Dementia Home Care in Chesapeake, VA
Life's at Home Care offers dementia home care in Chesapeake, VA, for families who want a parent or spouse living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia to stay safe and comfortable at home. Our Chesapeake office serves the whole city as a state-licensed and certified home care agency. Every family starts with a free home care assessment, so the plan is built around your loved one from the very first visit.
When you fill out this form, you can expect to receive a call and email from our professional staff. We will reach out to you and answer your questions.
In-Home Dementia Care for Chesapeake Families
An estimated 4,300 Chesapeake residents age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's. That's roughly one in eight people that age, a little higher than the rate for Virginia as a whole. It adds up to a lot of families across the city learning, a day at a time, what Mom or Dad needs now that they didn't need last year.
Our Alzheimer's home care in Chesapeake, VA, starts with a care plan written around your loved one, and we change that plan as the dementia changes. Some days the plan is simply a gentle reminder to eat lunch or get dressed for the day. As needs change, the plan can grow to include help with bathing, dressing and grooming, and that help is always given with patience and respect for your loved one's dignity.
Our caregivers also keep the mind busy with music, puzzles and storytelling, and they offer friendly company and conversation through the day. Meals get made and the kitchen gets tidied. Families get support too: practical ideas for the hard moments, a listening ear, and someone who understands memory loss and what it asks of a household.
You can read more about how we care for people living with Alzheimer's and dementia and see the full range of home care services from our Chesapeake office.
Care Schedules That Change as Dementia Progresses
In-home memory care in Chesapeake works best when the schedule follows the person. Dementia moves at its own pace, so we offer hourly, part-time, full-time, live-in and 24-hour care, along with overnight awake caregivers.
A few hours a week is often plenty in the early stage. A caregiver comes by for reminders, a meal, a drive to an appointment or just some good company, and with hourly care you pay only for the hours you use.
Part-time and full-time care fit the middle stage. Bathing, dressing and getting through a long afternoon take more hands-on help by then, and a family caregiver needs real time off to rest.
Nights often get harder later on, with more confusion and sometimes more wandering. Live-in care has one caregiver stay in the home for long shifts with set breaks, so it needs a private place for them to sleep. Our 24-hour home care brings in caregivers on rotating shifts so someone is awake and alert at every hour. Overnight awake caregivers cover just the night, which suits families who can still manage the days on their own.
Satisfaction is Our 1st Priority
We are committed to providing the best in-home care possible, and we know that the best way to continuously improve the quality of our care is to obtain feedback from our clients, their families, and our own employees. This is why we are proud to work with Home Care Pulse, an independent customer satisfaction firm, to continually gather feedback in order to improve our processes.
Keeping Your Loved One Safe at Home
Chesapeake has 9,002 households made up of one person age 65 or older living alone. Some of those homes belong to a mom or dad who has started to forget whether the stove is off or the back door is locked. Their children might live across the city in Great Bridge, Western Branch, Deep Creek, Greenbrier, Hickory or South Norfolk, with jobs and kids of their own, and they can't be there every evening.
Our caregivers start by looking at the house with fresh eyes. They check for anything that could cause a fall, like loose rugs, cords or clutter in a walkway, and they make sure halls, stairs and bathrooms are well lit. They also help secure the exits for a loved one who tends to wander, so a door doesn't open at 2 a.m. without anyone knowing.
Routine matters just as much as the house itself. Meals, baths, a short walk and bedtime at about the same time each day help a person living with dementia feel calm and settled. Steady days also let your loved one keep doing the things they still can, like folding towels or setting the table, for as long as possible.
Signs It May Be Time for Dementia Care at Home
Most families notice small changes first and wonder if they're reading too much into them. These signs often mean your loved one could use more support at home:
- More forgetfulness, like missed appointments, skipped medications or forgotten safety habits
- Wandering, leaving the house unexpectedly or having trouble finding the way back
- Trouble with daily tasks such as cooking, dressing or keeping up with hygiene
- Mood changes, including frustration, confusion or outbursts that are hard to manage
- A family caregiver who feels worn out, stressed or emotionally drained
The next question is usually whether your loved one can stay home with support or should move to a memory care community. That's a big decision, and it deserves time and good information. Our free guide to dementia care at home for Virginia families walks through that choice. It also explains wandering and sundowning, the harder evening hours, which are two of the things families worry about most.
Trained, Screened Caregivers From Our Chesapeake Office
Letting someone new into your loved one's home takes trust, and we work to earn it before a caregiver ever walks through the door. All of our employees are surety-bonded and go through a careful training, screening and interview process. Our aides pass background checks, reference checks and skills tests given by our RN, so you know who is coming and what they can do.
