Enhance your understanding of how care continuity improves quality of life for people with dementia, and how live-in care supports this aim.
Care continuity is important for everyone receiving care, but rarely more so than for those with dementia.
Here, we’ll look at why care continuity is so critical for people with dementia. We’ll also touch on how live-in care helps support this aim in ways other care models can’t.
Why is care continuity so crucial?
People with dementia may struggle with their short-term memory and be unpredictable in their behaviours.
However, long-term memory (including their lifestyle preferences) and emotional awareness tend to be the last aspects to be affected.
As such, individuals with dementia often find it difficult to adjust to a new way of life once additional support is required.
This ability to adapt is crucial for:
1. Overcoming negative feelings
Moving into an unfamiliar care facility unexpectedly and adapting to a set schedule can cause people with dementia to become confused or agitated.
Over time, this can lead to feelings of isolation, or even depression. These can manifest in the form of behaviours that are difficult to manage.
2. Developing carer/client relationships
Getting to know a large team of carers who visit at irregular times can be immensely confusing for people with dementia.
Focusing more on care continuity in this area can provide reassurance by helping those with dementia get to know their carers better.
Conversely, carers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of client preferences and conditions, helping them adapt and improve their care programme over time.
3. Aligning with medical services
Poor communication between medical and social care services prevents useful information from being effectively transferred.
This could be with regards to a person’s condition, or their preferences concerning care.
Establishing clear communication channels that facilitate care continuity enables an individual’s domestic preferences and medical needs to be better aligned.
How live-in care promotes care continuity
Live-in care is the most effective model for promoting care continuity, helping to improve quality of life for people with dementia.
This care model supports care continuity by:
1. Keeping people in their homes
Live-in care helps reduce confusion and facilitate independence by enabling people with dementia to stay in their own homes.
This allows them to remain in a familiar environment, surrounded by cherished possessions and a valued community.
2. Maintaining a dedicated team of carers
At The Good Care Group, we deploy a dedicated team of two carers who reside with our clients on a long-term basis.
This model provides companionship for our clients and aids recognition of the carers and their role, therefore reducing confusion further.
3. Providing choice regarding daily schedules
Live-in care gives people with dementia choice over their daily routine. This enables those with dementia to live in a familiar manner, while also taking account of changeable behaviour.
Adopting this approach helps individuals with dementia engage in activities they’ve always enjoyed with a certain degree of independence. Consequently, this reduces their risk of becoming depressed, bored and agitated.
Find out more about how our live-in care services help promote care continuity for people with dementia by speaking to our friendly team.
