November 2018 - Dementia Caring

Dementia is the second leading cause of death of Australians, and the number of Australians with dementia is rising every day. In order to prevent dementia, it’s important to understand its causes and risk factors.

Most Common Causes of Dementia

According to Healthdirect Australia, there are more than 100 different diseases that can cause dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common: 70% of people with dementia have it.

Alzheimer’s disease affects brain cells and neurotransmitters, which are body chemicals that keep our brains functioning. Consequently, the disease causes memory loss, confusion, and behaviour changes—all of which are typical symptoms of dementia.

Blood circulation problems are another leading cause of dementia. Multiple small strokes, high blood pressure, and thickened arteries contribute to poor blood flow to the brain and, as a result, vascular dementia.

Dementia and Genetics

When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, family members may wonder whether the disease is hereditary.

There is a link between dementia and genetics because all of us inherited a combination of genes from our parents that might increase or decrease the risk of developing dementia. However, scientists believe that these genes play a decisive role in very few cases.

Risk Factors for Dementia

First and foremost, we can’t stress this enough: Dementia is preventable.

The best way to prevent dementia is by keeping your brain healthy as you age. Good nutrition habits, physical activity, and social engagement are excellent ways to stimulate your brain and lower the risk of dementia.

Additional dementia risks include:

Age: Your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease double every five years after you reach 65 years of age.
Severe head injury
Smoking increases the risk of vascular problems, like strokes.
Diabetes is often associated with high blood pressure and blood circulation problems.

Always maintain a healthy lifestyle and see a doctor for regular checkups to decrease your chances of dementia.

We hope these tips help you understand the most common causes and risk factors for dementia. If you want to learn more about our dementia home care services, contact us through our website or by calling us at 1300 792 691.

Do you have a loved one with dementia? Learn how to communicate your ideas, understand their medical condition, and help them feel good with these tips:

Understand Their Challenges

It’s vital to understand that people with dementia have communication issues that cause certain behaviours. While it might be frustrating sometimes, you have to be patient and show your loved one how much you care about his or her feelings. For example, it’s common to see people with dementia struggling to remember things that happened or find words to express themselves.

One tip for communicating with someone affected by dementia is to keep the conversation simple. Avoid asking too many questions, show respect, and focus on feelings instead of facts. Actions speak louder than words, so put a smile on your face and be kind.

Learn About the Stages of Dementia

Before you interact with someone with dementia, read about the disease and its different stages. Not all dementia sufferers share the same symptoms, so that knowledge may help you adjust your communication style and set the right expectations.

Mild dementia looks like lack of concentration, and it rarely keeps the person from functioning independently. Moderate dementia is characterized by noticeable memory loss and changes in behaviour. Severe dementia often means that the person has lost their ability to control their own movements.

Additional Tips

Here are other tips that might help you deal with someone with dementia:

Use your body language to help you communicate your message.
Avoid talking to a dementia sufferer while the radio or TV is turned on.
Don’t ask multiple questions at the same time.
Keep the conversation simple and direct.
Help the person remember dates or past events if you notice they’re struggling.
Pay attention to their gestures as they indicate how the person is feeling.

At Dementia Caring, our friendly and experienced caregivers go the extra mile to increase the quality of life for people with dementia. Our services include home care packages, specialized dementia care, and therapy programs that consider your specific needs. If you want to learn more about our dementia home care services, contact us through our website or by calling us at 1300 792 691.

Are you looking for a change in career while still utilising your nursing skills? We are actively seeking franchisees across Australia…

Home Caring provides an opportunity to be part of one of the fastest growing sectors in the Australian economy – disability, aged and dementia care. As the population ages, it is anticipated that the number of people over 65 will double in the next 30 years and the number of people accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will grow from 140,000 to over 500,000.

Proudly Australian owned, Home Caring provides professional and compassionate personalised care services in the home and is seeking community minded franchisees who can build a solid financial future combining their local networks and the national marketing of the Home Caring and Dementia Caring brands.

Home Caring has developed a powerful business model. A 50/50 joint venture partnership model creates strong alignment between us and our franchise partners and substantially reduces start-up costs by 50%, making it much more affordable.

Home Caring is offering a limited number of locations in New South Wales in this joint venture arrangement, enabling more people to become involved in the industry at a lower entry cost. Full training and support is provided to ensure a successful, profitable partnership.

The franchisee earns an ongoing 50% share of profits and is paid an attractive salary package of $80,000 per annum from day one, which eases any worries about being able to earn enough from the business to pay personal bills.

The active franchisee partner manages the daily operation of the branch, sourcing new clients, ensuring existing clients’ needs are being met, recruiting and training care workers and managing a team of people. A comprehensive training program, ongoing operation support and a full suite of cloud-based business management tools assist with the growth and success of your home care business.

We are looking for:

Achievers who are tenacious business builders committed to success, defined by results, respect and control.
Driven, reliable and hardworking; our franchisees need to be excellent problem solvers and planners, able to follow the system, avoiding reinventing the wheel.
People who share the culture of collaboration. Home Caring is an open and friendly place to work, like an extended family.
Group loyalty is strong and there is genuine concern for people. The organisation places a premium on teamwork, participation, and consensus.
We look for people who are analytical, persistent and systematic, more concerned with content than style.
The strengths we look for include an eye for detail and accuracy, independence, dependability, persistence, follow-through, and organisation.
Our franchisees should be able to build high trust relationships with their prospects. They should be good at crafting a solution to help the customer achieve their needs.

Now is the time to partner with Home Caring! We are actively seeking franchisees across Australia!

Please visit www.homecaringfranchise.com.au for more details

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Month: November 2018

Causes and Risk Factors of Dementia