Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care at Home

The Dementia support you need, delivered in the comfort of home. 

Our care for dementia is designed to empower your loved one to live life to the fullest, with tailored support from friendly, compassionate care experts. 

 Whether it’s whipping up nutritious meals, helping with bathing and toileting, or providing support to enjoy the benefits of gentle exercise, receiving care at home for dementia can be life-changing. 

 Delivered in the comfort and familiarity of home, our dementia care services are tailored to your loved one’s unique needs and preferences, offering a fully bespoke experience. 

 Think your loved one might benefit from live-in dementia care? Enquire today to arrange a no-obligation chat. 

What is Dementia?

Dementia is an umbrella term for several conditions that affect the brain’s everyday functioning, impacting everything from memory to mobility. 

 The symptoms of dementia depend on the specific type of dementia a person has, but can include memory loss, concentration issues, communication problems, and personality changes. 

 As a progressive condition, dementia worsens over time, but how quickly this happens depends on a variety of factors, including the underlying disease causing the dementia, which parts of the brain are affected, and any physical health conditions a person has.

In most cases, a person living with dementia will require more support as the condition progresses; ideally tailored to the type and severity of their dementia.

Types of Dementia

There are several distinct types of dementia, each with different causes and symptoms, and requiring unique care and understanding when supporting someone with the condition. The most commonly diagnosed types of dementia are:

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting approximately 982,000 people in the UK, according to figures from the Alzheimer’s Society.

Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by an abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells, and its symptoms include:

• Memory problems
• Difficulty with thinking and reasoning
• Mood and behavioural changes
• Language and communication problems
• Disruptions to perception (i.e. how people see/hear things)

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s typically appear in three stages and increase in severity as a person moves through the stages of the condition. 

That said, not everyone will experience every symptom of Alzheimer’s, and in some cases, symptoms may appear in the wrong order or even vanish without warning. 

Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia in the UK, affecting approximately 1 in 5 people living with dementia, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

 Vascular dementia is caused by an interruption of the blood flow to the brain, which prevents brain cells from getting enough oxygen and nutrients, causing them to die. In many cases, this oxygen starvation is caused by strokes, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and diabetes.  

 The symptoms of vascular dementia vary person-to-person, but often include:

• Slurred speech
• Changes in personality and behaviour
• Mood swings
• Problems with reading and writing
• Concentration issues

Roughly 1 in 3 people with vascular dementia have experienced a stroke, which carries its own symptoms, making the diagnosis of vascular dementia crucial to receiving the right support. 

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) accounts for approximately 15% of dementia cases in the UK, according to statistics from Brace Dementia Research. The condition is caused by clumps of proteins called Lewy bodies that form inside brain cells. 

 Dementia with Lewy Bodies worsens over time, with symptoms including:

• Hallucinations
• Cognitive issues (such as problems with understanding and judgment)
• Problems with memory
• Confusion
• Tremors and stiff limbs
• Disturbed sleep (sometimes including night terrors)

While there’s no specific timeline for DLB, the average survival time post diagnosis is 5 – 7 years, and most people with the condition will require home care to live well. 

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

Frontotemporal dementia is a rare form of dementia, affecting approximately 16,000 people in the UK. The condition is caused by an abnormal build-up of proteins that form in the frontal and temporal areas of the brain, preventing cells from working properly. 

 The disease greatly affects a person’s cognition and communication, with symptoms including: 

• Impulsivity
• Inappropriate behaviour (such as undressing in public)
• Problems with memory
• Slowed or muddled speech
• Difficulty swallowing
• Slowed or stiff movements
• Bladder and bowel issues

There are several types of frontotemporal dementia, each with unique symptoms, making a swift and accurate diagnosis crucial to delivering the right support. 

 As above, there's an opportunity here to produce a more detailed explainer on the types of frontotemporal dementia. 

Early Signs of Dementia

Everyone’s experience of dementia is different, and early warning signs can depend on the type of dementia a person has, as well as the subset of that type.

That said, several common early warning signs of dementia appear in most types of dementia, including:

• Memory loss (difficulty recalling names, places, and events)
• Difficulty completing basic daily tasks, such as finding a familiar location
• Losing track of time, dates, and even seasons
• Vision changes, including difficulty with reading, balance, and spatial perception
• Difficulty following conversations
• Frequently misplacing or losing items
• Social withdrawal
• Poor judgement (e.g. issues with personal hygiene)
• Personality and behavioural changes

In many cases, it can be difficult to distinguish the early signs of dementia from natural age-related changes, so it’s important to know what’s normal for your loved one and take note of any sudden or stark changes—particularly in memory, personality, or cognition.

Our Approach to Dementia and Alzheimer's Care

We’re passionate about providing the type of dementia support that empowers people to live life on their terms, no matter what.

 Our dementia care is person-focused, and we’ll work with you and your loved one to develop a care plan that reflects their unique needs and preferences, allowing us to offer the right type and frequency of support.

Whether it’s help getting washed and dressed or an extra pair of hands around the house, our dementia care is designed to empower your loved one to live their life in the comfort and familiarity of home.

And it all starts with a friendly chat, where we’ll develop an understanding of your loved one’s needs, from which we’ll design a bespoke dementia care plan designed to offer the right type of support.

Our dementia and Alzheimer’s care services include: 

• Help to get washed, dressed and ready for the day
• Personal care (i.e. toileting and bathing)
• Medication management and prescription collection 
• Support to stay active with gentle exercise 
• Help with household chores such as tidying and laundry
• Meal preparation and grocery shopping 
• Support to attend social events or engage with hobbies

Our Dementia Care Support at Home 

We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to dementia support, so our plans are as flexible as you need them to be, with options to tweak the frequency of support your loved one receives as their needs develop.

Once you and your loved one are happy with the care plan, we’ll match them with a small, dedicated team of highly trained carers who’ll become their day-to-day support. 

But we don’t match at random. We’ll strive to pair your loved one with a team of people they’ll get along with, based on their personality—a team they can trust and develop a rapport with. 

Getting in touch

We offer a wide variety of complex care services, delivered at home by friendly, highly trained care professionals. From dedicated night care to tailored respite care, if your loved one’s regular carer needs a break. 

We even offer live-in care for couples, allowing couples to stay together in their home, no matter their needs.