Dementia Care in Seattle

What To Do When They Ask To Go Home

When a family member has dementia, they may sometimes ask for the impossible. One common question is, "Can I go home?" Whether they're already at home or they're living elsewhere, many family caregivers providing dementia care may feel uncertain about how to respond. Our professional caregivers in Seattle have a few tips on what to do.   

At Visiting Angels^® Renton, we offer caregiver services to seniors living alone, as well as seniors who have a family caregiver in place. We assist those with dementia, Alzheimer's, and other memory disorders. Here's what we recommend. 

3 Tips For Supporting A Loved One With Dementia 

In dementia care, it's important to understand that when a senior asks to go home, they may simply be trying to express their agitation, stress, or discomfort. With this in mind, if your loved one makes a similar request, here's what our team in Seattle suggests: 

• Respond with reassurance. When someone with dementia exhibits distress or anxiety, you want to make sure you're offering them a reassuring presence. That's true in this case as well. Don't try to explain that they're living with you now, or that they're still at home. Remember to use a gentle voice and to acknowledge their feelings. If they appreciate light physical contact or a hug, this might be a good time for it. 
• Find ways to re-route the conversation. You don't immediately want to re-route the conversation, because you don't want your family member to feel neglected or minimized. Acknowledge their desire to go home, and then eventually find opportunities to divert the conversation elsewhere. It can help to find an engaging activity, like taking them on a walk, or asking them to help you with a small, easy task. 
• Try to pinpoint the source. It may help to log when your loved one asks to go home, so you can discover underlying patterns. For some seniors with dementia, it's because they're time-shifting or sun-downing. For others, it may be because they're hungry, tired, or otherwise feeling discomfort. Finding these underlying causes can help you to address them proactively, or to be prepared when your family member makes this request. 

Schedule Your Trusted Dementia Care in Seattle 

With our dementia care agency, you can schedule flexible and compassionate care that evolves based on your loved one's needs as well as your needs as a caregiver. We're here to support seniors in: 

• Seattle
• Issaquah
• Renton
• Kent
• And throughout the surrounding area

Schedule trusted dementia care from an empathetic caregiver in Seattle. To learn more about our services, call Visiting Angels Renton today.