One of life’s hardest questions … ”when is the right time?”
”When is the right time … to get married?”
”When is the right time … to have a baby?”
”When is it the right time … to encourage a loved one to relocate to a residential home?”
The New Year is a time for big changes and big decisions. While these resolutions are usually a way for us to work on our self and try to improve our day to day life, the New Year can also present us with some harder decisions to make. When caring for someone with dementia the New Year can be a reminder or a realisation of just how much a loved one has deteriorated over the year, making us questions whether it’s time for them to go into a care home.
Trinity Homecare have outlined how to know when is the right time to think about moving a loved one with worsening dementia into a care home. The first thing to consider is what stage of dementia they are at. There are a few scales used to not only diagnose dementia but also measure it’s progression. This is often a helpful way to communicate to patients and their families what stage they’re at with the disease.
- Global Deterioration Scale or the Reisberg Scale is the most common way to diagnose Alzheimer (the most common form of dementia). This is divided into seven stages based on the amount of cognitive decline. A diagnosis is often made at Stag 4 when cognitive decline is easiest to identify, stage 5 and 6 are the moderate stages and stage 7 is the final, most severe stage.
- Functional Assessment Staging Test is also a seven stage way to describe the stages of dementia. This is based on a persons level of functioning and ability to perform daily activities rather than cognitive decline. People can usually be at different stages cognitively compared to functionally which is why the Reisberg scale measures cognitive decline and the FAST measures functional decline
- Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) is more commonly used in dementia research, not with patients and families. People’s cognitive abilities as well as a persons functions are evaluated using a five-point system. They would be evaluated in six areas; memory, orientation, judgement/problem solving, community affairs, home/hobbies and personal care.
Once you have received a diagnosis or got a better idea of where a loved one is in the progression of their dementia, it is time to consider what support they need and whether it is time for them to move into a care home. Unfortunately there is no specific indicator that someone is ready to go into a care home, this is unique to the individual. This can usually make it an even more heart-breaking decision as it rests on your shoulders.
Although care homes often seem like the only option available as it is one of the more common types of care, there are many other options available. It can be overwhelming to begin looking into what care options are best for a loved one, however it is important to look beyond the most obvious ones to find the most appropriate care. This will help ensure those suffering with dementia are kept happy and comfortable. If you don’t feel your loved one is ready to relocate into a care home, live-in care allows people to receive the extra support and assistance they need whilst staying in the comfort of their own home. Home care or live in care is available to a range of care needs, from those who require regular visits during the day to those who need constant support throughout the day.
