Try: 1 help from friends and neighbors family members may agree or disagree to help when they disagree you may be hesitant to ask others for the help you need others may be willing to help neighbors may be willing to step up for short periods of time or to pick up prescriptions or go to the store for you see ‘putting potential help at ease’ fact sheet when you do ask for assistance give them advance notice remember to thank them and avoid criticizing what they have done 2 finding information and services often family caregivers look to outside help in obtaining information making decisions and planning for long-term care for their family member the burdens of caring for a person with dementia are enormous and many people have difficulty finding the services that might make caregiving easier see ‘definition of care services for persons with dementia’ fact sheet 3 kinds of services people with dementia often need more than one kind of service most services are available for a fee some of these services such as dental care discounted dentures eyeglasses legal counseling social work referral services tax assistance for people over the age of 60 their spouses and people with disabilities nutrition programs and programs that aid in assistance in the repair of older people’s homes see ‘services’ fact sheet 4 planning in advance for home care or day care once you’ve chosen a good program be sure the provider understands the nature of the older adult’s illness and how to handle problem behavior be sure the provider knows how to contact you and other emergency information such as physician 5 when the confused person rejects the care people with dementia may take a long period of time to adjust to a new program you may feel guilty and exhausted over arguments relating to the new program make a commitment to yourself to give the program a fair trial see the ‘adjustment to respite programs" fact sheet 6 getting respite for yourself when you become ill you may require additional help while you re-cooperate talk with your family or providers about providing care in advance of your own personal illness this ensures that the older adult your caring for has a back-up when you are unavailable being a good caregiver also means taking care of you 7 locating resources please refer to web links of resources on this website begin by locating your local chapter of the alzheimer’s association 8 paying for care fee for services such as day care or home care vary widely medicare and medicaid may cover some such services it is best to consult with these agencies in advance of the need for care some agencies and the alzheimer’s association may provide some funding to assist with day or home care 9 should respite programs mix people who have different problems programs that include people with dementia head trauma or other disabilities are more common since specialized programs are more expensive to offer in most cases it is the skill of the staff of respite programs that is more important the diagnosis of the individual 10 determining the quality of the services agencies that refer programs to you may not have first-hand knowledge of its quality home care and day care providers should be bonded adult day care programs are generally licensed but the quality of care is a little more difficult to determine ask program directors questions such as training of the people who will be caring for the older adult and if the state certifies the level of care 11 research and demonstration programs there may be alzheimer’s research centers and clinics funded through the federal government in your area check with the local alzheimer’s association chapter and local universities for availability
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*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed