Dementia care for your situation

Why the type of dementia, and the household, change the care plan

“Dementia” is an umbrella word. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause.

Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia and Parkinson’s disease dementia each behave differently. One person’s main challenge is memory; another’s is hallucinations, falls, or a sudden change in personality at age 55. The household matters just as much. A widow living alone in Sarasota, a veteran in Orlando, and a daughter in Chicago managing her father’s care in Fort Lauderdale each need a different plan, even at the same stage.

The guides below explain what is different about each situation at home, what a companion does differently, which Florida resources apply, and the signs that it’s time for more help. They are general information, not medical advice. Your loved one’s doctor is the right person for diagnosis and treatment.

Dementia care for each type of dementia

Dementia care for your family’s situation

Three first steps, whatever your situation

Families often arrive at these guides in the middle of a hard week. Before reading every page, these three steps tend to make the biggest difference:

1. Get the diagnosis as specific as you can. Knowing the type of dementia changes what to watch for, which medicines to question and what the next few years may look like. If the doctor is unsure, ask about a referral to a Memory Disorder Clinic or neurologist.

2. Write down a normal day. Note when your loved one is at their best, when they struggle, and what has gone wrong recently. That one page helps doctors, family members and any caregiver you bring in.

3. Name the main caregiver, and their limit. Decide who is carrying most of the load and how many hours a week they can realistically cover. Planning dementia care for the person also means planning breaks for the person who looks after them.

Help that applies to every situation in Florida

• Memory Disorder Clinics: Florida funds 17 Memory Disorder Clinics across the state for diagnosis, referral and caregiver education, through its Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative.

• Elder Helpline: 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337) connects you to your local Aging and Disability Resource Center, one of 11 in Florida, for respite, caregiver support and Medicaid screening.

• Alzheimer’s Association Helpline: 800-272-3900, for any type of dementia.

• Cost planning: our Florida cost guide and paying for care section.

• Vocabulary: the dementia glossary explains terms like anosognosia and sundowning in plain English.

Questions worth bringing to your loved one’s doctor

Whatever your situation, a short list of questions makes appointments more useful. Bring a written log of what you’ve seen; our printable care log helps.

1. What type of dementia do you think this is, and how sure are you? Would a Memory Disorder Clinic or neurologist add anything?

2. Are any current medications known to worsen confusion, falls or hallucinations?

3. What changes should make us call you right away, rather than wait for the next visit?

4. Is it still safe for our loved one to drive, cook, or be home alone?

5. Would home health, therapy, palliative care or hospice help at this point?

Signs any family needs more help, whatever the diagnosis

• Your loved one is alone for long stretches and something has already gone wrong (a fall, a scam call, a burned pot).
• The main caregiver hasn’t had a full day off in weeks.
• New behaviors such as night waking, accusations, or leaving the house.
• Weight loss, missed medications, or skipped doctor visits.

If several of these sound familiar, compare your options in our care comparisons, or see whether we serve your county on the areas we serve page.

How Dementia Companions helps across these situations

We match one consistent companion, screened for dementia care experience, with your loved one, at $35 an hour for 40+ hours a week; call us about shorter schedules. Companions adapt to the person: quieter and slower for Lewy body fluctuations, active and purposeful for a younger person with FTD, watchful in the weeks after a hospital stay. They are not nurses, and they work alongside your loved one’s doctors, home health or hospice.