Caring for a loved one with dementia can feel overwhelming, especially for Singapore families juggling busy careers and responsibilities. Engaging in home-based dementia therapy services offers significant advantages over traditional nursing homes, including personalised one-on-one care from trained dementia therapy nurses while bringing relief to families inexperienced with managing the disease.
Home-based dementia therapy services help patients receive care in a familiar and comforting environment, surrounded by their favourite belongings and loved ones. This holistic approach to dementia therapy enhances patients’ quality of life and allows families to play an active role in their loved one’s dementia care journey. This helps foster a sense of control and involvement in an otherwise stressful and confusing stage of life.
In this article, we will explore the different aspects of dementia therapy to help you better understand this debilitating condition and its care requirements. Additionally, our experienced iKare nurses will share practical tips on managing the daily challenges of home-based dementia care and the measures you can take to keep your loved ones safe
Read more on dementia and caregivers here
Benefits of Dementia Therapy
Dementia is a progressive condition that can lead to a rapid decline in cognitive function, physical health, and emotional well-being if left unaddressed without professional intervention.
Engaging professional dementia therapy services at home, especially with iKare, can help slow this decline, helping patients preserve their quality of life and remain independent as much as possible.
Physical Benefits of Dementia Therapy
Home-based dementia therapy prioritises the patient’s physical health by incorporating physical activities like leg lifts, arm stretches, or light walking to help improve mobility, strength, and overall health.
Encourage patients to do simple exercises while seated on a comfortable chair if standing is challenging. Start with small, easy movements, gradually increasing in intensity over time. The caregiver can also try exercising alongside the patient to build confidence.
Tip: Don’t forget to keep the exercise session enjoyable! You can try playing music in the background, or chat about topics of interest. Stay positive, and offer praise to keep the patient motivated.
Read more: Gentle Exercise Routines You Can Do at Home with Elderly Family Members
- Greater Mobility: Regular physical activity helps dementia patients retain their motor skills by improving flexibility and building muscle strength. This helps patients continue to be independent, being able to perform everyday tasks such as walking and dressing.
- Reduced Risk of Falls: Regular physical activity strengthens the muscles and enhances balance and coordination – crucial factors in preventing falls. This prevents serious injuries and supports better mobility in the long term.
- Improved Mood: Exercising is often linked to an uplift in mood due to the release of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel-good” hormones. This helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety commonly seen in dementia patients. It helps if patients are provided regular praise and positive reinforcement to keep them motivated to keep active and healthy.
- Improved Memory: Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, supporting the growth of new brain cells and maintaining cognitive health. Additionally, following exercise instructions provided by the dementia therapy nurse can help engage their minds, stimulating them and helping to slow the decline in brain health.
- Better Sleep: Engaging in physical activities during the day helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycles, promoting deeper, more restful sleep at night and reducing insomnia. This in turn can lead to better moods in the morning and more energy for physical activities.
- Reduced Likelihood of Constipation: Gentle physical exercise like walking or stretching helps stimulate the digestive system, promoting regular bowel movements and reducing the chances of constipation (a common issue for those with dementia).
Emotional Benefits of Dementia Therapy
The emotional well-being of dementia patients is closely tied to the quality of care they receive.
- Reduced Anxiety and Stress: It helps when dementia patients interact with the same dementia caregiver every day, helping patients get accustomed to their carer and surroundings.
- Building Positive Social Connections: Dementia patients often feel isolated as their cognitive functions decline. This can be due to natural, dementia-related symptoms such as difficulty with communication, memory loss, fear of being a burden, and mood swings.
Cognitive Benefits of Dementia Therapy
Cognitive decline is a significant challenge for families and patients living with dementia. The right activities can help slow this decline and help patients maintain cognitive function for longer.
- Improved Memory Through Stimulation: Regular cognitive exercises, such as memory games and puzzles can help stimulate the brain and support memory retention. Patients may benefit from reminiscing with caregivers about personal memories and other topics to keep their brains active and their memory sharp.
Tip: Caregivers may use photo albums or mementoes to spark conversations about the patient’s past. Looking at pictures and asking prompting questions like, “Do you remember when you went on this cruise? Is this your favourite dress?” to encourage cognitive stimulation
- Improved Focus and Concentration: Structured activities provided in a calm and familiar environment can help patients focus better, which is crucial for maintaining independence and carrying out daily tasks.
Tip: It is best to personalise simple puzzles or activities that align with the patient’s past interests and current cognitive abilities. It helps motivate the patient and makes the experience more meaningful.
Benefits of Home-Based Dementia Therapy Services
There are many types of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) being the most common, each with its own set of symptoms and care requirements. Understanding the type of dementia your loved one has is crucial in crafting a suitable therapy plan for their individual needs.
