Dementia and Memory Home Care

ConsumerAffairs statistics for 2025 reveal that 818,000 people live in assisted living facilities, and around 70% of these residents have a cognitive impairment ranging from mild to severe. Approximately 18% of the assisted living communities within the United States have designated units, wings, or floors intended for those with memory impairment, while 11% of residences exclusively admit residents requiring memory care services. 

Although less expensive than residing in a nursing home, assisted living costs more for patients requiring memory care — and those costs are only going up. Predicted staffing shortages at these facilities may make receiving memory care and other services in a long-term care facility less than ideal for some seniors. This is perhaps why, as discovered by a Caring.com dementia survey, 73% of surveyed dementia caregivers chose in-home dementia care for their loved ones. 

In this guide we’ll discuss the different dementia home care options available to caregivers caring for a parent with dementia at home. 

Our survey found that three out of four dementia caregivers believed their loved one preferred receiving care in a familiar home environment, which is why they opted not to move their loved ones to a memory care facility. Caregivers who opted for in-home dementia care also valued keeping their loved ones close to friends and family.

Two of the most common options for dementia care at home are in-home care and home health care. These two care types offer substantially different services; one or the other may be more appropriate, depending on whether your loved one is in early or later stages of dementia. Total hours of care typically vary by need; care may range from part-time hours to 24/7 care.  

In-home care aides and companions offer nonmedical services related to companionship and personal care. They also assist seniors with meals, domestic chores, transportation, and medication reminders. Not required to have medical training, in-home care aides typically do not provide medical services. 

In contrast, home health services are provided by trained medical professionals. Beyond personal care and meal assistance, home health aides provide medical care, medication administration, medical transportation, and rehabilitation therapies. 

In-home care provides assistance with chores and daily tasks that a senior may not be able to tend to anymore. In-home care also provides companionship and social interaction, which are crucial for people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. 

In-home care is a useful option, especially in tandem with other types of care, for seniors who have difficulty managing home maintenance, financial obligations, and activities of daily living yet still want to remain at home. 

This type of care can also include assistance with personal care and daily activities, such as bathing and dressing. The companion care services can involve keeping an eye on dementia clients or spending time with seniors doing things they enjoy. 

In-home care is often a suitable option for seniors with early-stage Alzheimer’s without complex medical needs.

Services can include:

• Meal preparation
• Light housework
• Laundry
• Transportation to appointments
• Running errands
• Assistance with personal care
• Help dressing and toileting
• Companionship services
• Supervision 
• Social engagement 

Home health care expands in-home care to include medical care and therapies. Home health care professionals also help seniors with some personal care, but often do not help with domestic tasks or provide social engagement activities. 

As seniors’ cognitive decline advances, having a home health aide may be beneficial because home health aides can administer medication. Home health care aides can also perform:

• Wound care, first aid, and skilled nursing
• Physical, occupational, or speech therapies
• Assistance in maintaining medical devices
• Management and monitoring of chronic conditions
• Oral and personal hygiene assistance
• Help dressing and toileting
• Nutritional guidance and eating assistance

Both in-home care and home health aides have live-in or 24/7 options. In-home care aides may provide part- to full-time and overnight services. The services of home health care professionals are usually part-time, but providers may also stay 24/7 when and if necessary. 

With 24-hour in-home care, seniors always have an attendant present. An agency providing shift coverage may be able to offer 24-hour care, meaning there is always a caregiver awake and on shift to attend to the senior’s needs. 

Live-in caregivers, meanwhile, are present constantly unless otherwise arranged. However, live-in caregivers still need to sleep, so while someone is always in the home, the caregiver may not be awake.

Seniors who sleep overnight without needing much assistance can often benefit from live-in care. But when cognitive decline becomes severe, 24-hour care is often better.

 

From learning more about the dementia diagnosis to keeping burnout at bay, caring for a dementia patient has many layers. Dementia caretakers can take the following approach to choosing in-home dementia care.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most prevalent type of dementia, is a progressive brain condition that usually develops in people over the age of 65. Some people may also have mixed dementia or a combination of different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. 