Training keeps going after they're hired. Our caregivers complete specialized training in dementia care, fall safety, skin care and infection control. They take continuing education every year, along with ongoing skills tests.
We also want to hear how we're doing from the people who know best. Life's at Home Care works with Home Care Pulse, an independent customer satisfaction firm, to gather feedback from our clients, their families and our own employees, and we use what they tell us to keep improving our care. You can read reviews from the families we serve and hear it in their own words.
Dementia Support and Resources in Chesapeake
Home care is one part of the picture, and Chesapeake families have good places to turn for the rest.
Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia has been the Area Agency on Aging for Chesapeake and nearby cities since 1973. It serves adults 60 and older, people with disabilities and family caregivers. Many of its services cost nothing, and others are charged on a sliding scale based on income. Its help includes transportation, meals, Medicare counseling and in-home services.
The Alzheimer's Association's Southeastern Virginia Chapter serves the region from Virginia Beach to Chesapeake to Williamsburg and offers support groups for caregivers, families and people living with dementia. Chesapeake Regional Healthcare also hosts an Alzheimer's support group on the fourth Monday of every month, from 1 to 3 p.m., at its Lifestyle Health & Fitness Center at 800 Battlefield Blvd. North.
Getting out of the house matters for your loved one too, and a caregiver can come along for the drive and the visit. The Portlock Senior Center at South Norfolk, on Freeman Avenue, is a historic building with pool tables, card games and cookouts. The Rokeby Center on Rokeby Avenue was newly renovated and plans daily activities for the 55 and better crowd, and the Dr. Clarence V. Cuffee Community Center on Windy Road has programs for seniors as well.
Life’s at Home Care is a top provider of home care services in Suffolk, Hampton, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Newport News, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, and the Richmond Virginia area.
Paying for Dementia Care at Home
Cost is one of the first questions families ask, and it's a fair one to ask early. Life's at Home Care works hard to keep home care affordable, so please don't let worries about cost keep you from checking with us.
We accept private pay, long-term care insurance and workers' compensation, and we work with VA benefits through the CCN Network and Aid & Attendance. Veteran families can read more about how VA benefits may help cover home care. The VA decides who qualifies, and our team is glad to point you toward helpful information along the way. You'll find our payment options and a contact form on our Contact Us page, and we're happy to talk through what fits your family.
Getting Started With Dementia Home Care in Chesapeake
Getting started is simple, and you can take it one step at a time. You fill out a short form, and a member of our staff reaches out with a call and an email to answer your questions. We then begin your free home care assessment and learn about your loved one's routines, their needs and what makes a good day for them.
What we learn becomes a personalized care plan. We review that plan as your loved one's needs change, adding hours or adjusting the help as the dementia moves along. Your family stays part of those decisions the whole way through.
You can get started in Chesapeake whenever you're ready, and we'll take it from there.
Driving Directions from Chesapeake, VA to Life's At Home Care
Frequently Asked Questions About Dementia Home Care in Chesapeake
Do you offer overnight or 24-hour dementia care in Chesapeake?
Yes. We offer 24-hour home care, live-in care and overnight awake caregivers for families in Chesapeake. Caregivers can supervise around the clock to keep your loved one safe and help prevent wandering at night, which is often when families need the most help.
How are your caregivers trained to care for someone with dementia?
Our aides pass background checks, reference checks and skills tests given by our RN before they start. They complete specialized training that covers dementia care, fall safety and infection control, and they keep learning through continuing education every year.
Can we start with just a few hours of help each week?
Yes. Hourly and part-time care are a gentle way to begin, for your loved one and for you. The schedule can grow into full-time, live-in or 24-hour care as your loved one needs more help.
How can we pay for dementia care at home?
We accept private pay, long-term care insurance, workers' compensation, and VA benefits through the CCN Network and Aid & Attendance. We also work hard to keep home care affordable for Chesapeake families.
What if my parent refuses help?
Going slowly usually works best. Bring the caregiver in gradually, ask a trusted doctor or family member to help explain, and talk about how the help makes daily life easier for your parent. Forcing the issue tends to make it harder for everyone.
How do we know it's time for in-home dementia care?
Common signs include more forgetfulness about appointments or medications, wandering or getting lost, trouble with cooking, dressing or hygiene, mood changes that are hard to manage, and a family caregiver who is exhausted.
Where can Chesapeake families find dementia support besides home care?
Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia is the Area Agency on Aging serving Chesapeake caregivers. The Alzheimer's Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter runs support groups across the region, and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare hosts an Alzheimer's support group once a month.