VASCULAR DEMENTIA
What is Vascular Dementia?
Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia, after Alzheimer’s, and affects around 150,000 people in the UK (Alzheimer’s UK).
Vascular dementia occurs if the oxygen supply to the brain is reduced. This can often be because of a narrowing of blocking of the blood vessels leading to the brain, and in turn can cause brain cells to become damaged, or die. Vascular dementia can also be a result of a stroke or a series of small strokes, or caused by disease which has affected the small blood vessels deep in the brain.
Symptoms are varied and can overlap with those of Alzheimer’s disease, for example difficulties with concentration, planning or problem solving.
At least one in every ten people with dementia is diagnosed as having more than one type. Mixed dementia is much more common in older age groups, such as those over 75 years.
Mixed dementia occurs when an individual has more than one type of dementia. Often it means they portray a mixture of symptoms associated with a variety of different types of dementia. It is quite common for someone to have both Alzheimer’s and Vascular dementia together.
Due to the overlapping of Mixed Dementia, symptoms can vary depending on which types of dementia the individual has. Some may experience a greater type of one dementia than another, in which case this type will be referred to as ‘predominant’.
How can we help?
Help at Home
At Halcyon Care we offer a range of companionship and home help services, covering all aspects of daily support, helping clients to live comfortably and safely at home.
If a loved one has developed signs of dementia, or has been diagnosed with the condition, it is important to recognise which type of help and support around the home they may need as their behaviours and abilities change.
As dementia progresses, individuals can become more forgetful, change the way they do things around the home, neglect certain aspects of their everyday life (such as personal hygiene) and become less able to communicate with those around them.
We help many of our clients to maintain the upkeep of the home and offer a range of home-help services to enable them to continue living independently at home.
This may include:
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Help with everyday tasks – such as bathing, personal hygiene, dressing and preparing for the day. We can also assist with the night-time routine or undressing, getting into bed and securing the house for the night.
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General light housekeeping – for example hoovering, dusting, mopping, cleaning, taking care of the dishes, laundry for clothes and bedding.
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Medication – we can help to ensure your loved one is taking the correct medication at the correct times and liaise with local GPs or pharmacies to keep on top of prescriptions.
How can we help?
Help at Home
At Halcyon Care we offer a range of companionship and home help services, covering all aspects of daily support, helping clients to live comfortably and safely at home.
If a loved one has developed signs of dementia, or has been diagnosed with the condition, it is important to recognise which type of help and support around the home they may need as their behaviours and abilities change.
As dementia progresses, individuals can become more forgetful, change the way they do things around the home, neglect certain aspects of their everyday life (such as personal hygiene) and become less able to communicate with those around them.
We help many of our clients to maintain the upkeep of the home and offer a range of home-help services to enable them to continue living independently at home.
This may include:
Help with everyday tasks –
such as bathing, personal hygiene, dressing and preparing for the day. We can also assist with the night-time routine or undressing, getting into bed and securing the house for the night.
General light housekeeping –
for example hoovering, dusting, mopping, cleaning, taking care of the dishes, laundry for clothes and bedding.
Medication –
we can help to ensure your loved one is taking the correct medication at the correct times and liaise with local GPs or pharmacies to keep on top of prescriptions.
Putting you first
We are proud of our compassionate and understanding ethos; treating all our clients as if they were a part of our own family.
We strongly believe in continuity of care and recognise the importance of creating familiarity and trust by sending the same Care Specialist(s) to every visit for a client. For those living with dementia it can be extremely distressing to continue introducing new carers or new routines to the individual’s life, this isn’t the way we do things at Bridgewater Home Care. Instead, we create long lasting bonds and friendships that are built on trust and reliability.
We spend time getting to know our clients to find out their likes, dislikes, preferences, hobbies and interests, and from this we can match them with our most suitable Care Specialist(s).
To help maintain independence at home, we provide practical advice and guidance to help individuals with various tasks around the home, adapting these depending on the person’s abilities and condition. For example, we can teach and encourage practical ways to carry out everyday tasks, such as making a cup of tea, or brushing teeth. Mental stimulation is vital for enabling a loved one to remain as independent as possible at home and can take away the need for any upheaval that comes when considering a residential care home.
