Supporting Dementia Care Where It Matters Most — At Home

For many individuals living with dementia, home is more than just a familiar place — it’s a vital source of comfort, identity, and routine. Staying at home, even as care needs grow, is often a top priority for both the person affected and their family.

However, maintaining in-home care for someone with dementia requires thoughtful planning, clear communication, and a sustainable support system. It’s about ensuring physical safety, emotional wellbeing, and ongoing legacy preservation — all while protecting the health and resilience of carers and loved ones.

By using digital tools like Evaheld, families can document home care preferences, manage care responsibilities, and preserve important stories and directives in a secure, accessible vault.

The Importance of Early Planning

In-home care often starts informally — helping with meals, reminders, or medication. But as dementia progresses, support needs expand rapidly.

Waiting until a crisis arises can place enormous strain on carers and lead to burnout.

Planning early ensures that:

• Everyone involved understands their role
• The person’s voice is heard and documented
• Decisions align with personal, cultural, and medical preferences
• Emergency transitions are minimised
• Legacy and life stories are preserved with care

According to Dementia Australia, coordinated care planning can help delay or prevent admission into residential care, improve quality of life, and reduce carer stress.

What Does a Sustainable Support System Look Like?

Sustainable in-home care means more than getting help — it means building a network that supports:

• The person living with dementia
• Primary carers (often family members)
• Professional care providers
• Community and emotional supports
• Long-term planning needs, such as advance care directives

The Evaheld Legacy Vault offers families a shared platform to store care plans, medication information, personal stories, and legacy wishes — helping all parties stay informed and connected.

Key Components of In-Home Dementia Support

1. Personalised Care Plan

Document the person’s daily needs, preferences, routines, and health conditions. Be sure to include cognitive support needs, emotional triggers, and calming strategies.

2. Roles and Responsibilities

Identify who is responsible for each task: meals, bathing, medication, outings, appointments. Rotate duties when possible to prevent exhaustion.

3. External Support

Engage professional carers, nurses, occupational therapists, or respite services. Use local resources and referrals available via Nurse Info.

4. Environment Modifications

Make the home dementia-friendly: clear signage, safe flooring, secure exits, and soothing colours. Ensure emergency access points are known and visible.

5. Advance Care and Legacy Planning

Integrate medical preferences and emotional values into a formal advance care plan and store it digitally via Evaheld.

6. Carer Support

Plan for respite, emotional check-ins, and professional help. No carer can do this alone — and they shouldn’t have to.

The Role of Family and the Sandwich Generation

Many families — particularly those in the sandwich generation — are balancing dementia care with children, careers, and personal responsibilities. In these cases, delegation and communication are key.

Use shared platforms like Evaheld to manage care duties, document preferences, and preserve family stories and recipes. Assign family members to tasks they’re comfortable with: one may handle scheduling, another finances, and another legacy interviews or memory work.

The Family Legacy Series provides thoughtful tools to help document emotional and cultural details that might otherwise be lost.

When Is In-Home Care No Longer Sustainable?

There may come a time when home is no longer the safest or most supportive place — especially in late-stage dementia or during medical decline.

Warning signs include:

• Increased falls or medical complications
• Carer burnout or emotional distress
• Frequent confusion, aggression, or wandering
• Inability to manage hygiene, nutrition, or medication safely
• Social isolation or depression

This doesn’t mean home care was a failure. It simply reflects the evolving needs of the individual and the care team. Including residential care planning in early discussions ensures this transition is respectful and well-managed.

Documenting Home Care Preferences

Many people have strong feelings about remaining at home.

These preferences can and should be included in:

• Their advance care directive
• Their estate plan
• Conversations with their power of attorney
• Their secure Evaheld Legacy Vault

Using tools like Evaheld, families can store voice notes, legacy letters, or personal reflections expressing why home matters — making their wishes clear to carers and healthcare professionals.

Tools and Resources for Sustainable In-Home Care

• Routine builders: Create a visual daily schedule to support memory and reduce anxiety.
• Reminder systems: Use alarms, smart speakers, or pill organisers for routine tasks.
• Respite care services: Schedule short breaks for carers to recharge.
• Home safety assessments: Ask a dementia-trained professional to review the space.
• Community programs: Look for dementia cafes, carer support groups, and local council services.
• Legacy preservation: Use Evaheld to document meals, stories, family history, and meaningful memories that may otherwise be lost.

According to Advance Care Planning Australia, person-centred planning that includes emotional, cultural, and spiritual preferences results in better care outcomes and reduced family conflict during crisis periods.

Don’t Forget the Carers

Carers are the lifeline of in-home dementia care — and they need just as much support. If you’re caring for a loved one at home, make sure you have:

• Someone to talk to regularly
• Scheduled breaks and holidays
• Help with household tasks
• Emotional space to grieve, reflect, and rest
• A safe place to record your loved one’s wishes and health updates

Evaheld can support your journey, not just by storing information but by reminding you that what you’re doing matters — and that you’re not alone.