Dementia care at home • buckinghamshire & south oxfordshire
Dementia Care at Home That Starts With the Person
"A diagnosis of dementia brings uncertainty, for the person and for everyone around them. But dementia does not define the whole person."
At Care & Carers we take time to understand who someone is, how they like to live, and what helps them feel comfortable and secure. We then build their care around their needs, their routines and what they can still do for themselves.
Our carers support people at home with everyday routines, personal care, medication, meals, mobility, companionship, and the activities and connections that matter to them.
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what our dementia care looks like
Four things every family can expect
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Care in familiar surroundings
Support at home, where the routines, the possessions and the view from the window are already known.
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Care built around the individual
We work from the person's history, preferences, abilities and changing needs, not from a standard template.
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Trained carers
Every Care & Carers carer completes dementia awareness training, with further training where a particular care arrangement calls for it.
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Support for families too
We work with families and representatives, in line with the person's wishes and their care plan.
understanding dementia
Dementia care is about more than memory
Dementia is the name for a group of conditions that affect how the brain works. It is not a normal part of getting older.
People may notice changes in memory, communication, reasoning, mood, behaviour or the ability to manage everyday tasks, and those changes shift over time. No two people experience dementia in the same way, which is why good dementia care cannot follow a standard checklist.
So we start with the person. What time do they usually get up? What food do they enjoy? What makes them anxious, and what settles them again? Who is important to them? Which activities still bring pleasure? How do they prefer to communicate?
the main types of dementia
We build care around the person, not just the label
We build care around what a person actually needs rather than the diagnosis on a letter. But knowing the type helps us understand what someone is likely to find difficult, and what is likely to change.
Alzheimer's disease
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Vascular dementia
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Dementia with Lewy bodies
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Frontotemporal dementia
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Mixed dementia
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We support people living with all of these. If a diagnosis has not been made yet, that is not a barrier to arranging care.
Staying at home
Helping someone continue living at home
For many people living with dementia, familiar surroundings give a kind of continuity that nothing else replaces. A home holds more than furniture. It holds routines, memories, familiar sounds, photographs, neighbours, pets and objects that help someone place themselves in the day.
Home care makes it possible to stay in those surroundings while getting the support that is needed. That support often starts small, perhaps one visit a day, and grows as needs change.
The goal is not to take over someone's life. It is to put the right support around the life they already have.
when to reach out
Signs it may be time for more support
There is rarely one moment when a family decides. It is usually a build-up of small things.
You may have noticed:
Medication missed, doubled up, or still sitting in the packet
A fall, or near-misses on the stairs
Getting lost on a route they have walked for forty years
Distress that builds through the late afternoon
Confusion about the time of day, or being up and dressed at three in the morning
Post left unopened, or the same phone call several times in an evening
A husband, wife, son or daughter who is exhausted and no longer sleeping properly
None of these on its own means someone can no longer live at home. Together they usually mean it is worth a conversation. You do not have to have decided anything before you call us.
Arrange a Free Care AssessmentDay-to-day support
How we support someone living with dementia
1
Personal care
Respectful help with washing, bathing, dressing, toileting, continence and other personal routines.
2
Medication
Support with medication at the level set out in the care plan, from a simple prompt through to administering it.
3
Meals and drinks
Preparing familiar meals, encouraging regular drinks, and keeping the routines around food that someone is used to.
4
Mobility
Moving around the home, and using mobility equipment safely.
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Everyday routines
Getting up, preparing for bed, mealtimes, and the regular patterns that hold a day together.
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Companionship
Conversation, reassurance, and time spent properly rather than in a rush.
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Activities and interests
Hobbies, music, walks, gardening and other familiar interests.
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Getting out and about
Appointments, activities and familiar places, where this is part of the care plan.
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Household support
Light household tasks connected to the person's care and wellbeing.
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Keeping in touch
Staying in contact with family, friends and the wider community
Getting to know the person
Familiar routines, meaningful activity & communication
Familiar routines matter
An unfamiliar routine makes an already confusing situation harder. So we start by learning how the day normally works. It might be knowing:
when they usually wake up
which clothes they prefer
what they enjoy watching or listening to
what food is familiar
who they recognise and enjoy seeing
what settles them
where they normally sit
how they like personal care to be approached
when they normally go out
what tends to cause worry or distress
These details look small written down. In dementia care they are the difference between a visit that works and a visit that does not.
Meaningful activity, not simply keeping busy
Activity only helps when it means something to the person doing it. One person enjoys the garden. Another wants to listen to music they have known since they were twenty. Someone else likes folding laundry, looking through photographs, preparing food, walking to a familiar place, or simply sitting and talking.
We are not trying to fill a timetable. We are trying to understand what still feels familiar, enjoyable and worth doing.
