At Living Assistance Services in Toronto, we support Seniors with a wide variety of needs. Many of our Clients require physical support due to chronic illness, mobility issues, neuromuscular diseases or advanced age, and others require assistance due to cognitive impairment. This includes individuals living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other conditions that result in symptoms of Dementia.
If your aging loved one has memory loss, it can be emotionally difficult as well as logistically challenging. Our team of kind, dedicated caregivers is here to help families in Toronto, Mississauga and the surrounding communities, providing skilled, compassionate care that respects the dignity of the individual. We don’t just help Seniors—we offer peace of mind to the families who love them.
If someone in your family is experiencing Dementia, please read on for three care tips. If you’d like personalized guidance or have questions about high quality homecare in Toronto, please contact us. We look forward to speaking with you.
Seek information
Learning about dementia can be helpful in understanding it, and subsequently responding to your aging loved one’s comments and behaviours. It can help you become a more patient, effective caregiver while explaining some of the changes you’re seeing in your loved one. Several of these recent book recommendations address dementia, and there are many reliable online sources including The Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins Medicine and The Alzheimer Society of Canada. These communication tips may be particularly helpful.
Additionally, these posts from our team are worth reviewing:
- What family caregivers should know about ‘sundowning’
- Dementia changes people, but not the love we feel for them
- Free E-Book: 8 ways to care for Seniors with dementia
Again, please feel free to reach out to our team for personalized guidance.
Take advantage of local resources
Both public and private resources are available to families, so we recommend looking at everything that’s available to you and taking advantage of those that would best support your family. Again, we’d like to mention the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto—not only do they share excellent online resources, they hold in-person programs for dementia patients and their families. Mount Sinai Hospital has a specialized program for families living with Alzheimer’s Disease (a referral is required). This list of community resources related to dementia may also be helpful to those in or near Toronto. Your family doctor may know of resources that are specific to your community or your loved one’s specific needs—it’s worth having a conversation with them, too.
Create a strong, multi-layered support network
It takes a village to care for others, and we are firm believers in the power of both family and community. Create a strong support network for your aging loved one, yourself and your extended family by accepting help from others while setting up private one-on-one care, taking advantage of the community resources mentioned above and ensuring that your own needs are met. Caregiving can be physically and emotionally exhausting, but excellent support groups exist in and around Toronto. If you aren’t comfortable joining a support group, be sure to make time in your schedule for connection with friends and family. This can help prevent caregiver burnout and is an important part of building an effective support network.
Thanks as always for reading, and please share this post with anyone who may find it helpful. If you have any questions about caring for a loved one with dementia or would like to know more about homecare for Seniors in Toronto, please contact us. We’d be glad to provide more details about our services as well as a quote.