When you engage home care service centres like iKare for home-based dementia therapy services, we do the planning for you! Patients can expect to receive a structured, individualised care plan tailored to the dementia type and daily routine of the patient.
Why Choose Dementia Therapy at Home Over Other Care Services
When it comes to caring for a loved one with dementia, choosing home-based therapy services offers 3 distinct advantages that can improve the patient’s well-being by leaps and bounds.
These benefits go beyond the standard of care provided in other care facilities in Singapore, offering a more personalised approach that caters to the patient and their family members.
- Familiarity and Comfort: Patients are more likely to thrive in a space they know well, reducing disorientation and anxiety often triggered by unfamiliar environments.
For example, a dementia patient struggling with sundowning—where symptoms worsen during the late afternoon or evening— may find it easier to relax in their well-lit bedroom surrounded by familiar objects they have known for over 30 years. Being familiar with the space helps them feel safe and secure, reducing anxiety and confusion.
“Patients recovering at home also reported sleeping and eating better, walking around more“.
– Clara, C. (2022, Oct 3). Some patients can now be hospitalised at home and be cared for via teleconsultations, home visits. The Straits Times.
- Individualised Care Plans: Every dementia patient is unique, with their own set of needs, preferences, and challenges. Having dementia therapy at home allows for highly personalised strategies that would be difficult to replicate in a traditional nursing home. There is no one-size-fits-all approach with us at iKare!
iKare Real Nursing Stories:
My patient, male 76, suffers from severe dementia. He does not respond to family or talking. My solution is to play oldies songs for him. His favourites are Elvis Presley and Teresa Teng. He always responds when I play music from the curated playlist and moves his head and hands to the music. I would not consider this music therapy, but it is helping my patient. Music brings a smile to his face so it’s now a daily activity for us.
– Mr. Pang, iKare Dementia Therapy Nurse
- Reduced Risk of Sickness: Remaining at home minimises exposure to viral infections, contagious diseases and other health risks commonly found in communal environments like nursing homes. This can be particularly concerning for dementia patients, whose immune systems are compromised.
- Easy Access to Hobbies and Favourite Activities: Incorporating a patient’s interests and hobbies into their care plan can greatly improve their emotional well-being. Many of these beloved activities and items are kept around the home, making it easier for caregivers to integrate them into daily routines.
Examples include: gardening (flowers and plants that they have nurtured for years), going on walks (familiar neighbourhood sights and sounds.
iKare real nursing stories:
One of my patients, female 82, loves plants. She has a long line of plants outside on the balcony that she has cared for, for many years. These plants are like her babies and bring up many positive memories. After breakfast, I bring in plant pots for her to water and ‘prune’. The experience of touching the soil and smelling the leaves helps to calm her a lot. Her family loves it when she shares about her plants’ growth.
– Mrs. Tan, iKare Dementia Therapy Nurse
Common Challenges You Can Expect with Home-Based Dementia Therapy Services
While dementia therapy at home offers many benefits, it also comes with challenges that caregivers and families must navigate. Understanding these challenges can help families prepare and work more effectively with professional caregivers.
Here are the most common problems you might encounter, and here are our iKare nurses’ recommended solutions to them.
Note: These are not guaranteed to work, as each patient responds differently to them. Do test them out and apply what works for you. If needed, do get professional help like us and we can help. Contact us here.
Example: Dementia patient gets physical and pushes the caregiver away when trying to do hands-on activities like wearing socks.
Do not get physical with the dementia patient or attempt to restrain them. Dementia is a disease that affects patients’ ability to communicate verbally so they may resort to tantrums or physical actions.
- Solution 1: Give them something to hold and interact with, like a fluffy towel, distracting them so the caregiver can get the task done.
- Solution 2: Offer them more independence and a sense of control by giving choices between different pairs of socks.
- Solution 3: Guide them through the steps you will take. Saying, “Let’s put your foot here,” or, “Can you help me pull up the sock? Thank you very much.”
- Solution 4: Explain that the focus is on comfort and that you worry about them getting cold and will worry less if they keep warm.
Example: Dementia patient refuses to shower because they, “Don’t need it.
Do not embarrass them by insisting that they smell bad and need a shower. They could be rejecting you because they are tired, cold, or unable to find meaning in the activity.
- Solution 1: Try phrasing it like a favour, for example, “I want to shower too, but I am scared that it is too cold, could you try showering first?”.
- Solution 2: Make sure that the water temperature is comfortably warm, try using comfortable clothes and nice-smelling lotions, play their favourite music, and reward them with their favourite snacks right after showering. Find the right combination that fits and add it to the routine!
