If you have a loved one with dementia, it can be extremely difficult to know where and when to turn for help. We’ll tell you everything about hospice care for dementia so you can take care of your loved one to the best of your ability.
All About Hospice Care For Dementia
Hospice care is a set of services that assist with people’s mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health toward the end of their life. The care and support offered can significantly benefit people with dementia or other cognitive diseases like alzheimers.
If you’re wondering when to start hospice care, how to determine a patient’s eligibility, and how this care can benefit them, we’re here to help – just read on.
Early Warning Signs of Dementia
If you’re concerned that your loved one might have dementia, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the early warning signs and symptoms. The earlier someone gets help and receives a diagnosis, the better it will be for them in the long run.
According to the Alzheimer Society, here are 10 of the most common warning signs for dementia:
- Memory loss affecting daily abilities or difficulty recalling recently learned information.
- Difficulty performing regular tasks or forgetting how to do a typical routine.
- Problems with language, such as forgetting words or substituting words that don’t fit into a conversation
- Disorientation, including knowing what day of the week it is, not knowing how they got to a place where they are, or getting lost in a familiar place.
- Impaired judgment or putting themselves at risk for injury
- Problems with abstract thinking or understanding what numbers and symbols mean
- Putting things in inappropriate places or forgetting where things are entirely
- Severe changes in mood or behavior.
- Changes in personality or acting in ways that are out of character.
- Loss of initiative, including losing interest in friends, family, or familiar activities.
- Agitation or an inability to “be still.”
How Hospice Care Can Help Dementia Patients
When a patient with dementia enters hospice care, a knowledgeable team will evaluate them to determine their status and take note of their current condition and symptoms. They’ll create a plan with the goal of alleviating physical and emotional distress so the patient can live their life comfortably and with dignity.
Some of the comprehensive services that hospice offers to patients with dementia include:
- An individualized care plan to address the symptoms of dementia like aggression, agitation or behavorial disturbances
- Care for the patient at home, in a long-term care facility, or an assisted living community. If the symptoms are too difficult to manage at home, that’s when in-facility care is best.
- A team of experts (physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy, etc.) will provide coordinated care for the patient every step of the way.
- Coordination of medications, medical equipment, and medical care.
- Emotional and spiritual care to help the patient maintain their well-being.
- Assistance with incontinence measures and supplies.
Hospice services can assist patients with end-stage dementia in a variety of ways. From relieving pain to controlling symptoms to increasing quality of life, this type of care has many benefits.
Some of the other ways that hospice care can help patients with dementia include:
- Assistance with physical needs, including management of anxiety, agitation and other behavorial disturbances.
- Help with the patient and family members with emotional needs, including managing anxiety and stress.
- Facilitating quality time with loved ones.
- Support for their cultural, spiritual, or religious beliefs and practices.
Determining Hospice Eligibility for Dementia Patients
Because of the slow progression of dementia, it can be challenging to know when it’s time for your loved one to start receiving hospice care. Most dementia patients will benefit from hospice care when they encounter end-stage dementia. During this stage, they can lose awareness of their surroundings and recent experiences, have increased difficulty communicating, and become vulnerable to diseases and infections, such as pneumonia.
To be eligible for hospice care, an individual must have a life limitiing diagnosis, like demential or alzheimers While there is no specific set or number of symptoms required, this is a list of common signs that indicate that your loved one could benefit from hospice services:
- A diagnosis of alzhiemers / dementiaAn increase in hospitalizations or frequent visits to the emergency room or doctor
- Challenges with eating or drinking (which could lead to weight loss or dehydration)
- Limited speech (could be as few as six words or less per day)
- Difficulty swallowing food or liquids
- Urinary or fecal incontinence
- Inability to sit upright without armrests on chairs
- Inability to walk without assistance
- Inability to smile
West Michigan Hospice Is Here for your loved one, and for you.
Family members and caregivers dealing a diagnosis of dementia often go through the stages of loss for months and even years. The person you once knew is not there anymore. Our team of social workers and chaplains understand the loss that you’re going through even while your loved one is still here. Hospice cares for the family. We’ll come along side of you and your loved one knowing that you’re already grieving loss.
When caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, it can be challenging to know where to turn when their symptoms progress. Don’t wait to reach out and get the support you need. Contact West Michigan Hospice to learn more about our hospice care for dementia and how they can help you provide your loved one with the best care possible.