Providing personal care for people with dementia who may present challenging behaviours, or simply have forgotten who their family is, can be difficult. Add to this the cultural connotations of the South Asian community living in London and there might be reluctance to arrange for professional home carers but bringing in a private carer is not failing at family duty – it is fulfilling family duty by arranging the best care for your loved ones.
What is dementia?
Dementia includes conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. It covers a range of conditions with one similarity – a decline in mental abilities from memory loss to thinking and understanding (NHS).
People with dementia can struggle in social situations and this makes them withdraw. They can have trouble regulating emotions and behaviours. This can make caring for a person with dementia challenging for their family.
Dementia is a growing problem for South Asian families in London. While there are lots of resources and support available, support in the right language and with cultural knowledge can sometimes be lacking. Having a home carer who helps an elder with dementia to access support and accompany them to appointments or events is helpful.
Jothno Care is an agency in London that cares for older people who need help to continue to live at home. We specialise in caring for those in South Asian families and understand the cultural requirements of this demographic.
Dementia and personal care needs
Common symptoms of dementia that affect self care are memory, confusion and mobility issues. As the disease progresses, people with dementia can find that personal hygiene requires more effort. Those with dementia can forget what they are doing that day, what their favourite clothing is, or what steps are needed to take a shower (Alzheimer’s Society).
They sometimes refuse help with personal care as they are embarrassed or confused. Some prefer to get help from a family carer rather than a professional carer. Others may no longer remember who their family is.
Personal care includes washing, dressing appropriately, grooming (washing & brushing hair or shaving), and going to the toilet. These services require sensitivity towards the person who needs care, and towards any particular cultural requirements. For example, carers can use toiletries and traditional bathing rituals to enhance cleanliness. Our goal is to always maintain respect for the individual.
Our home care services also include making sure that the person eats healthily (diet can play a significant role in managing dementia and slowing the progression of the disease). We can prepare food or assist the person to prepare food, so that they maintain their independence for as long as possible.
South Asian families in London
South Asian community perceptions of dementia and private care can cause reluctance in families to seek formal support services. There is also a strong feeling of filial piety and the requirement to care for elders. This can cause a stigma around bringing ‘outside’ care into the family home.
We often find that once we can reassure a family that their culture, language, dietary needs (e.g. vegetarian, halaal) and traditions like attending mosque will be met by the professional carer, they come to terms with accepting care.
At Jothno Care & Support we do all that we can to match carers with the family they will be working for and we provide training to all our carers. This includes providing same-gender carers to assure modesty.
Caring for someone with dementia full time can be difficult. Providing personal care to a family member who has severe cognitive decline and may not recognise you is hard. This is true for anyone from any culture. Arranging for short term respite care or longer term home care can support the family in caring for their elders.
Staying at home in a familiar environment is reassuring for an older person with dementia. The home is full of smells, music, food, language and visitors. These can stimulate social interactions and help the elderly to continue to feel a part of the family and the wider community.
While providing home care to people with dementia, our carers do all they can to encourage independence while at the same time providing step-by-step support when needed. Carers become familiar to the patient and the family. We can arrange for 24/7 live-in care to maintain around the clock support.
When to seek professional help
Caring for someone with dementia is likely to last for some time, years and in some cases decades. During this time the carer will need time to rest and recover if they are going to continue to provide care over the long term. Short term respite breaks can help this to happen.
In the longer term, seeking external help can ensure that a primary caregiver can take time out. They can go shopping, visit a friend, go to a mosque, eat out, attend an appointment, go to work and so on. Home care services can be provided from as little as a few hours a week to full time. In this way, personal care supplements family care.
Private personal care services, like the ones we provide at Jothno Care & Support, can be paid for in many ways. They can be paid out of direct payments, using attendance allowance from the local council or be privately funded. Our care team can talk you through the options for funding personal care.
You don’t need a referral from a doctor or health professional to access our personal care. Simply call the head office on 020 4548 9300 or use our referral form to self-refer or refer a family member.
Personal care for people with dementia
Seeking personal care for people with dementia is not a failure of family duty, it is a fulfilment of family duty. Professional carers are fully trained to handle the intricacies of dementia care. They will respect your elder and the family while providing a high level of support to maintain independence and dignity during this stressful time. We are inclusive and culturally competent to provide dementia care to your loved one and we have teams working across London.