Always Best Care Franchisee and Customer
Dementia and Alzheimer’s are conditions that many of us inherently fear but know little about, apart from their ability to cause memory loss. Unfortunately these diseases are not always considered until they become a relevant subject – but could have been identified and diagnosed earlier if only we’d known how.
Always Best Care (ABC) has been the fastest-growing senior care franchise system in the USA over the past two years and is the only franchise that offers non-medical home care, assisted living placement services and skilled domiciliary care. They are trusted because they ensure their clients receive the right level of service at the right time, including specialist knowledge of conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
ABC takes pride in providing the best home care possible and strives to exceed customer expectations for both non-medical and skilled nursing. As well as providing personal assistance for families and individuals, ABC also endeavours to educate the wider community about conditions they may be affected by. As such, ABC has provided a brief insight into dementia and how you can identify the earlier signs.
Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s. Dementia is a generic term that covers all types of cognitive decline, whereas Alzheimer’s disease is a specific type of disorder within this group. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia with up to 64% of all dementias being due to Alzheimer’s, affecting nearly 5.4 million people in the US and 820,000 people in the UK.
Dementia is a progressive disease meaning that symptoms may gradually worsen. In many cases, the onset of dementia can display similar symptoms to that of depression. It is important to remember that some symptoms may be a natural progression of aging, and in no way related to dementia, but ABC recommends visiting your doctor if you have any concerns. Dementia symptoms include:
- Memory loss
- Reduced ability to learn, plan and problem solve
- Problems with communication or reasoning
- Irregular thought patterns and mood swings
- Disorientation about surroundings or the time of day
- Reduced awareness of danger
- Withdrawal from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sporting interests
Once dementia has been diagnosed, you may find it difficult to break the news to a loved-one. Be patient and sensitive and help them to understand why they can no longer remember or do something that was once second nature.
Dementia is often a hard condition to come to terms with so you should not expect to take everything in your stride. ABC is able to provide a range of support and guidance for families and carers, with a team of dedicated caregivers who are trained using tools created by “In-The-Know”, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Department of Health. In the Know is dedicated to developing quality paraprofessional in-service solutions for health care organizations. All In the Know in-services are written by registered nurses who have experience in home care, hospice, long-term care, hospital nursing, health home management and staff development.
ABC has been operating in the USA since 1996 and launched its first franchises in 2008. There are now over 180 franchise territories across the USA and Canada, with a UK launch planned during 2012.
If you would like more information about the services provided by Always Best Care, please visit www.alwaysbestcare.com. If you are interested in working with this successful care-giving franchise, please contact Iain Martin on 01904 561598 or email iain@thefranchisingcentre.com to request more details.