When your older loved one is diagnosed with dementia, you should start looking into professional care options. Even if they are still capable of living independently or with your assistance right now, patients with dementia can progress quickly, and it is a good idea to have a care plan in mind when that happens. There are three basic levels of care available for patients with dementia. Learn a little about each one in the article below.

In-Home Care

If you opt for in-home care, your elderly loved one will remain in their home, and a nurse or caregiver will visit from time to time to provide the needed care. They can administer medications, help prepare meals, bathe your loved one, and even take care of some basic household chores. In-home care can work when there is someone else living with the dementia patient, but that individual does not have the time or the capabilities of being the primary caregiver. For instance, if you live with the dementia patient but have to work all day, a caregiver can watch over the patient when you're not at home.

Memory Care Center

If your loved one's dementia is serious enough that you don't believe it's safe for them to continue living in their home, then they can go to a memory care center. These facilities are similar to assisted living centers, but they are staffed by people with specific memory care training. They are also laid out in ways that make daily life easier for patients with dementia. They are locked and secure to prevent residents from wandering off. At a memory care center, your loved one can get whatever level of care they need at the time, and their care can be scaled up as their needs change.

Nursing Homes

Most patients with dementia do not immediately need to go into a nursing home, but this might become necessary once their condition becomes quite severe and if they develop additional, ongoing medical problems on top of their dementia. A nursing home is somewhere between a hospital setting and a memory care unit. The patient can get around-the-clock medical care from trained nurses, along with support for physical activity, eating, and other activities.

Finding out that your loved one has dementia can be heartbreaking, but what's important is that you take the necessary steps to find them the care that they need, whether that's in-home care, memory care, or a nursing home.