There are many options that caregivers can explore for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Options include facility care, in-home care, and daily care. Supportive services are also available.
It can sometimes be overwhelming to provide care for a person living with Alzheimer’s. Fortunately, there are many options for caregivers to explore. These options can assist with care, breaks for caregivers, support, and more.
There are multiple types of care available for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Caregivers can look into these options for short-term assistance, long-term assistance, help at home, and more. The best care option can depend on factors individual to each person experiencing Alzheimer’s and to each caregiver.
Day-to-day support
Some programs are available on a day-to-day basis. These programs provide support during the day and offer services such as meals, nursing care, recreational activities, and more. They include options such as:
- Adult day programs: Often, organizations offer adult day programs during hours that allow caregivers to continue working. These daytime programs provide services such as socialization, recreation, nursing care, and more. Some programs also offer additional services, such as physical therapy or mental health programs.
- Meal delivery programs: Many communities offer programs that deliver meals to people with chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
- Respite care: Respite care is an option that allows caregivers to take vacations, undergo surgical procedures, or simply take a break. It means that a person with a condition such as Alzheimer’s temporarily resides in a care facility. You can read more about respite care here.
Long-term in-home care
Long-term in-home care options provide services such as companionship, hygiene care, nursing care, medical care, and more, in a person’s home. They can act as an addition to the care provided by a caregiver. There can be a great option for some people with Alzheimer’s
There are two primary options for long-term in-home care: home care and home healthcare. These two options might sound similar, but they offer different services to people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
Home care services are provided by home care aids. Home care aids assist with daily tasks such as bathing and dressing, but they do not provide nursing care. They can sometimes also help with household tasks such as meal preparation, light house cleaning, and errands. Home care aids can stay for as little as a few hours or as long as a whole day.
Home healthcare companies provide services from a range of medical professionals. Nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, mental health counselors, and other professionals might all come to the home to deliver care. Services such as cleaning, meal preparation, and completion of other household tasks are not included in most home healthcare plans. Typically, professionals only stay for a few hours at a time.
Residential care can be the best option for many people with Alzheimer’s disease. Residential care can provide around-the-clock care in a safe environment. It can offer safety, medical supervision, and the guarantee that care comes from professionals.
There are several options for residential care. They include:
- Assisted living facilities: Assisted living facilities are a good choice for people who are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. They provide around-the-clock care and are typically staffed by nursing assistants and care aids. These aids can help with tasks such as showing, dressing, and daily self-care.
- Nursing facilities: Skilled nursing facilities provide more services than assisted living facilities. These facilities have nurses on staff at all hours and can care for people with advanced medical needs. They’re a good option for those in more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Memory care units: Some assisted living facilities and nursing facilities have specialty units for people with conditions that affect their memory. These units often have staff who’ve received additional training. They might also have safety features in place, such as alarmed doors.
Hospice care
The goal of hospice care is to help keep a person as comfortable as possible in the last days, weeks, or months of their life. Hospice care is end-of-life care. It focuses on pain relief and providing support for the family. Hospice care may be provided in multiple locations, including:
- home
- nursing facilities
- assisted living facilities
- hospice facilities
Being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s can be overwhelming, but there are people you can turn to for support. This can include:
- Geriatric care managers: Geriatric care managers work to help caregivers find services for people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. They can also help set plans for care for people with Alzheimer’s. They are often social workers or nurses who specialize in geriatrics.
- Community social and mental health workers: Community mental health and social workers are another great resource for finding services and ways to pay for them. They often work in locations such as adult day centers, senior centers, and public hospitals.
- Family, friends, and neighbors: It can help to reach out to others, such as friends and family, who can help with care, meals, household tasks, and more.
There are also organizations caregivers can look to for support and assistance. Options include:
Local organizations
It can help to reach out to your local branch of major national organizations. For instance, you can contact your local branch of:
National nonprofits
Nonprofits dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease are another great source of support for caregivers. You can look into:
Federal services
Federal programs are another source of support for caregivers. This includes:
Financial support can be a key piece of support for many caregivers, and there are multiple organizations that offer financial support. This includes multiple programs that can help lower the cost of prescription medications, such as:
Read more about paying for prescription medications.
Additional support options can help connect you with resources at any time. You can reach out to these providers 24 hours a day to find assistance:
Caring for a person experiencing Alzheimer’s disease can be overwhelming, but caregivers have options. These options can help provide care on a day-to-day basis, on a long-term in-home basis, or in care facilities. There are also multiple support options that caregivers can reach out to. These options can connect caregivers with both national and local resources.