Communication that works for the individual
Dementia affects communication in different ways. A person may struggle to find words, follow a conversation, explain what they need, or take in information as quickly as they once did.
So our carers slow down. They listen, they give the person time to answer, they use straightforward language, they offer a choice rather than an open question, and they pay attention to what someone is showing them as well as what they are saying.
And they speak with the person, not about them. That sounds obvious. It is one of the first things to go wrong when someone is in a hurry.
So our carers slow down. They listen, they give the person time to answer, they use straightforward language, they offer a choice rather than an open question, and they pay attention to what someone is showing them as well as what they are saying.
And they speak with the person, not about them. That sounds obvious. It is one of the first things to go wrong when someone is in a hurry.
Distress & mental capacity
When someone becomes distressed, and who decides
When someone becomes distressed
A person living with dementia may become confused, anxious or distressed. We look for the reason rather than treating it as simply part of the condition.
They may be uncomfortable, tired, frightened, hungry, in pain, looking for something familiar, or struggling to make sense of what is around them. Knowing someone's normal routines, preferences and way of communicating is what lets a carer respond calmly instead of guessing.
If we notice a significant change from how someone usually is, we report it. A sudden change is often a sign of something treatable, such as an infection or unmanaged pain, rather than the dementia moving on.
They may be uncomfortable, tired, frightened, hungry, in pain, looking for something familiar, or struggling to make sense of what is around them. Knowing someone's normal routines, preferences and way of communicating is what lets a carer respond calmly instead of guessing.
If we notice a significant change from how someone usually is, we report it. A sudden change is often a sign of something treatable, such as an infection or unmanaged pain, rather than the dementia moving on.
Who decides, and when
Families often ask what happens when their relative can no longer make a particular decision. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets the framework, and it starts from an assumption in the person's favour:
Everyone is presumed able to make their own decisions unless it is shown otherwise (section 1(2)).
Nobody is treated as unable to decide just because the decision looks unwise to somebody else (section 1(4)).
Capacity is judged decision by decision, at the time the decision has to be made. Someone may be unable to make a complex financial decision and perfectly able to choose what to wear, what to eat, or whether they want a bath this morning.
Where a person cannot make a particular decision, whoever makes it has to act in that person's best interests (section 4). For the everyday decisions that come up during a visit, that responsibility sits with the carer in the room, which is why we train carers in the Act rather than treating it as an office matter.
Where a Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare has been registered, or the Court of Protection has appointed a deputy, we work with the attorney or deputy and record their details in the care plan. If you are not sure what is in place, tell us and we will talk you through what usually applies.
Where a Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare has been registered, or the Court of Protection has appointed a deputy, we work with the attorney or deputy and record their details in the care plan. If you are not sure what is in place, tell us and we will talk you through what usually applies.
Family, professionals & continuity
Working with families, GPs and a familiar face
Working with families
Families often know the person better than anyone. You know the words they use, the routines they have kept for decades, the music they like, what makes them laugh, and the things that tend to cause worry. That knowledge is genuinely useful when we are planning care, and we ask for it.
We listen to families and representatives while respecting the rights, choices and confidentiality of the person receiving care. Where they can make decisions about their own care and their own information, their wishes come first.
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Working alongside your GP and community teams
With the agreement of the person, or of whoever acts for them, we work alongside GPs, district nurses, community mental health and memory services, occupational therapists, social workers and hospital discharge teams.
Our carers record every visit in our care management system, so a change in someone's condition can be picked up quickly and shared with the people who need to know.
A familiar face matters
Continuity matters more in dementia care than almost anywhere else. A carer who has to be introduced again at every visit cannot build the relationship, or learn the routine, that makes care work.
Getting started
How we arrange dementia care, and our carers
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Start with a conversation
Tell us about the person, what is happening now, and where you think more support is needed. You do not need to know which service to ask for.
2
We assess their needs
We take the time to understand their support needs, routines, abilities, preferences and home environment. We would rather do this properly than quickly.
3
We write the care plan
The care plan sets out what support is needed and how the person prefers it to be given. You and, wherever possible, the person themselves help write it.
4
Care begins
The carer provides the agreed support at home, following the care plan.
5
We review
When needs change, we review the care plan and adjust the level of support. Dementia does not stand still, and neither should the care.
Trained and professionally supported carers
Dementia care takes more than goodwill. Our carers' training covers dementia awareness alongside safeguarding, medication, moving and handling, infection prevention, first aid and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Carers are supervised, spot-checked and supported by an office team and an on-call service, so nobody is working out a difficult situation on their own.
Meet our champions →Personal care & choosing the right level
Personal care, medication, and visiting or live-in care
When dementia care includes personal care
Dementia support is not only companionship. As needs increase, someone may need help with washing, dressing, toileting or getting ready for bed.
