Dementia and Alzheimer's care at home

The hard parts: sundowning, wandering, repetition.

Late afternoon is often the hardest stretch: restlessness, pacing, a rising need to be somewhere else. Clinicians call it sundowning, and the response is practiced rather than improvised: lower stimulation, a familiar task, an early supper, lights on before the light goes. Many families anchor the visit to exactly that window.

Wandering is the fear that keeps families up. At home it's managed with supervision and rhythm: doors within sight, the urge to move met with an accompanied walk, familiar loops that satisfy the restlessness safely. Every incident is written down for the family and our clinical leads, and if exit-seeking becomes constant, we raise the harder conversation before a crisis does.

Repeated questions and sudden agitation are met with validation and redirection, never correction: the caregiver answers the fifth asking like the first, then steers the moment toward a task or a memory that still feels sure. The principle underneath is patience over correction, held by someone trained to hold it.

All of it works because the face is familiar. We match the same caregiver(s) to dementia clients deliberately, and as the disease moves from early toward mid-stage, hours grow before the model changes: more of the day covered, evening visits for the restless stretch, and honest advice when home care stops being the right tool.

Signs it may be time for help at home.

• § Medications missed or doubled, discovered after the fact
• § Weight loss, an emptying fridge, or cooking that quietly stopped
• § Getting lost on a familiar route, or a door found open
• § Late-afternoon restlessness that exhausts whoever is home
• § A caregiver spouse who hasn't slept properly in weeks
• § The stove, the bath, the stairs: near-misses that used to be unthinkable

For a new diagnosis, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. runs First Link, which connects families to local education and support groups. Home care works alongside it, not instead of it.

Dementia & Alzheimer's care, by city

Choose your area for what this looks like in your part of the city.

• § Vancouver
• § Burnaby
• § Richmond
• § North Vancouver
• § West Vancouver
• § Coquitlam
• § New Westminster
• § Surrey
• § White Rock
• § Langley
• § Delta
• § Nanaimo

Common questions about dementia & alzheimer's care.

• What stages of dementia do you cover?

  Early to mid-stage at home. As needs grow, we add hours, overnight coverage, or 24-hour care. If a case progresses to needing the structure of memory care, we'll say so on the call rather than overstretch.

• Will it always be the same caregiver?

  Continuity is the goal. For dementia care, families consistently get the same caregiver(s), with a small backup rotation for vacation or illness. The same face matters more here than in any other service we offer.

• How do you handle behavioural changes during a visit?

  Caregivers are trained in dementia-specific approaches: gentle redirection, re-orientation, validation. Notes go to family and to our clinical leads after every visit. Significant changes prompt a care-plan review.

• When does someone need memory care vs home care?

  Home care works well when the person is safe at home with structured help. Memory-care facilities become the right call when supervision needs to be 24/7 in a secured environment, or when behaviours pose unmanageable safety risks. We'll be honest about that boundary.

• How do you handle sundowning?

  With the schedule first: many families time the visit to the late-afternoon stretch where restlessness peaks. Inside the visit it's practiced technique: lower stimulation, a familiar task, an early supper, lights on before dusk. A calm, familiar presence through that window usually changes the whole evening that follows.

• What about wandering?

  Supervision, rhythm, and accompanied walking: the urge to move is met safely rather than fought. Caregivers keep doors within sight and note every incident for the family and our clinical leads. If exit-seeking becomes constant, we'll say honestly when more coverage, or a secured environment, is the safer answer.