best.
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Wandering
Someone who walks out the door can be lost within minutes. Caregivers keep an eye on the exits, take walks together so the urge to go has somewhere to go, and tell you when a door alarm or a new lock would help.
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Refusing a bath
Fear of the water, the cold or being undressed is common. Caregivers warm the bathroom first, explain one step at a time, keep your parent covered, and choose the time of day when they're most at ease.
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Repeated questions and false beliefs
Correcting someone with dementia rarely helps and often upsets them. Caregivers answer kindly every time, go along with where your parent is, and steer the conversation somewhere easier.
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Forgetting to eat and drink
Appetite fades and thirst goes unnoticed. Caregivers sit down and eat with your parent, offer small meals they can manage, and keep a drink within reach all day.
For more on these, read our guides to managing sundowning and talking with someone who has dementia.
Help for the family, too
Behind most people with dementia living at home is a spouse or an adult child doing most of the caring, often worn out. A caregiver a few afternoons a week, or overnight so someone can sleep, can be what lets your loved one stay home. That kind of break is respite care.
We keep you up to date after visits and call when something changes, so you're not finding out on your next visit, and you can reach our office day or night with a question. If you're weighing home against a memory care community, we'll talk it through honestly, including when a facility would serve your parent better.
How dementia care at home gets started
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Tell us what's been happening
Call and describe an ordinary day and what has become difficult. The diagnosis, the medication list and the doctor's name help, but you don't need them to call.
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We visit your parent at home
We meet your loved one, look at the house with wandering and falls in mind, and learn the routine, the history and what they still enjoy. The care plan is written from that.
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We match the caregiver carefully
Temperament matters even more with dementia. We look for a patient caregiver whose manner suits your parent, and if the match isn't right, we change it quickly.
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Care grows as the disease progresses
As needs grow we add hours, nights or round-the-clock care, and the care plan is updated each time.
Why families trust us with memory care
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Caregivers trained in Alzheimer's and dementia care
And they keep learning newer memory care techniques.
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The same caregiver whenever we can
A familiar face matters more to someone with memory loss than to almost anyone.
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A quick change if the match isn't right
Tell us and we'll change caregivers without a gap in care.
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Care that can grow to every hour of the day
From a few afternoons a week to overnight and 24-hour care.
What families are saying
As the daughter of an Always Responsive Home Care client, I'm grateful for the compassionate caregivers who helped my mom maintain her independence and dignity at home. Their attentiveness to her needs and warm rapport made a world of difference.
Questions about Alzheimer's and dementia care at home
Still have a question? Call or text us. Someone is here to talk, any time of day.
(908) 691-3660 What does in-home dementia care include?
In-home dementia care includes a steady daily routine, help with bathing, dressing and using the toilet, meals and drinks, medication reminders, supervision to prevent wandering and falls, calm redirection during agitation or sundowning, and companionship and activities the person still enjoys. It comes from a caregiver trained to work with memory loss, and the amount of help grows as the disease progresses, up to care around the clock.
When does someone with dementia need care at home?
Someone with dementia usually needs care at home when it's no longer safe or realistic for them to manage alone, or for one family member to manage everything. Common signs are missed meals or medications, getting lost, leaving the stove on, falls, trouble bathing, agitation in the evening, and a family caregiver who is exhausted. Many families start with a few hours a week in the early stage and add more over time.
Are your caregivers trained in dementia care?
Yes. Always Responsive Home Care trains its caregivers in Alzheimer's and dementia care, and they keep learning newer memory care techniques. That covers communicating without arguing, redirecting agitation, making bathing feel safe, preventing wandering and keeping a calm routine. We match caregivers to each person's temperament and change the match quickly if it isn't working.
Can a person with dementia stay at home until the end?
Many people with dementia can stay at home until the end, with enough help. In the late stage that usually means caregivers around the clock and hospice support. Sometimes staying home stops being possible, for example when someone needs skilled nursing at all hours or the home can't be made safe, and a memory care community or nursing home is the better choice. A care plan that grows with the disease gives most families the most time at home.
How do caregivers handle sundowning?
Caregivers handle sundowning with a steady routine, a well-lit house as the light fades and a quiet evening. Sundowning is restlessness, confusion or agitation in the late afternoon and evening, so caregivers plan demanding tasks such as bathing for the morning, cut down noise and visitors later in the day, offer a snack and something calming to do, and respond to distress with reassurance rather than argument.
Does Medicare pay for dementia care at home?
Medicare doesn't pay for ongoing non-medical care at home, such as help with bathing, meals and supervision, when that's the only care someone needs. It may cover short-term home health visits from a nurse or therapist when a doctor orders them, and it covers hospice in the late stage. Our care is private pay: you pay us directly, and we file any long-term care insurance claims so the policy reimburses you. Some veterans use VA benefits too.
Where can we get a memory evaluation in Union County?
Overlook Medical Center's Memory and Cognitive Disorders Program, part of Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, sees patients at 99 Beauvoir Avenue in Summit, (908) 522-2829, on weekdays. It works out the cause of memory loss, treats it with medication and other therapies, and offers social work and follow-up care afterward. Your parent's primary care doctor is a good first call too, to rule out causes such as a medication side effect or an infection.
Is there a dementia caregiver support group in Union County?
Yes. Overlook Medical Center in Summit hosts a dementia caregiver support group once a month, for families caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease, vascular, Lewy body or frontotemporal dementia. Space is limited, so call (908) 522-3517 for a short screening and to register. The Alzheimer's Association's New Jersey chapter also runs support groups, many of them online, and its 24/7 Helpline is (800) 272-3900.
Let's talk about care for your family
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