Dementia support at home

Living well with dementia at home

Dementia affects memory, thinking, communication and behaviour, and it changes over time. Many people living with dementia are calmer and more settled in their own homes, surrounded by familiar rooms, objects and routines.

Dementia care at home aims to protect that familiarity while keeping the person safe and supported. It also recognises that families carry a great deal, often over many years.

Dementia has no cure, and we don't diagnose it. Care can't stop the condition progressing, but it can make daily life calmer, safer and more comfortable.

Routines and familiar faces

Predictable days help. During the assessment a nurse learns the person's history, habits and preferences: when they like to wake and eat, the music they enjoy, the names of family members, what upsets them and what soothes them.

We use this to build a daily routine and to match a small team of caregivers who will get to know the person. Consistency matters more in dementia care than in almost any other kind of support.

Calm communication

People living with dementia may not remember recent conversations, may lose words, or may believe they are in a different time or place. Caregivers are shown how to:

• speak simply and calmly, one idea at a time;
• give time to respond, without rushing or correcting;
• respond to the feeling behind a question, not just the words;
• use familiar objects, photographs and songs to help the person feel settled;
• notice signs of pain, hunger, thirst or tiredness that the person can't put into words.

Safety at home

Safety plans are individual. They might cover cooking, medicines kept out of reach, wandering, night-time confusion, falls and bathroom safety. A home safety check helps identify practical changes.

We do not use physical restraint, lock people in rooms or sedate anyone. Medicines are given only as prescribed by the person's doctor, by a nurse where needed. Changes in behaviour, which can have medical causes such as pain or infection, are reported to the family and the doctor.

Support for the family

Caring for someone with dementia can be exhausting and isolating. Part of our role is to support the people around the person: explaining what we see, sharing what helps, and making sure family carers can rest. Respite care gives family carers planned breaks. Our guide to supporting a relative living with dementia has more practical ideas.

Visiting or live-in?

In the earlier stages, visiting care at key times of day may be enough. As needs grow, particularly at night, many families move to live-in care. The care plan is reviewed as the person's needs change, so the arrangement can change too.