1.1 Recognising dementia can help you provide good support

Recognising common signs of dementia may help you look after the people you support.

Recognising dementia

As a homecare worker you will meet all kinds of people from different backgrounds. They will have different personalities and needs– everyone is different.

When you are looking after people you might notice “funny” or “unusual” behaviours. You might notice people changing over time or you might meet people who you think are “strange” or “odd”. Sometimes dementia can be the cause of some of these unusual behaviours.

Knowing more about dementia and how it affects someone helps you know what to expect, what you can do to support the person and how to look after yourself too.

People with dementia, their families and other homecare workers have shared their good and bad experiences with us. They have told us some of the challenges they have faced and the solutions they’ve used. This is combined with up-to-date research.

Homecare workers who support people living with dementia say the following information is helpful:

Understanding dementia– this will help you to make sense of what your client is going through and how you can help.

Managing care relationships – families, and other services may also support the person living with dementia. Find ideas for how to work together to provide good care.

Supporting the person with their symptoms – there are tips and approaches which can help you manage their symptoms.

Your wellbeing – Being a care worker involves lots of time and energy. Look after yourself.

Supporting everyday decisions – understanding the decisions people with dementia can make for themselves can help with decision-making.

Understanding dementia

Dementia describes a group of diseases which affect the brain.

Watch this short video by the Alzheimer’s Society to find out What is dementia https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1miDO27ShatLOE4nWARYCg

There are different types of dementia. Each type of dementia can affect people differently.

Click on the common dementia types to find out more:

Alzheimer’s disease (in Welsh)

Vascular dementia (In Welsh)

Fronto-temporal dementia

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Mixed dementia

You can find out about rarer types of dementia here.

if you are interested in understanding more about how different parts of the brain might be affected by dementia, take a dementia brain tour.