24 Hour Home Care for Clients Living with Dementia: What Families Need to Know
- jenna624
- May 9
- 3 min read
Jenna Fralick, BScN RN
There’s a moment many caregivers dread: when your loved one with dementia starts waking in the night. They’re disoriented. They wander. They’re frightened—or worse, they’re not frightened at all.
You start sleeping lightly, if at all. You try to manage your own job, your own household, and then crash midday—filled with guilt. Because you know the risks of burnout. But so many families don’t know what options are even available, or how to ask for help.
This post isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a guide to what 24 hour home care for dementia patients actually means—and why it matters.
The Hidden Weight of Dementia Care
Dementia doesn’t follow a 9-to-5 schedule. Memory loss, confusion, and anxiety can worsen in the evenings—a phenomenon called sundowning. At night, caregivers report feeling the most fear, stress, and isolation, especially when they’re unsure what their loved one will do next (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2018).
In fact, 1 in 4 caregivers for people living with dementia report feeling distressed or burned out. This rate doubles for those providing more than 21 hours of care per week (CIHI, 2018). When families hit a breaking point, it’s rarely because of lack of love—it’s because they’re doing a 24/7 job alone.
How 24 Hour Home Care for Dementia Patients Can Change the Landscape
Let’s be honest: 24/7 care isn’t just about “having someone there.” It’s about safety, structure, and sanity—for everyone.
Here’s what 24 hour care often includes:
Daytime structure to reduce agitation and confusion
Nighttime supervision to prevent wandering and falls
Gentle prompts for eating, drinking, and hygiene
Meaningful engagement, even when memory fades
Time for caregivers to step away, breathe, and return as family—not just nurses by default
Families who access 24-hour care—whether at home, through live-in options, or split support—often report improvements in their own mental and physical health, and better mood stability for their loved ones (Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2020).
When Overnight Support Becomes a Lifeline
One caregiver told researchers, “My mom started waking up at 3 AM, looking for her long-dead sister. I was afraid to sleep. I was afraid not to.” (CIHI, 2018). That fear is real. And it’s not selfish to say you need sleep too.
Sleep deprivation is a well-documented predictor of caregiver collapse—linked to heart problems, depression, even hospitalization (Fekete et al., 2017). When the care becomes constant, even love starts to wear thin.
You are still a good daughter, son, or spouse even if you can’t be “on” 24 hours a day. You’re human. We all are.
Your Loved One Deserves More Than Crisis Care
And so do you! Let’s stop waiting for collapse to intervene.
Whether 24-hour home care is something you’re already using or just learning about, the message is the same: dementia doesn’t have to mean chaos. There are ways to maintain dignity, routine, and moments of joy—even in a storm.
And you, the caregiver, deserve peace too.
References (APA 7th Edition)
Alzheimer Society of Canada. (2020). Navigating the path forward for dementia in Canada. https://alzheimer.ca
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2018). Dementia in home and community care. https://www.cihi.ca
Fekete, C., Tough, H., Siegrist, J., & Brinkhof, M. W. (2017). Health impact of objective burden, subjective burden and positive aspects of caregiving: An observational study among caregivers in Switzerland. BMJ Open, 7(12), e017369. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017369
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