​ Navigating Dementia With Lewy Bodies: How Non-Medical Caregivers Support Older Adults
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Navigating Dementia With Lewy Bodies: How Non-Medical Caregivers Support Older Adults

Navigating Dementia With Lewy Bodies: How Non-Medical Caregivers Support Older Adults

For families in Minnesota, a diagnosis of Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) can feel overwhelming. Unlike other forms of Dementia, DLB is characterized by a rollercoaster of symptoms. One hour, a loved one might be perfectly lucid, and next, they may experience vivid hallucinations or significant motor changes. 

At Joyful Companions, we believe that while DLB presents unique hurdles, specialized non-medical home care can provide the additional stability and safety older adults need to age in place with dignity. 

What Is Dementia With Lewy Bodies?

Dementia with Lewy Bodies is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. DLB affects an estimated 1.4 million Americans. It is caused by protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, that develop in nerve cells in brain regions involved in thinking, memory, and movement (motor control). 

The “Core Four” Symptoms

Navigating DLB requires understanding its primary characteristics: 

  1. Fluctuating Cognition: Unpredictable changes in concentration, attention, and alertness. 

  2. Visual Hallucinations: Seeing people, animals, or objects that are not there. 

  3. Parkinsonism: Physical symptoms like tremors, stiff muscles, and a shuffling gait. 

  4. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Physically acting out dreams during sleep. 

How Non-Medical Caregivers Provide Essential Support

While medical professionals manage prescriptions, non-medical caregivers can focus on quality-of-life variables that change hourly for a person living with DLB. Joyful Companions, a non-medical caregiver organization in the Twin Cities, can offer a variety of support services for families, including: 

Environmental Safety & Fall Prevention

Due to fall risks, non-medical caregivers can assist with walking, standing up, and sitting. 

Validation & Hallucination Management

Visual hallucinations can be frightening, and our non-medical caregivers can help provide validation to the individual and help reduce triggers. 

Maintaining a Flexible Routine

Structure is important for individuals living with DLB, and non-medical caregivers can help support regular schedules or pivot as necessary, depending on your loved one’s energy and mood. 

Benefits of In-Home Companion Care

One of the biggest benefits of non-medical caregivers or in-home companion care is respite care. Caring for a loved one living with DLB is physically and emotionally exhausting due to the 24/7 nature of sleep disturbances and hallucinations. 

Joyful Companions can provide families with personalized essential care and companionship for their loved ones, allowing the primary caregivers to rest.

  • Respite care can help reduce caregiver burnout, ensure continuity of care, and allow the family to focus on their relationship with their loved one rather than on the disease.

  • Overnight companion care can ease the stress of keeping your loved one safe. 

You’re Not Alone: Choose Joyful Companions for Non-Medical Home Care

If your loved one is struggling with the unpredictable symptoms of Dementia with Lewy Bodies, help is available. At Joyful Companions, our mission is to provide compassionate non-medical support for Minnesota families. 

Request a free consultation online or call us for more information.