Dementia is the leading cause of death in Australia - but we're not talking about dementia anywhere near enough.
Dementia isn't a normal part of ageing; it can affect anyone. Dementia doesn't just impact the person living with the condition; it also impacts their carers, friends, family and wider social network.
This National Dementia Action Week (21-27 September), Carinity is encouraging people in the community to reach out and reconnect to someone impacted by dementia.
Caring for a loved one living with dementia can be challenging. As a degenerative disease, it's progression can often bring with it new and unexpected changes in symptoms and behaviour.
For many families, changes forced by dementia symptoms or diagnosis are beyond what they're able to safely manage at home.
Residential aged care communities can provide essential care, community and safety for people living with dementia, allowing family members to step back from the role of primary carer to simply enjoy their time together.
Not everyone living with dementia will need residential aged care: this is important to keep in mind. However, Kathy Nicholls (Carinity Aged Care Regional Residential Manager) suggests it's important to plan for how your family will manage a decline in health before a crisis occurs.
"Because dementia affects everyone differently, the best option might be residential aged care," Kathy says. "For other people, receiving care from family, home care services and regular respite might be enough to allow to them to remain in their home."
Carer burnout or carer fatigue is a serious issue that needs to considered when deciding how best to provide care for a loved one.
"Sometimes people can become so burdened in the care role that they're not caring for themselves, which means they're not caring well for the other person," Kathy says. "Sometimes respite is the difference between them being able to stay at home as it gives their carer a chance to recharge and care for themselves."
Carinity recommends preparing as much information about the individual's life as possible before their health declines. This goes beyond the simple preferences but delves much deeper into the life and values of the person.
Carinity's model of care is designed to support meaningful ageing, and developing a deep, personal understanding of each resident is an important element in achieving this. If you'd like to hear more about Carinity's approach to dementia care, contact our aged care team on 1300 109 109.
Two of Carinity's experts, Heidi Wiebe (Executive Manager Residential Aged Care) and Kathy Nicholls (Regional Residential Manager), offer advice to dispel some of the myths of dementia and aged care and suggest some strategies to develop to help everyone adjust to the change. Visit this website