How that support is given matters as much as the task itself. A carer who already knows someone's routines and preferences can approach personal care in a way that feels familiar and unhurried, rather than something that is being done to them. We agree exactly what is needed as part of the care plan, and we write down how the person prefers it to be done.
How that support is given matters as much as the task itself. A carer who already knows someone's routines and preferences can approach personal care in a way that feels familiar and unhurried, rather than something that is being done to them. We agree exactly what is needed as part of the care plan, and we write down how the person prefers it to be done.
Medication support
Someone living with dementia may start to need help remembering or managing medication. Depending on the assessment and the care plan, our carers provide support ranging from a prompt at the right time through to administering medication.
We assess and record the level of support before care begins, and we review it when needs change. Any change to prescribed medication comes from the prescriber, never from the carer. If we notice something that concerns us, we raise it with the GP or pharmacist and with you.
We assess and record the level of support before care begins, and we review it when needs change. Any change to prescribed medication comes from the prescriber, never from the carer. If we notice something that concerns us, we raise it with the GP or pharmacist and with you.
Visiting dementia care or live-in dementia care?
Not everybody living with dementia needs the same amount of care. For some people, one or more visits a day is exactly right.
For others, needs become less predictable, or the person becomes anxious or unsafe when left alone. That is usually the point at which families start looking at live-in care, where a carer lives in the home and support is on hand through the day, while the person stays in surroundings they know.
Explore live-in care →For others, needs become less predictable, or the person becomes anxious or unsafe when left alone. That is usually the point at which families start looking at live-in care, where a carer lives in the home and support is on hand through the day, while the person stays in surroundings they know.
Hospital, respite & funding
Hospital discharge, respite for family carers, and paying for care
Dementia care after a hospital stay
A hospital admission disrupts familiar routines, and that is hard for anyone living with dementia. People often come home less steady, more confused and needing more help than they did before they went in.
We can talk through what support is needed after discharge, and whether an existing care plan needs reviewing. That might mean extra help with medication, mobility, meals or personal care, or simply someone there while the person settles back into their own surroundings.
We can talk through what support is needed after discharge, and whether an existing care plan needs reviewing. That might mean extra help with medication, mobility, meals or personal care, or simply someone there while the person settles back into their own surroundings.
Respite for family carers
Looking after someone with dementia takes more time and more attention than people outside the situation usually realise. Family carers often need a few hours, a regular afternoon each week, or a proper break.
Respite care means someone the person knows supports them at home while you have that time. Familiar routines carry on, and you get to stop being on duty for a while. That is not a luxury. It is usually what makes it possible to keep going.
Respite care means someone the person knows supports them at home while you have that time. Familiar routines carry on, and you get to stop being on duty for a while. That is not a luxury. It is usually what makes it possible to keep going.
Help you may be entitled to
A needs assessment
Where it appears that an adult may have needs for care and support, the council must carry out an assessment under section 9 of the Care Act 2014, whatever your income or savings. If eligible needs are found, a financial assessment under section 17 works out what, if anything, you contribute.
Attendance Allowance
A benefit for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision. Not means-tested, savings do not affect it, and it does not have to be spent on care.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
Where someone's needs are primarily health needs, the NHS may fund the whole package of care. Ask the GP or the hospital team about a checklist assessment.
A Council Tax reduction
Where a doctor certifies a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning that appears permanent, and a qualifying benefit is received, that person is disregarded for Council Tax. A single-occupant home can be exempt, or another adult living there can get the 25% discount. Many families never find out this exists; the council administers it.
Direct payments
If the council funds your care, you can ask for a direct payment and choose your own provider rather than take the council's arranged service.
Where we cover
Dementia care at home in Buckinghamshire and South Oxfordshire
Care & Carers provides visiting home care, dementia support and live-in care from our office at 3 Cromwell Court, New Street, Aylesbury. We are a local team, not a national call centre, and the person who answers the phone knows the area you live in.
See all the areas we cover →Frequently asked questions
Questions families ask us about dementia care
Can someone with dementia continue living at home?
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What does a dementia carer actually do?
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Do your carers have dementia training?
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Can you help with medication?
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Can you provide personal care for someone with dementia?
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Will my relative have the same carers?
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Can you provide overnight dementia care?
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Can you help if my relative has just come out of hospital?
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What if my relative's dementia gets worse?
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Do you support people with Alzheimer's disease?
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How much does dementia care cost?
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Do we need a diagnosis before we can arrange care?
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What if my relative refuses help?
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get in touch
Tell us about the person, not just the diagnosis
If you are arranging care for someone living with dementia, you may not yet know what level of support they need. That is completely normal. Tell us about the person, how they are managing now, what has changed, and what matters to them. We will listen, talk through the options, and help you understand what care at home could look like.