Over time, seniors with these types of disorders will experience a loss of memory, cognitive functioning, and behavioral capabilities to the extent that simple tasks like eating and dressing may become impossible for these individuals to perform on their own. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, certain medications and lifestyle choices may slow its progression or help manage its symptoms.

Families who prefer in-home dementia care for their loved ones may benefit from assistive technology. These items may help their loved one function more independently around the home despite having memory and/or mobility challenges, and make dementia home care less stressful for both caregivers and their loved ones.  

Examples of assistive technology include:

• Electronic medication alarms 
• Phone calendar app medication reminders 
• Automatic timed pill dispensers
• Automatic shut-off devices that turn off gas or water when left on
• Tracking or locator devices
• Fall sensors
• Door sensors to detect if the door has been opened
• Boundary alarm systems to detect wandering
• Smart systems that automatically adjust heating and/or control lighting
• Clocks with a date and time display
• Handheld or electronic magnifiers 
• Braille remote controls

Dementia home care can be rewarding, but far from easy. More than half of the dementia caregivers we surveyed reported feelings of burnout. Furthermore, almost all — as in, 98% — of those surveyed reported that their loved one’s Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis impacted their own well-being. 

Among the many symptoms of caregiver burnout are anxiety, sleeplessness, and exhaustion. These symptoms relate to concerns of a loved one with dementia getting lost or injured, or concerns they require care beyond what the family member can provide. 

In-home care services can help dementia caregivers feel empowered to take a break when needed. Respite care can ensure a loved one with dementia has their needs met in a safe environment, so that caregivers can relax and recharge.   

Caregivers who prefer their loved one receive dementia care at home should consider using assistive technology and enlisting memory care home agency services to help with their loved one’s care to relieve some of the caregiver burden. 

Knowing which type of dementia home care is right for your loved one is a highly personal decision, and one that only you and your family can make. To make the best decision possible, consider what kind of assistance your senior loved one needs, and the stage of Alzheimer’s they’re in. 

Per our survey of dementia caregivers, 60% of respondents had a loved one in the early stage of dementia, or within one to three years of their diagnosis date. With so many early on in their diagnosis, many dementia caregivers (73% of respondents) were caring for a parent with dementia at home because that was easier than putting their loved one in a memory care facility.

Depending on your loved one’s needs, dementia care at home might involve just the primary caretaker or some in-home care to meet social needs and activities of daily living. Or perhaps your loved one needs some home health care to meet their medical needs. In the later stages of dementia, a senior might require all three types of care as part of their dementia home care rotation.

In the earliest stages, usual activities for dementia patients at home, work, or social events may begin to become more difficult for them to complete. However, your loved one may still function independently. Some of the common symptoms at this stage include:

• Struggling to come up with the right name or word, or not remembering new people’s names
• Struggling with work or social tasks
• Forgetting something that was just read
• Misplacing or losing things
• Struggling with organization and planning

Depending on their health, seniors with early-stage Alzheimer’s or other dementias can likely live with familial support or with a few hours of in-home care as needed.

As cognitive decline progresses, so does the need for additional support. At this stage, symptoms have become more noticeable and include:

• Forgetting personal events
• Moodiness
• Struggling to recall basic information about themselves
• Being confused about where they are or what day it is
• Choosing clothing that doesn’t match the weather or occasion
• Incontinence (bowels and bladder)
• Disrupted sleep patterns
• Increased wandering behaviors
• Personality changes, delusions, and repetitive behavior

Seniors can still engage socially and participate in their daily schedule with assistance. At this stage, regular home care is likely required for safety.

The final stage of this disease brings severe changes to a person’s cognitive abilities. Activities that dementia patients at home can engage in during this stage will be very different than at other stages. Symptoms for late-stage dementia are completely disruptive to seniors' lives, and often their caregivers lives. Symptoms include:

• Losing awareness of their surroundings and recent experiences
• Losing the ability to walk, sit, and swallow
• Struggling to communicate
• Becoming more susceptible to infections 

People in this stage of dementia often require full-time around-the-clock care.

