Live Free Home Health Care’s Owner and Clinical Director Jennifer Harvey, RN BSN, recognized the increase of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in older adults and recently obtained her certification as a Dementia Practitioner from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. The NCCDP organization ensures the highest standards in Alzheimer’s and dementia education through their certification process and demonstrates the achievement of specialized training in the areas of Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Jennifer utilizes her new credential to train LFHHC’s team of caregivers in best practices for dementia clients in order to provide confident, knowledgeable, and quality care.
Who Is Affected?
The Alzheimer’s Association reports one in eight older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease and 80% of the long-term care population has some form of a dementia diagnosis, a population that is only increasing over time. The cause or causes of the disease is not known and many factors may play into its development. There is currently no treatment to slow or stop Alzheimer’s disease. In 2011, 15.2 million families and unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias provided an estimated 17.4 billion hours of unpaid care. 61% of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias rated the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high. In addition, about 33% of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias reported symptoms of depression.
Getting Assistance
Jen’s advice for families with a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s or other dementia is to educate yourself, join a support group, and above all, don’t be afraid to ask for assistance in caring for your loved one. “Every person with dementia is different,” says Jen, also stressing, “Families do not have to go through this alone; there are many resources available and asking for help is not an admission of failure.”
Jennifer personally visits all of LFHHC’s new clients in an in-home initial assessment. This kind of individualized client attention is rarely available at most home care agencies in the area. When a family or individual begins services with LFHHC and needs assistance determining exactly the best plan of care for their loved one, Jen is available in-person, along with all her knowledge and credentials. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia and needs assistance, Live Free Home Health Care can help to provide in-home caregiving services. Contact us or give us a call at 603-217-0147 to schedule a free in-home initial assessment.