Dementia Aids for Carers and Safer Daily Support

Dementia Aids and Safe Support for Carers Australia

For carers of people living with dementia and staff of aged care facilities, utilising a range of dementia aids is essential to provide high quality care and support for individuals with memory loss. Memory aids, communication tools, mobility & transfer supports and specialised bedding and seating all play an important role in enhancing the quality of life for those with dementia. BetterCareMarket offers these aids and many more to support the needs of Carers and Residential Facilities.

Caring for individuals with dementia in residential homes involves addressing unique challenges, such as mobility issues, increased risk of falls, and the need for maintaining dignity and comfort. Ensuring the safety and well-being of residents requires specialised equipment designed to manage these challenges effectively. 

Falls are a common and significant risk for dementia patients in aged care homes. Dementia affects balance, increasing the likelihood of falls.

How to choose the right dementia care aid

• If getting in and out of bed or moving between surfaces is becoming difficult, look at bed rails, overbed poles, transfer boards and swivel cushions.
• If you need a solution for raising someone from the floor after a fall, the Raizer II Patient Lifting Chair is designed specifically for this task.
• If bathing has become physically demanding, consider a bath lift chair or other suitable Bathroom Aids.
• If sitting comfort, positioning or pressure management is the main concern, look at supportive seating, bed wedges, heel protectors and hip protection.
• If the person frequently becomes uncertain about the day, time or location, dementia clocks, orientation signs and door stickers provide visual information around the home or care setting.
• If staying connected with family is difficult because conventional technology is too complicated, consider a simplified video phone.
• If personal care or toileting is becoming harder, look at urinals, cleansing products and aids that reduce unnecessary movement or assistance.

Choose around the person's current abilities, environment and care routine. The most useful product is one that solves a specific daily difficulty without adding unnecessary complexity.

Patient Lifting Chair

The Raizer II Patient Lifting Chair is an innovative chair designed to help carers and staff lift residents from the floor to a sitting or standing position safely and comfortably. It can be operated by a single person, requires minimal effort, and reduces risk of  strain This device is easy to assemble, making it an efficient tool in emergency situations. 

Transfer and bed mobility aids

The Curved Transfer Board from Homecraft assists with seated transfers between suitable surfaces. A Swivel Seat Cushion can reduce the amount of turning required when getting into or out of a seat.

The Days Overbed Pole and Height Adjustable Bed Rail provide additional support around the bed for people who need assistance repositioning or moving between lying and sitting.

Bathroom and personal care support

The Bathmaster Deltis Bath Lift Chair is designed to lower and raise a person within the bath, reducing the physical demands of getting down into and back out of the bath.

The Confident Care Cleansing Kit and male and female urinals provide practical options when toileting and personal care routines require additional support.

These Bathroom Aids can help carers organise personal care around the person's mobility and independence rather than relying solely on hands on assistance.

Supportive seating, positioning and pressure care

The Air Chair Classic and Air Chair Bariatric provide supportive seating options, with the bariatric model available where a higher capacity or wider seating solution is required. The compatible Meal Tray adds a practical surface for meals and activities while seated.

The Pelican Bed Wedge supports positioning in bed, while the Pressure Relief Heel Protector is designed to protect and cushion the heel when prolonged positioning creates pressure around this area.

These products can be useful when a person spends longer periods sitting or resting and needs greater consideration around comfort and positioning.

Hip Protector Belts

Hip protector belts are valuable for the safety and wellbeing of dementia patients both within their home and in residential care settings. Hip protector belts are designed to absorb the impact force from a fall, protecting the hip bones from fractures. They are usually made of padded, impact absorbing materials that cushion the hip area. Our Hip protector belt is comfortable and easy to apply and remove, which is beneficial for carers.

Memory, routine and orientation aids

The RemarkAble Customisable Dementia Clock and Dawn Dementia Clock, Calendar and Reminder provide clear time, day and routine information in an easy to view format.

Dementia Door Stickers, Stop Sign Stickers and BetterLiving Orientation Signs provide additional visual cues around the home or residential care environment. They can be used to identify rooms, indicate boundaries or make familiar destinations easier to recognise.

These products are particularly useful where clearer visual information helps the person move through their day with less verbal prompting from carers.

Communication and connection

The CareWindow Video Phone for Seniors provides a simpler way for someone to maintain face to face contact with family or other familiar people.

It can be useful when ordinary smartphones, tablets or video calling applications involve too many steps. Simplifying communication can also help carers maintain regular contact when they are not physically present.

Medication organisation

The Aidapt Monthly Pill Organiser provides a structured way to organise medication across the month.

For carers assisting with medication routines, an organiser can make the schedule easier to see and manage. It should be used within the person's established medication arrangements rather than as a replacement for professional medication advice.

Dressing independence

Homecraft Coiler Shoe Laces reduce the need to repeatedly tie and untie conventional laces.

They are a simple Daily Living Aid for people who find bending, fine hand movements or footwear management difficult and can reduce the amount of assistance needed during dressing.

Who can benefit from this category?

This range is relevant to family carers, support workers and care teams assisting someone living with dementia, Alzheimer's disease or memory impairment.

It is particularly useful when dementia is accompanied by changes in mobility, transfers, orientation, personal care, positioning or communication.

The products can be used in private homes, supported accommodation and residential care settings. What works best will depend on the person's abilities, physical needs and existing care routine.

NDIS and dementia care aids

Some Daily Living Aids, Bathroom Aids, transfer aids and Independent Living Aids may be NDIS eligible when they relate directly to an NDIS participant's disability needs and plan goals.

Funding is not automatic. Eligibility depends on the individual product, why it is required, the participant's circumstances and how their plan is managed.

BetterCareMarket is a Registered NDIS Provider. If you are unsure whether a transfer aid, dementia clock, seating product or personal care aid can be purchased using NDIS funding, check with the participant's occupational therapist, support coordinator or plan manager.

Takeaway

Start with the part of the care routine that is becoming difficult. The right dementia care aid should make support clearer, safer or easier while preserving as much independence as possible.