 

Once you’ve got a list of potential options for in-home dementia care, you can begin weighing which one will be right for you and your senior loved one. These tips may help you make the best pick for your unique situation:

• Know your needs before you begin. Make a list of what types of care you need.
• Always review references and conduct background checks when choosing a caregiver to provide in-home dementia care. This can give you peace of mind that you’re choosing someone trustworthy.
• During the process, have multiple interviews with potential hires to really get to know them. Use this checklist to help you with the interview process for finding an in-home caregiver.
• Research any agencies offering dementia home care that you’re considering. What are their policies? Do they have backup caregivers if the primary caregiver is unavailable for any reason? What kinds of care do they provide?
• Do they have care options as the disease progresses? Alzheimer’s and dementia are progressive diseases that get worse over time. How will this caregiver or agency handle the progression of the disease? 
• During the interview, make sure you ask how familiar the agencies or caregivers are with cognitive disorders. 

 

Nearly 1 in 3 adults provide care to other adults. As we mentioned earlier, 98% of the dementia caregivers we surveyed say their loved one’s diagnosis has affected their own well-being. 

Caring for yourself is just as important as providing care. These Alzheimer’s caregiving best practices  can help you streamline your days, avoid burnout, and provide quality care for your loved one:

• Practice Self-Care: Self-care is one of the simplest ways caregivers providing dementia care at home can avoid burnout. Set aside some time each day for yourself. 
• Use Respite Care: When you need a break, or if you are unavailable for any reason, seeking respite care can help meet your senior loved one’s needs. There are options for both in-home and facility-based respite care.
• Ask and Accept Help When You Need It: You don’t have to do this alone. Reach out to family members or outsource care and tasks as needed.
• Use Visual and Verbal Cues: Work visual and verbal cues into activities for dementia patients at home; this can help jog seniors’ memories without you having to tell them anything. For example, you can place signs on doors so they can easily navigate their home.
• Break Tasks Down: Instead of giving your loved one a multistep task such as, “Go make food,” you can break it down into smaller steps, such as, “Peel this orange,” or “Get your dishes.”
• Dementia-Proof the Home: Consider adding locks to medicine cabinets and stove knobs. You can also install alarms and locks on windows and doors, and remove rugs and runners that seniors may trip on. Also, consider removing potentially dangerous appliances, kitchen utensils, and anything else that could be harmful. Make sure all items given to your loved one with dementia are appropriate, and not safety hazards. 
• Set Up a Schedule: For seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s, a daily routine is one of the biggest tools to keep their lives stable. Of course, there should be some flexibility, but try to follow a predictable schedule.
• Use Technology to Your Advantage: Tools such as smart systems that use artificial intelligence can be highly advantageous when used correctly. These tools can be used to drop in on your loved one, provide regular reminders for tasks, and foster a sense of connection to the rest of the family.
• Offer Simple Choices: Give your senior loved ones some sense of control over their lives by offering simple choices. For example, let them choose between two outfits or two meal offerings.

Families caring for a parent with dementia at home may not know where to start or how to locate resources. These programs can help prevent caregiver burnout, locate dementia home care resources, and determine senior needs.

Depending on the stage of dementia your loved one is currently in, part-time to 24/7 in-home care or home health care may be most appropriate to ensure that their overall needs are successfully met. Caregivers caring for a parent with dementia should take care of their own needs, taking necessary breaks or hiring respite care to avoid burnout.  

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• Caregiver stress: tips for taking care of yourself. (2023). The Mayo Clinic
• Getting help with Alzheimer’s caregiving. (2024). National Institute on Aging
• How is Alzheimer’s Disease treated? (2023). National Institute on Aging
• Legal documents. n.d.). Alzheimer’s Association
• Stages of Alzheimer’s. (n.d.). Alzheimer’s Association
• What is Alzheimer’s Disease? (2025). National Institute on Aging