Support with health and wellbeing
Keeping your loved one healthy is our upmost priority. For those living with dementia it can become challenging to carry out general daily activities such as food shopping, kitchen organisation, food and meal preparation and maintaining the right sustenance and hydration.
Our Care Specialists can help to plan and prepare meals, assist with food shopping and encourage a healthy and hydrating diet. It is important to maintain a balanced and healthy diet, especially as symptoms of dementia progress, as eating certain food groups help to fuel the body.
We can help with general day-to-day preparation of food based on personal preferences, assist with the cooking and help clear and put away dishes to keep on top of the housework.
Where required we can also advise on any specific food or meal ideas based on cooking abilities and dietary requirements. We truly believe that having an enjoyable meal plan really does improve the quality of life and wellbeing of the individual.
Another aspect of our services includes helping your loved one with mobility and strength-building exercises. For those living with dementia, symptoms can often include experiencing trouble with balance, stability and judging distances. Our Care Specialists can demonstrate simple but effective short and gentle exercises, for example, ankle rotations, grip strength exercises or even movement activities which help to improve stability and spatial awareness.
If your loved one is more active or mobile, we are also able to assist on any outdoor activities such as walking or gardening to receive some much-needed fresh air too.
Help for the family with caring responsibilities
We understand just how life changing it can be when a loved one begins showing signs of dementia, especially when diagnosed with dementia for the first time. Fortunately, there is a wealth of support and advice both for the individual and family members, including emotional support, guidance and handbooks as well as a helping hand from caring professionals.
Naturally, many family members’ instinct will be to take on a caring role and provide physical support for a loved one. For many it can be possible to fit such duties into everyday life, however we know that becoming an unpaid family carer can mean giving up a large part of your life and often requires 24-hour attention.
Halcyon Care are there equally as much for the families of our clients and hope that we can take some of the everyday pressures and responsibilities from those caring for a loved one. You can rest assured that our Care Specialists are chosen to fit seamlessly into the family unit, providing the essential day-to-day help so that you can get back to doing those things that you may have left behind.
Whether you may need help one day a week, or you require daily support, our Care Specialists are there to provide assistance in the mornings, overnights and everything in between.
We are always here for you, providing a friendly face to talk to, to listen, answer any queries or discuss any wishes you may have for your loved one.
Adapting the home
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At Halcyon Care we can help to make your loved one’s living environment as comfortable as possible, to ensure they live a happy and fulfilling life at home for as long as possible.
For many individuals living with dementia everyday tasks and objects around the home can become confusing and disorientating.
As dementia progresses, an individual’s visuospatial skills and memory can tend to deteriorate. This could mean they have trouble doing things they could usually do every day or can no longer understand how to operate things around the home.
If your loved one experiences trouble with judging distances or using fundamental items around the home we can help to arrange their living space more effectively, so that they are able to continue living as independently as possible.
Our Care Specialists can advise on the use of suitable aids around the home to help with mobility or visit your loved ones in the mornings and evenings to help them with daily routines and tasks. If you think a loved one could benefit from specialist care and support from home, please get in touch with our friendly team to discuss our personalised, high quality care.
We understand just how life changing it can be when a loved one begins showing signs of dementia, especially when diagnosed with dementia for the first time. Fortunately, there is a wealth of support and advice both for the individual and family members, including emotional support, guidance and handbooks as well as a helping hand from caring professionals.
Naturally, many family members’ instinct will be to take on a caring role and provide physical support for a loved one. For many it can be possible to fit such duties into everyday life, however we know that becoming an unpaid family carer can mean giving up a large part of your life and often requires 24-hour attention.
Halcyon Care are there equally as much for the families of our clients and hope that we can take some of the everyday pressures and responsibilities from those caring for a loved one. You can rest assured that our Care Specialists are chosen to fit seamlessly into the family unit, providing the essential day-to-day help so that you can get back to doing those things that you may have left behind.
Whether you may need help one day a week, or you require daily support, our Care Specialists are there to provide assistance in the mornings, overnights and everything in between.
We are always here for you, providing a friendly face to talk to, to listen, answer any queries or discuss any wishes you may have for your loved one.