Home Instead Senior Care in Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts has just launched a new campaign to make Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia training freely available for family caregivers. This is an effort to lessen the trials, tribulations, and stress that come from caring for loved one with dementia.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease which means that once an elder is diagnosed, it is only going to worsen over time. As a result, many families rush to their elders’ aid. The problem is, they’re unqualified and untrained to handle a waning memory. To make matters worse, memory care is expensive as is in home memory care, but the choices were limited.
What Home Instead Senior Care is doing is making the information and care tactics freely available for family members. Family caregivers—or family members that become the primary guardians of their elders—can now access tips, attend classes, and even download apps that help provide tips for how to help their elder suffering dementia.
The classes can be attended online for free or local families can apply to receive training in-person. Although in-person training isn’t available in every state across the United States, Home Instead Senior Care is working to make that a reality. Here’s hoping they expand and can bring hope, understanding, and respite to families struggling to help their elder with Alzheimers.
The Challenge with In Home Care
In home care is as difficult as it is expensive and that’s why this development is so important for family caregivers. Once your elder is diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disease, there’s not much you can do. We’ve already blogged at length about how most family members simply don’t have the time it takes to provide care for a loved one with cognitive problems.
As a result, many people struggle and their relationships suffer. Not solely with their dementia ridden elder, but with their family, friends, and coworkers. Many people spend sleepless nights taking care of elders as they experience sundowning; many people lash out at their friends and family because their patience has been tried and they’re stressed to no end; many people take unpaid time off work and are exhausted by their bosses and coworkers. It’s not an easy task.
Yet the cost of in home care seems makes it an impossible alternative. With elders suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, there is always a level of unpredictability. One day they may seem completely coherent and then you receive a call from the police saying they’ve found your father walking near the train tracks. The problem with hiring memory care in house is, unlike home care or home health, you rarely would hire help for an hour or two a week. Rather, you’re more likely to hire someone to be watchful for numerous hours every day—that gets pricey.
Having free help only a few clicks of a mouse away (or in your neighborhood) is a great way to provide care for your elder suffering from dementia without struggling to afford it. Hopefully this becomes a trend.
