Dementia Care in Red Deer and Central Alberta

The most common type, an estimated 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Memory and thinking decline gradually through recognizable stages, and care needs grow with each one. We cover it in depth on our Alzheimer's care page.

Caused by damage to the brain's blood supply, often after stroke. Planning and decision-making are usually affected first, and slow gait and poor balance make steady hands and fall awareness part of every visit. Decline is often step-wise: abilities hold, then drop. So we re-check the care plan after every change.

Attention and alertness can swing markedly, and visual hallucinations are common. Movement changes like stiffness and a slow shuffle affect safety, and sleep is often disrupted, with restless nights and daytime fatigue. Caregivers respond with calm and reassurance rather than correction, and overnight support is often where families need help first.

Often begins before 60, and it usually shows up in personality, behaviour, or language rather than memory. The Alzheimer Society's guidance is the one we train to: work around the behaviour rather than trying to get the person to change. Patience and flexibility are the whole job.

More than one type at once, most often Alzheimer's together with vascular dementia. Symptoms overlap and the picture can be confusing, so the care plan watches for both and we document what we see for your medical team.

Dementia before 65 brings different pressures: work, mortgages, kids still at home. At least 28,000 Canadians under 65 are living with it. Care planning includes the whole household's reality, not just the diagnosis.

Fall awareness for vascular dementia. Calm, reassuring responses to hallucinations for Lewy body. Communication workarounds for frontotemporal. The type shapes the plan from day one.

Routines help a person with dementia know what to expect and keep doing things on their own. Same order, same rhythm, familiar sequences kept intact.

Short, simple sentences, face to face, with distractions turned down. When words stop working, we use pictures, gestures, and touch. Mistakes get ignored; effort gets encouraged.

Drawn from who they were before the diagnosis: gardening, baking, music, sorting a drawer, setting the table. Feeling useful matters more than a perfect result, and we never force it.

Hazards checked, cues and labels where they help, and a steady presence for the risky moments. We work alongside, we do not take over.

Step-wise drops, fluctuating days, new behaviours: when the picture changes, the plan changes. We update it in writing so every caregiver stays consistent.

For someone living with dementia, an unfamiliar face can undo a week of progress. We schedule for consistency, and our clients notice.

We listen first: routines, interests, how your person communicates. Then we match. It is the thing our clients mention most.

It covers more than tasks. If the afternoon birdwatching in the garden matters, it goes on the plan.

Every caregiver is background-checked and completes mandatory training before their first visit. They know to de-escalate, acknowledge, and stay kind when a moment goes sideways.

Spouses get exhausted. Adult children worry. Our caregiver is there for the client first, but the relief extends to everyone in the home.