Helping to understand dementia

We offer leading home care for individuals living with dementia in Coventry and its surrounding areas including Bablake, Earlsdon, Sherbourne, Wainbody and Whoberley. Our support is tailored and includes live-in care. As such, we truly understand the impact dementia can have on those diagnosed with it, and their families and loved ones.

Over 850,000 people live with dementia in the UK and no two cases are the same.  Affecting 1 in 4 people over the age of 65, we work hard to understand dementia in order to provide expert care to sufferers.

Getting to grips with dementia

Dementia is an umbrella term which covers a number of different conditions. 

The most common of these conditions is Alzheimer's which affects over 60% of dementia sufferers in the UK.  Other variations include Lewy Bodies, Vascular Dementia and Frontotemporal Dementia.  It's important to understand a particular diagnosis in order to prescribe the appropriate treatment and care.

Most forms of dementia are complex and progressive and share similar symptoms.  That said, rate of progression and how individuals experience different symptoms can vary enormously.

Signs and symptoms of dementia

We tend to think of dementia in terms of memory loss but there are usually a wide range of complex symptoms which vary from individual to individual. While some symptoms can be strikingly obvious, others are much more subtle. Some of these symptoms are:

• Cognitive difficulties
  Our cognitive abilities are those which affect how we process information and include concentration levels, visual-spatial problems (the ability to understand what we see). This also includes our ability to make decisions and follow instructions.  It’s thought that visual-spatial issues with dementia sufferers have a knock on effect of increased trips and falls.
  In many cases, a dementia sufferer will lose the ability to keep track of time.  This will sometimes present as the individual getting out of bed a number of times during the night and attempting to begin their day.

• Memory loss or issues
  One of the most common symptoms of dementia is short term memory loss.  This devastating symptom can include being unable to recall facts or to remember the details of simple routines. As a result of short-term memory loss, those living with dementia may repeat themselves and will be unable to retain new information. 
  Memory loss can also affect the ability to concentrate. Many people living with dementia will find themselves unable to focus on activities that they used to enjoy, which can cause a significant amount of frustration.

• Communication
  Connected to cognitive difficulties and loss of memory, communication problems are a common symptom of dementia and tend to be one of the earliest symptoms to become evident to those around them.  This symptom often presents with the sufferer being unable to find the word that they need or substituting one word for another unrelated one.

• Mood changes
  Those with dementia will often experience extreme mood swings, particularly in the early evening (this is known as ‘sundowning’).  Unfortunately, many individuals living with dementia can display extreme or irrational behaviour including anger, aggression, depression and frustration.  This symptom is particularly distressing and requires patient and understanding expert care and support.

• Mobility difficulties
  Along with an increased risk of falling, many individuals with dementia tend to experience greater difficulties with their mobility as the disease progresses.

• Incontinence
  A great many dementia sufferers will experience a degree of bladder and bowel incontinence in the later stages of the disease.

Dementia care in Coventry

All of the symptoms listed above require patient and expert care in order to provide a meaningful and rewarding quality of life for the individual with dementia, as well as support for their loved ones. 

At Bluebird Care Coventry, we believe that enabling dementia sufferers to stay in their own homes is a key part of their care and wellbeing. 

We offer bespoke support solutions which allow independent living to be maintained for as long as possible. 

Our flexible care plans can be scaled up and down, as required, to ensure that individuals living with dementia and their families receive the right amount of support. We understand how devastating dementia can be and, we’re able to help by providing support, care and understanding to sufferers and their families.

Find out more about live-in dementia care, as well as bespoke tailored solutions, in Coventry, Bablake, Earlsdon, Sherbourne, Wainbody and Whoberley.  Get in touch on 02475 263300 or drop us a line at coventry@bluebirdcare.co.uk.