The Main Challenges of Dementia Care

Looking after a loved one with dementia? Learn about the challenges you may face as the condition progresses, and how you can get extra support when needed.

Around 600 people are diagnosed with dementia each day. The symptoms can start gradually and are often mistaken for simple signs of ageing. However, as they progress, what at first appears to be some slight forgetfulness can eventually turn into confusion, short term memory loss, mood swings, and more besides.

Because of this, delivering person centred care for dementia is rarely easy and straightforward – though the good days with a loved one definitely help make the challenging ones feel worthwhile.

At Bluebird Care, we think being prepared can help ease those challenges. That’s why we’ve put together our take on the main difficulties of dementia care and how you can approach them.

What are the main tasks a dementia carer might face?

It can depend on how far along the condition is, but as it progresses, dementia carers can often be responsible for every aspect of their loved ones’ lives. From dressing and feeding them to keeping them entertained, administering medication and managing their money, person centred care for dementia can be intensive and occasionally all encompassing. It can, however, also be full of loving, warm moments spent with someone who means the world to you. So, how can you be prepared to turn a bad day into a good one?

What are the challenges of caring for someone with dementia?

The challenges of caring for someone with dementia are many and varied. We find it helpful to think of them across four categories of care.

1. Daily life challenges

The practicalities of your day-to-day are something you might not think about as a ‘challenge’ at all – until you’re faced with looking after someone who’s struggling to look after themselves.

For dementia carers, those challenges can mean:

• Creating a dementia-friendly home: People living with dementia can suffer problems with balance and are more prone to falls. Caring for dementia patients in their home often means making sure stairs are gated, sharp objects are put away, and in general, that the place is as hazard proof as possible.
• Managing their loved one’s money matters: From claiming benefits and tax reductions to paying care fees, working house bills and legal considerations like writing a Will and setting up power of attorney, a dementia carer often has to consider it all
• Keeping the person with dementia engaged: Looking after a loved one with dementia also means keeping their spirits up, so their mood doesn’t drop. This can mean having a chat, taking them to see friends, or assisting them in taking up a creative hobby like painting or drawing.

2. Physical caretaking

The physical aspect is what most people first think of when they imagine caring for dementia patients in their home. It takes a special kind of person to take responsibility for someone’s wellbeing in this way, and there are challenges to be overcome in every area.

These include:

• Helping your loved one wash and dress: The challenges of caring for someone with dementia begin the moment they get out of bed. This page at Alzheimer’s UK can help.
• Cooking and cleaning: Making sure that someone living with dementia eats well can be crucial to their health. But where to start? This page at the Social Care Institute for Excellence has some handy tips. Meanwhile, cleaning and general house chores should also be considered; especially since a clean environment helps promote a calm mind in your loved one.
• Getting some exercise: Depending on your loved one’s age and the progress of their dementia, this can present a relatively light, or a hefty challenge. Our friends over at Bluebird Care Gosport have some handy advice on the kinds of activities you might consider.
• Night problems: People with dementia are prone to sleep disturbances, which can also disrupt your own sleep when you’re giving person centred care for dementia. This page at Mayo Clinic has some helpful advice.

3. Emotional and mental wellbeing

One of the main challenges of dementia care can be dealing with the unpredictability of your loved one’s moods. As their memory fluctuates, they may experience similar changes in their outlook and resort to more base emotions that can be difficult to understand or manage.

Among the most common are:

• Loneliness and sadness: People living with dementia often understandably feel a little isolated or alone, leading to sadness or even depression. Helping them to feel connected and cared about goes a long way.
• Becoming aggressive: One of the main difficulties of dementia care can be when their mood shifts and you have to deal with bouts of aggression. This page at Boston-based care provider Five Star Senior Living contains some truly helpful suggestions for calming and soothing someone with dementia who’s become agitated to the point of aggression.
• Feeling paranoid or deeply confused: People with dementia can lose track of where they are, the identities of the people close to them, and can even experience hallucinations. Providing reassurance is one of the primary responsibilities of anyone delivering person centred care for dementia.
• Boredom and listlessness: Boredom is a frequent problem for people with dementia, but the solutions can be found in the ‘keeping them engaged’ and ‘getting some exercise’ ideas above. For ideas on getting out and about, see our piece on day trip ideas in the Worthing area.

4. Carer’s wellbeing

Delivering person centred care for dementia can be tiring, which is why help for caregivers of dementia patients is so essential. After all, you can’t look after anyone properly if you don’t look after yourself, too.

When it comes to your own self-care, make sure to consider:

• Eating well: Keep a balanced diet of fresh foods and drinks that will give you energy, rather than overly processed ones that will give you a sugar high then leave you crashing afterwards.
• Exercising when you can: Even a short walk in a park or forest can get your endorphins running and help to ease your mind.
• Connecting with others: We mentioned in our blog post ‘The We In Wellbeing’ how connecting with others is essential for our customers, and that’s no less true if you’re a carer. Whether it’s other family members, friends, or you seek support from a charity like Carers Trust, just connecting with people who understands the challenges of caring for someone with dementia can be incredibly energising.
• Taking some time away: Nobody can care for someone all day, every day, forever. Taking some time away with a respite care break is essential. For more on why, check out this post from our friends over at Bluebird Care Gosport.
• Handing caring responsibilities to someone else: Finally, there will probably come a time where it’s time to let go and let someone else take the reins on dealing with the challenges of caring for someone with dementia. This could be on a permanent basis, or simply getting some extra help in the home. Either way, seeking help is always a sign of strength, and shows just how much you care for your loved one that you want them to have the most thorough level of care possible.

Do you need a little extra support dealing with dementia?

Whether you need a respite care break for yourself, or your loved one is reaching the stage where they need specialist dementia care, at Bluebird Care Worthing, we offer both services.

In fact, because of the UK-wide shortage of carers, we recommend getting on our list as early as possible. That way, even if your loved one doesn’t require domiciliary dementia care now, we’ll be ready for them when they do.

Get in touch with us now to make that happen for tomorrow.

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