- Solution 3: Be very positive. Say complementary things like, “Wow your shampoo smells so good!”, “Your hair will look so shiny after this.”, “Your daughter will love how fresh and beautiful they’ll look after bathing.”
- Solution 4: Pretend that their loved one has gifted them a nice-smelling shower product. Allow them to touch and smell it to get used to it. Tell them that their loved ones will be calling later and they will be excited to know if the patient enjoyed using the shower product. It would make their loved ones very happy to hear that they showered using the product today.
- Solution 5: Make them look forward to their next favourite activity after showing by emphasising how it’s going to be quick and easy. Just a simple rinse that will take less than a minute. Afterwards, the patient will get to do their other favourite activity!
Example: Dementia patient refuses to wear adult diapers.
Do not humiliate the patient by factually explaining to them that they are unable to control their bowels. Be gentle with phrasing and don’t insist that there is no other solution and they ‘must’ wear it.
- Solution 1: Try referring to adult diapers as “disposable underwear” or “briefs” that everyone wears. Especially in front of their family members. So to preserve their dignity. Refer to the adult diaper as pretty and comfortable to encourage them.
- Solution 2: Ask them to help you as a favour. You want to try wearing the diaper because of reasons (e.g. you had a baby recently and found it difficult to hold in your urine, there is too much laundry and you want to try using disposable wear to help with chore times) and it would help you out if they wore it too and let you know how it feels.
Example: Dementia patient does not recognise their home, and wants to leave. “I want to go home”, “This is not my home”, or “Let me out”.
Do not be too quick to shut down their request. Avoid using negative words like, “Stop” and “You can’t”. The dementia patient will end up feeling trapped and feel you are the enemy keeping them from going home.
- Solution 1: Clarify what do they need that they need to go home for. Listen to them as they explain what they are looking for. If it’s something you will be able to provide them with. If you are not able to provide them, explain away with excuses, “Your children? They are at home with a babysitter you hired, you came to our house to help us with the laundry”, “
- Solution 2: Use time. Saying that you can bring them back but your car needs some time to get fixed. Once it’s fixed, you can give them a ride. In the meantime, you will need their help with other routine activities.
- Solution 3: You can pretend to call a taxi for them and say that the taxi has been booked and will be here in a few hours. While they wait, the patient can be invited to have a drink, snack, or other distracting activity while they wait and ultimately forget about the taxi.
- Solution 4: Distract them through conversation. Ask where they want to go. What is their home’s address and directions to get there. Ask them vague questions like, what type of house they lived in, what it looked like, how long they have lived there, did they have plants or pets, then gradually redirect the conversation to talking about their lives and past jobs, etc.
- Solution 5: Pretend to carry out their plan to leave. Allow them to pack their clothes into bags while you are unpacking them at the same time so they get tired. Reassure them that it’s late and we can continue packing tomorrow.
Example: Dementia patient sees danger everywhere like a stranger in the room, snakes, and rats.
This may be a case of psychosis. Do not ignore their fears or insist that nothing is there and that it’s safe. To them, their hallucination is very real and their panicking might cause them to accidentally injure themselves if it is not addressed.
- Solution 1: It is best to reassure them physically. Act like the threat is real and “chase them away”. If they see a ‘person’, it could be a tall coat hanger or a scary-looking shadow. Rearrange their environment to make it feel safer for them. Then reassure them that the threat is gone and it won’t come back.
- Solution 2: Give them special tools to be safe like an empty spray bottle they can use to spray on the snakes and kill them. Or a special blanket that smells like perfume that the threat hates and will run away from.
- Solution 3: Relocate them to another room that is safe and doesn’t have the threat. Pretend you will call the exterminator or another professional for help so this will never happen again. When it is done, assure them that the threat is gone and allow them to check around and feel safe.
Example: Dementia patient constantly looks for people / dead loved ones. “Where is my (dead) husband? Where did he go? Can you bring me to him?”
This is a difficult question; it is up to the caregiver to decide if they want to try to tell them the truth or redirect as most of our solutions suggest. Redirecting will spare the dementia patient the pain of relieving their loved one’s death and it’s a much easier task for the caregiver. Yet, there are times when it is healthier for the patient to come to terms with their reality.
- Solution 1: Ask clarifying questions like, “When did you last see your husband?” and “What do you think happened to him?”.
If the patient is calm, shows no signs of agitation, seems to suggest knowing that something bad has happened to their loved one, and just wants the truth, you can try explaining to the patient that their loved one has passed away.
- Solution 2: If they are agitated or in distress, insisting that their loved one is still alive, give an excuse for where the person went and why they will be away for a long time. Distract them with routine activities while ‘waiting’ for their loved one.
Example: Dementia patient accuses caregiver of stealing their money.
