Dementia Care

Dementia is a general term for a range of conditions that cause losses in thinking, remembering, and reasoning skills, also known as cognitive abilities. These losses become so severe that they interfere with a person's daily life. They also impact behavior, feelings and relationships. Here are some common forms that fall under the dementia umbrella:

• Alzheimer’s Disease: The most common type of dementia, characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline.
• Vascular Dementia: Often resulting from a stroke or other blood flow issues, this type can cause problems with reasoning, planning, and judgment.
• Lewy Body Dementia: This type involves abnormal protein deposits in the brain, leading to cognitive decline, visual hallucinations, and movement issues.
• Frontotemporal Dementia: This affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, impacting personality, behavior, and language skills.
• Mixed Dementia: A combination of two or more types of dementia, commonly Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

1 in 2 of us will be impacted by Alzheimer’s in our lifetime, either by caring for a loved one with the condition or developing it ourselves.

Dementia is often categorized into three stages, each presenting its own set of challenges and needs:

 1. Early Stage

• Memory Loss: Individuals may begin to misplace things, have difficulty remembering to take medications, or struggle to remember recent events and important dates.
• Concentration: Problems with concentration and focus can occur
• Difficulty with Communication: They may begin to have trouble finding the right words
• Confusion: They might struggle with familiar tasks, such as following a recipe, managing finances, and organizing or planning.
• Mood Changes: Emotional swings or withdrawal from social activities can occur.

 2. Middle Stage

• Increased Memory Loss: Individuals may have difficulty recognizing close family members and familiar places.
• Increased Difficulty with Communication: They may have more trouble finding the right words and following conversations.
• Behavioral Changes: Anxiety, frustration, or aggressive behaviors may increase.
• Physical Decline: Have trouble controlling their bladder and bowels and difficulty walking and eating. 

 3. Late Stage

• Severe Memory Loss: Individuals may lose the ability to recognize loved ones or remember their own life history.
• Limited Communication: Communication may become minimal or stop altogether, relying on non-verbal cues.
• Physical Decline: They may have difficulty walking, eating and swallowing and lost ability to control going to the bathroom

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are progressive illnesses, meaning they develop gradually over time.  In most cases, the progression takes years, so a patient’s needs change and become more involved as time passes. Unity offers three services tailored to meet the everchanging needs of dementia patients and their families. Most people prefer to receive care from Unity in the comfort of home — whether “home” is a private residence, an assisted living community, or a nursing home. During advanced dementia, if the patient’s symptoms become too difficult to manage at home, Unity’s Jack and Engrid Meng Hospice Residence is an option.

Unity’s Dementia Care Programs

In Home Care Assistance: Unity Care Companions program matches patients with a trained caregiver to assist with non-medical, in-home assistance including bathing, grooming, meal preparation, housekeeping, companionship, medication reminders, transportation to run errands/attend appointments, and more.

Palliative Care: Unity Supportive Care Management provides symptom management and discussions about quality-of-life goals and care needs. Research shows palliative care reduces emergency room visits and hospitalizations by people with dementia. Ensuring that people with dementia and their families understand the benefits of palliative care is essential to make informed decisions about healthcare.

Hospice Care: Unity Hospice Care serves those in the end stages of dementia. Hospice is a special blend of medical, emotional, spiritual, and grief support for patients and families during the last months of life. Unity’s team of nurses, social workers, certified nursing assistants, chaplains and grief counselors work together to improve quality of life by eleviating pain, controlling, reduce anxiety, addressing social and emotional challenges, and providing spiritual guidance.

Considering the slow decline of a patient with dementia, it can be difficult to determine when the time is right to contact Unity for an extra layer of support. Here are some common signs that the disease has progressed to a point where all involved would likely benefit from Unity’s care:

Care Companions, Unity’s Home Care Assistant Program, may be appropriate if your loved-one is…

• Forgetting to take medications as scheduled/prescribed
• Needing more assistance with personal care and other once independent tasks
• Bathing or grooming on an infrequent basis
• Falling behind on household chores or daily tasks
• Struggling to shop for and prepare healthy meals
• Becoming less physically active, avoiding social interaction or losing interest in hobbies
• Feeling lonely, depressed, anxious, isolated or bored
• Walking with an unsteady gait or experiencing decreased mobility such as having problems getting up from a seated position
• Wishing to live independently at home for as long as possible

Supportive Care Management, Unity’s Palliative Program, can be helpful at any stage of serious illness and is best provided soon after a person is diagnosed. In addition to improving quality of life, helping with pain and symptom management, and managing behaviors along with anxiety, palliative care can help patients understand their choices for medical treatment.

Hospice Care, may be appropriate if your loved one is experiencing:

• No verbal communication or can only say a few words
• Exhibits severe anxiety
• Numerous visits to the emergency room or hospital for complications of disease
• Frequent calls or multiple visits to doctor’s office
• Spends most time in a chair or bed
• Needs assistance with eating, dressing, grooming, walking, taking medications
• Frequent falls
• Chooses to focus on quality of life

Anyone can make a referral to Unity – a patient, family member, friend, spiritual leader, social worker or doctor. Early referrals ensure the patient and family can benefit from all that Unity provides.

You can change your mind and stop care from Unity at any time. Similarly, if you stop care and later want to return to it, you can do that, too.