Home Care > Dementia Care At Home Explained & How To Find It

Dementia Care At Home Explained & How To Find It

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Hannah Karim

Care Expert Manager

Last Updated: 22/04/2024

Looking after somebody with dementia can be challenging. If your loved one’s care needs have progressed beyond the level of support you or other family members can provide, arranging dementia care at home from trained care professionals may be the best option.

This article explains what dementia care at home is, the types of support available from home care operators across the UK, whether your loved one requires dementia care at home, the cost, the benefits and how to find it.

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Find Dementia Home Care Near You

We’re here to help you find the best dementia home care near you. If you need extra support, our care experts provide free advice and assistance to help you and your loved one make the right choice. Get in touch today.

We’re partnered with home carers throughout the UK, many of which offer a range of specialist dementia care services, including early-stage dementia, late-stage dementia and Alzheimer’s care.

National home care agencies that offer dementia care

The following are nationwide home care agencies that provide dementia care at home across the UK:

Click the links below to find home care near you:

What Is Dementia Care At Home?

Dementia is a general term for progressive neurodegenerative diseases where your brain declines over time, including people becoming more forgetful and finding it more challenging to think clearly and make decisions. Dementia can also make daily tasks more difficult and lead to a loss of mobility.

There are lots of different types of dementia. These vary depending on which part of the brain is affected and the subsequent skills that are impacted.

Dementia care at home is for people living with a form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia and is given by a trained dementia carer.

Through dementia care at home, trained staff use specialist techniques and provide dignified, person-centred care to ensure your loved one can continue living a fulfilling life. This care is given to your loved one in the comfort of their own home, allowing them to maintain a routine within a familiar environment.

A common example of dementia treatment is reminiscence therapy. This is where people’s senses are stimulated to evoke memories of events, people and places from years gone by.

Older couple looking at photos together

Types of support available through dementia home care

We’re partnered with the UK’s best home care providers. The main types of dementia home care available are:

People living with dementia often require personal care. Our providers offer:

Many people living with dementia need help with household tasks as well. Our providers offer assistance with:

We can help you find the best dementia care at home for your loved one’s care needs. Request a free list of home care agencies, and our care experts will match you with suitable carers with availability in your local area.

When Does Your Loved One Need Dementia Care At Home?

If you think your loved one may need dementia care at home, you should look out for the following signs and ask the following questions:

Are they wandering?
Are they becoming more forgetful?
Are they finding it more challenging to complete daily living tasks such as food preparation and cooking, cleaning and taking medication?
Have their care needs generally increased?

If the answer to the above questions is yes, your loved one may require some form of dementia care, such as dementia care at home. Whether your loved one needs extra support will likely come down to whether they’re able to continue safely without it or not.

Care needs assessment for dementia

If you and your loved one are unsure what kind of care they require, you can get a care needs assessment by social services. A care needs assessment will determine what type of care your loved one needs and whether they require home adaptations (so somebody can continue safely living within their own home).

Man doing a jigsaw of the brain

How Much Does Dementia Care At Home Cost?

Dementia care at home can be provided through several forms of home care. We’re partnered with the country’s best home care providers, and the average cost of the different forms of home care are:

Domiciliary (hourly) care - This costs an average of £28 per hour. So, if your loved one were to receive 10 hours of domiciliary care a week, this would cost around £280 per week, £1,213 per month and £14,560 per year
Live-in care - This costs an average of £228 per day. So, full-time live-in care would cost around £1,596 per week, £6,916 per month and £82,992 per year
Overnight sleeping care - This costs an average of £187 per night. So, permanent overnight sleeping care would cost around £1,309 per week, £5,672 per month and £68,068 per year
Overnight waking care - This costs an average of £244 per night. So, permanent overnight waking care would cost around £1,708 per week, £7,401 per month and £88,816 per year

The Benefits of Dementia Care At Home

A familiar and comfortable environment - Staying in a familiar environment (your loved one’s own home) will reduce confusion and anxiety. This familiarity will also make it easier to maintain a routine
Tailored care - Dementia care at home can be tailored, so your loved one’s needs will be looked after on an individual basis
Family involvement - Dementia care at home makes it easier for family members and close friends to be involved in the caregiving process

Women writing and reading together

Flexibility - You can choose the hours and the exact care given. We’re partnered with domiciliary care providers who offer a range of time slots and services. This flexibility is also more cost-effective, as you’ll only pay for the amount of care required
Peace of mind - You and other family members or close friends can feel comfortable in the knowledge that your loved one is receiving the care and support they need

Learn About Other Types of Home Care

We’re here to help you and your loved ones choose the right type of home care. Click the links below to learn more about the different types of home care offered by the care agencies we work with:

Lottie matches care seekers with the best home carers for their care needs. You can request a free home care shortlist, where we’ll find you home care providers with availability in your local area.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should someone with dementia receive dementia care at home?

Whether somebody living with dementia should receive dementia care at home depends on their symptoms and if they’re still able to live safely by themselves.

If a person living with dementia has begun wandering or is no longer able to do daily tasks like cooking or cleaning without assistance, additional care could be required.

You or other family members may have previously cared for a loved one with dementia but have reached a point where this support is no longer sufficient, so professional care at home or in a dementia care home is now needed.

Can my parent with dementia live alone?

People experience and are affected differently by dementia. Some people living with dementia will experience heightened symptoms very quickly, while this same process could take years for others. So, whether your parent with dementia can live alone should be decided on an individual basis.

The main thing to consider is whether your parent can still live safely by themselves. If not, they probably shouldn’t live by themselves anymore, without at least receiving additional support on a regular basis.

Is dementia care at home free?

Dementia care at home is only free if you qualify for full funding support from your local authority via a financial assessment. This works out the total value of your savings and income. You’ll be eligible for funding support if this is under the threshold.

People living with dementia are also often eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, which is where the NHS arranges and pays for all the care of people with intense and complex needs.