Caring for a loved one with dementia can be taxing. Hiring a full-time caregiver or nurse is expensive and not always needed, leaving you to deal with your loved one alone. There is only so much care and stimulation that you can provide. Besides giving you a much needed break, adult day care centres offer many benefits for dementia patients.

Adult day care centres allow dementia patients to experience a wide variety of services such as:

• Counselling: For someone with dementia, they may not know what they’re going through and how it is affecting their day-to-day life. Many adult day care facilities provide counselling services for dementia patients and their families. Some centres also have psychologists on-call that specialize in treating people with dementia.
• Nutrition: Your loved one may have special nutrition guidelines that need to be met. Most adult day cares will accommodate all dietary requests and provide nutritious meals and snacks or allow your loved one to bring their own food.
• Health/Medication monitoring: People who suffer from dementia may not remember to take their required medication. Adult day care centres employ professionals who will not only ensure that your loved one takes their medication at the required time but also check their blood pressure and offer medical assistance if need be.
• Behaviour control: Dementia often comes with wandering, incontinence, speech issues and even hallucinations. Adult day care centres are staffed with specialists who can deal with these behaviours and help control them. Furthermore, adult day care centres are secured so that should your loved one wander off, they cannot leave the premises and get hurt.
• Activities: Adult day care facilities provide activities for dementia patients that are tailored to meet their needs such as art, music therapy and even light exercise and recreation.
• Social stimulation: Being cooped up at home all day isn’t ideal for anyone, let alone someone who suffers from dementia. Adult day care facilities let your loved one socialize with people their own age who are plagued with the same health issues.

Adult daycare centres allow for those who suffer from dementia to be around their peers. They provide support and special accommodations like wheelchair access, and of course, peace of mind for you knowing that your loved one is being taken care of during the day.