If they are pointing fingers at the caregiver for stealing, it means that they firmly believe that they should have control over their finances. Do not try explaining to them that you are in charge of their money or over their person legally as the Power of Attorney (POA). Instead, try the following:
- Solution 1: Find objects that represent their finances to give to them. Like a wallet or purse with some small Singapore dollar notes ($2, $5) and coins inside or a cancelled debit card. Give it to them so that they feel they still have control over their money.
- Solution 2: If the dementia patient keeps misplacing their wallet or purse, get fake purses with coins in them. If one goes missing, place the purse somewhere and direct them to it with “I think you placed it on the couch”. They will find it and realise that the caregiver didn’t take it.
- Solution 3: Take their mind off the topic by offering to help them find their money. But can the patient help you with another activity while the caregiver finds it?
- Solution 4: Clarify if they need the money to buy something. If so, you can buy it for them as a treat (you won’t buy it of course). The item will arrive in a few weeks. Over time, they will have forgotten about it.
Remember, You’re Not Alone
Managing these challenges can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to handle it alone. At iKare, our experienced dementia care professionals can provide tailored support for your loved ones, easing your burden and ensuring their well-being.
Reach out to us for a free consultation and let us help you navigate your caregiving journey with your loved one.
iKare Testimonial:
It was my second time engaging i-Kare and . . . I am very thankful for their efficiency and professionalism. Both times different requirements and they did not disappoint. The staff were very kind, attentive and patient. They would go beyond their responsibilities and ensure the care provided was of quality. . . Your company will be highly recommended to my circle of friends!
– Ms/Mr Kin, iKare Client
Choosing the Right Care Provider to Engage for Dementia Therapy Services at Home
Selecting a care provider for dementia therapy at home is a critical decision. A reputable provider ensures the highest quality of care tailored to each patient.
First and foremost, clients should check if care providers have certified caregivers trained in dementia care.
- Registered Nurse with years of relevant nursing experience in hospitals
- SNB Practicing Certificate to practice nursing in Singapore
- Diploma in Nursing
- Experience in-home nursing and dementia care, mental health care / elder care
- Fluency in your preferred language
Each dementia patient is unique, and care providers should offer individualised therapy plans according to your loved one’s needs. Share with the care provider about your loved one’s: preferences, habits, medical history, dietary restrictions, routine, hobbies, problematic behaviours you are struggling with, etc.
Last and most importantly, read up on client feedback. It is as simple as checking Google reviews for unbiased testimonials!
What to Expect With iKare: Quality Dementia Therapy at Home Services
We at iKare take pride in offering comprehensive, personalised dementia therapy services designed to provide your loved ones with compassionate care while supporting families every step of the way. Here’s a closer look at what you can expect from iKare’s dementia therapy at-home services.
Comprehensive and Personalised Support for Dementia Care
- Initial Assessment and Customised Care Plans: iKare is committed to providing our clients with the best possible service for dementia care. We conduct a detailed assessment of your loved one’s needs, preferences, and condition before crafting tailored dementia care plans that maximise the benefits you receive with iKare’s at-home dementia therapy services.
- Full-Time Staff: iKare’s dementia therapy nurses work full-time at the client’s home. Their daily involvement is essential for individuals with dementia who rely on routine and familiarity. This also helps build trust, reducing anxiety and confusion for your loved one.
Coordination and Streamlined Communication
- Single Point of Contact (POC): iKare provides a dedicated care coordinator to support families, making communication clearer and smoother. The assigned POC will be readily available to address any questions or concerns you have regarding your loved one’s dementia care.
Care Reporting and - Regular Updates: iKare submits regular updates and comprehensive quarterly reports to families so you can track your loved ones’ progress and see how they respond to dementia therapy.
Transparent Pricing
- Simple, Transparent Pricing: iKare is always upfront and honest with our pricing structure! You can fully expect our quotations to be thoroughly explained and free from hidden costs.
Take the Next Step With Us Today
We at iKare are very grateful to have earned the trust and business of so many Singapore families. Our nurses work tirelessly day and night to adapt to every individual’s unique needs and provide the best dementia care at home services possible. Our 90% renewal rate reflects iKare’s commitment to providing quality, compassionate care.
If you’re ready to give your loved one the care they deserve, contact iKare today. Our team of professional caregivers is here to provide guidance, support, and personalised care for dementia therapy at home.
iKare Testimonial:
iKare has been of great help when I had made a last-minute call for assistance for a caregiver to take care of my mum. The nurse has been very patient and accommodating to my last-minute requests. I am thankful for all the help and services that were extended to me and my family.
– Mrs. Soh, iKare client
Let’s make a difference. Together.
📞 Call us now at +65-6568-3930
📧 Email us at enquiry@ikarehome.com
🌐 Visit our website at https://ikarehome.com
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