Following are other care options that you may consider for an ill loved one. You can discuss with your loved one’s primary doctor or medical team on whether these services are suitable for him/her:
A nursing home is an institution which provides long-term residential care facilities. It is suitable for those who require assistance or help in most of his/her activities of daily living and/or have daily nursing care needs. This includes going to the toilet, showering and eating. In addition, nursing home provides services such as management of nasogastric tube, urine catheter and wound dressing. There are maintenance exercises and outings for the residents. Selected nursing homes provide specific facilities catered to the care of residents with dementia who required specialized care and support. Programmes and activities for cognitive stimulation are conducted to engage the residents and slow down the deterioration of mental function of the residents.
It is a short-term service that can relieve the caregivers for a period of time. Usually, caregivers opt for this service for their loved ones when there is a need to entrust the care of the loved one to someone else for a short period of time. The care recipient can be placed in a nursing home or a senior care centre.
Respite care at nursing home is for those who are more frail and requires nursing needs, while senior care centre can be catered to those who require respite care during the day.
Nursing home respite care provides a stay-in service for care recipient who is physically or mentally disabled as a result of his/her illness and is dependent on a caregiver for his/her daily care needs. Night respite service is also available for persons with dementia who have more behavioural difficulties towards the end of the day.
Credits: Agency for Integrated Care
Inpatient hospice is an institution catered to persons who are terminally ill, whose condition makes it difficult for their families to take care of them at home. At the end of life, a person’s physical condition and symptoms may require more intense support from the medical team. Living in an inpatient hospice ward could be a good way for the patient to receive timely and updated interventions to reduce pain and symptoms, to ensure comfort.
The service is catered to an ill person who stays in his/her own residence but would benefit from general, physical and social well-being through social interaction, recreational activities and therapy sessions at a centre. Typically, the clients of a day care service will go to the day care in the morning and return home in the late afternoon. With this arrangement, caregivers can do some work or run some errands knowing that their ill loved one is well taken care of.
There are some centres dedicated to specific care needs.
Dementia Day Care engages clients with dementia with meaningful recreational activities, ranging from therapeutic, social and recreational.
Day Hospice Care enhances recipients’ quality of life through therapeutic programmes and daily activities. The centre provides a safe and supportive environment for your loved one.
