If your have a loved one who has been diagnosed with dementia, you can count on needing to choose a care provider, even if you simply need to call on a caregiver for respite care to begin with.
But that search to find the perfect dementia home care provider is tough! A quick search online will show you a whole range of dementia care providers near you, and trying to pick one of them can be totally and completely overwhelming.
So if you’re in the position where you’re asking yourself how on earth to start picking someone, have no fear, that’s what we want to help you with today.
Basically, you can break the process into three steps:
Taking stock begins with speaking to your loved one’s health specialist to get information and advice on their situation and the options available to you.
They will be able to tell you where your loved one is in the general progression of the condition and what you can expect going forward. They can also give you insights into the needs that your loved one will develop in time, as well as what you should look out for in a care provider.
Seriously, this is one of the most important resources available to you, so you want to ask as many questions as you can, as well as ask your loved one’s specialist what oversights or misconceptions are common.
Once you’ve spoken to your loved one’s health specialist, you can properly take stock of the your circumstances (you can even do it with them, but it’s more likely that you’ll need to do this after processing what the specialist has had to say).
We know this canis obvious, but write down the various aspects of the situation, including your loved one’s medical needs, general needs, and desires. You needIt’s important to have a set of non-negotiables of what you need and want out of any care that is provided.
Some things you might want to decide on immediately include:
Basically, you want to figure out how much support they need in the different aspects of their life.
Next, you want to make a list of the limiting factors that you need are necessary to take into account. This is where you want to consider things like financial limitations, geographic limitations and whatever it is that would make a care provider untenable for you or your loved one.
For example, you’ll probably rule out care providers based in Grimsby if you and your loved one lives in Oxfordshire.
You also have to consider the options and choose between residential care and dementia care at home (home-based care is also called domiciliary care). We’re not going to look at the two options in detail, but we recommend home-based care for people dementia.
The value proposition is compelling, and dementia care at home removes the possibility of creating even more disruption in your loved one’s life. Stability, routine and familiarity are incredibly important to people living with dementia, so your mother, for example, being able to live in the house she has made into a home for so many years, along with her spouse and pets can be a powerful force in helping her cope with the condition.
One way of getting a preliminary list of care providers is to ask your loved one’s specialist if they can give you a list of care providers in the area. You can also speak to friends and acquaintances who have had to manage with a similar situation, or even go to support groups where recommendations could be made.
Another way of going about it is to search home dementia care providers in your loved one’s vicinity through a web search, or through organisations like the NHS or the Alzheimer’s Society.
We recommend that you look into any care provider’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration as part of your research. It’s also a good idea to check the services they provide for people with Dementia, their values and story, and whether they have received any recognition for their services in care awards and the like.
For example, we were recently named finalists for the 2026 Home Care Awards in every category we entered, have won under the and have been recognised by the Gold Standards Framework with their Quality Hallmark Award for end-of-life care. That’s on top of being a top 20 Home Care provider on homecare.co.uk.
Okay, enough bragging (although we are extremely proud of all of this because it shows that the people we care for are, indeed, receiving excellent care). The point is, when searching for a care provider for your loved one with dementia, you’d do well to look for things like this that mark the home care provider as providing excellent care.
Once you’ve got three to five care providers, you can move on to contacting them.
When you contact the care providers on your shortlist, you should prepare yourself with the information they will need and with questions you want to ask.
A good dementia care provider will need to know:
It’s important to note that a good home care provider will want to carry out an assessment and have a meeting with your loved one so that a truly personalised, person-centred care plan can be made. We think this is absolutely essential, so it’s a good idea to look out for this rather than a standard care package that doesn’t consider the individual and the unique situation of you and your loved one.
This will also give them the opportunity to ask for any information that you don’t have for them ahead of time.
It’s very important that you also come prepared with questions of your own. We have a list of 20 questions we think are essential (just go to our homepage and follow the prompts on the pop up to get the list). However, here are a few to get you started:
At the end of the day, you need think about:
If a care giver meets the location requirements, comes at a price you can afford, and has the right philosophy and approach, you’ll probably have a good time.
One last thing: Remember, it’s your choice. You decide. If you do your research and take advice, you’ve done all you can and have put yourself in the best possible position to make the decision.
If you need help providing care for your loved one, we would love to have a conversation with you about your situation.
We have provided dementia care to many, many people with dementia and supported their families along the way. It’s what we do, our raison d'être.
Reach out to us, to us, we’d love to chat.
It’s better to contact a care provider before it becomes a necessity so that there is time to conduct assessments, get to know you and your loved one, and create a bespoke care plan for your loved one.
At very least, you’ll want to have a connection with a care provider for respite care from day one.
The earlier you get these connections made, the less stressful it’ll be for your loved one and you’ll benefit from having peace of mind that there is a plan in place.
If you live in Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, and Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, we can definitely offer care.
Absolutely. Our care plans are tailored to your loved one’s needs and are supposed to change as the situation changes. We are a nurse-led company that provides expert dementia care, so we constantly evaluate the situation and adjust based on the progression of the condition.
Our goal is your and your loved one’s well-being.
Stay calm and be patient. Speak gently and slowly with simple language, repeating yourself if necessary. If you approach the situation with a reassuring tone, it will help avoid your loved one getting frustrated.
We're here to support you every step of the way. Whether you have questions about our services or need assistance in finding the right care for your loved one, our compassionate team is ready to help.
We understand that this journey can be challenging and we're committed to providing you with the information and support you need.
