Keep Calm And Carry On: Three Steps To Take When A Dementia Parent Moves In
When a parent receives a diagnosis of dementia, there is a lot of information they need to take in. Their primary doctor will take care of the medical side of the diagnosis, but as the only child, you need to take care of the living-with-dementia side of things. Many children offer a home to parents while dementia is still in its early stage. This offer gives the parent a chance to remain in a family home, but to receive the care they need when their mind starts to get muddled. Taking care of a person with dementia can get overwhelming, so you need these three tips so you can keep calm while constant changes occur.
Legal assistance
If your parent does not make their long-term legal wishes known while they have clarity of thinking, it is difficult to document what they want later on when their mind gets confused. One of the first things you should do to protect both yourself and your parent from the chance of fraud and from allegations their wishes are not followed is to visit a lawyer and have these wishes documented. Additionally, have a Power of Attorney drawn up so that when your parent needs someone to make decisions for them later on, you can do what they need.
Respite assistance
It is admirable that you provided a home for your parent, but without proper planning, you will quickly burn out from trying to do too much. Respite care is a must-have when offering a home to a parent with dementia.
Your parent's doctor can provide a list of respite resources in your local area. It is up to you to contact them and choose one based on their ability to fit with what you need. Make sure you get several short visits or one longer visit per week so you can do things away from the house free of worry.
Long-term assistance
Eventually, you will no longer be able to care for your loved one on your own. In the early stages of dementia, talk to them about what type of long-term care they want. Document this discussion so no one can dispute what living changes are made when advanced dementia takes hold.
Long-term care options include moving your parent from your home to a facility which caters for dementia patients or moving your parent to hospice care. Nobody wants to face having the end-of-life conversation, but the more prepared you are before your parent moves in, the less you have to stress yourself making decisions as they are already set in place.