We treat your loved one like family, offering respite for you and enhancing the caregiving experience. Learn more 
Medical & Community Partners
A female caregiver talking to an elderly woman in a wheelchair at a flower garden A female caregiver talking to an elderly woman in a wheelchair at a flower garden
North Central Massachusetts | Services | Specialty Care
|Back to Specialty Care|

Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Cognitive Change

No matter the cause, conditions that result in a change of mood, memory or the thinking process are especially tough. When these are associated with aging, we often call them “Alzheimer’s,” but in reality, Alzheimer’s is just one of many different disorders of the brain.

Caring for a family member or friend with cognitive difficulties is demanding. If you’re doing it by yourself, it’s even tougher. At times, it can feel like you’re battling both the disease and the person. They need a sense of normalcy, but they don’t always act like they want it. Even when you’re doing everything right, it can feel like you’re doing everything wrong. It drains you emotionally and physically.

We believe that it doesn’t have to. Our approach is about helping you reclaim precious moments with your loved one, so instead of worrying about their bad days, you can celebrate their good days. Most of all, we want to be there for both of you so you don't have to do it alone.

Right at Home offers a customized care plan with a combination of personal care, companionship and homemaking, and just as importantly, we can provide respite care for you and your other loved ones.

Start Care Now

(978) 391-1700
An elderly woman sitting comfortably with a dog on a single sofa chair An elderly woman sitting comfortably with a dog on a single sofa chair

Right at Home’s Dementia and Cognitive Support Program

What if every person with dementia, no matter how advanced their disease, still had the ability to be present and aware of their surroundings? That’s the question that inspired our approach. To us, it’s not unrealistic. In fact, we’ve made it a fundamental goal of our care program. Our method is customized to the unique needs of the person with dementia, and delivered by certified providers. It consists of reinforcing the three key grounding principles:

A line-art drawing of a gear.
Ability
A line-art drawing of a puzzle piece.
Personhood
A line-art drawing of a clock.
Lifestyle
Learn more
Thumbnail featuring the cover of the guide. It includes a silhouette of a person’s head with the brain’s different parts colored in.

Feeling Lost?

Let Us Help You Care for Those With Dementia

It can be especially hard to help someone with dementia like Alzheimer’s when the condition is so difficult to understand. In this guide, we’ll give you the basics of what causes dementia, along with some strategies for care.
Learn more

Right at Home’s Dementia Guide Video Series

In this collection, gerontologist Diane Darby Beach, Ph.D., will take you through some of the most important details of how cognitive change can progress, so you can be more prepared for whatever the future brings.
Watch the series

Four Ways We Can Help

A caregiver talks to a patient over tea. A caregiver talks to a patient over tea.
1. Building Normalcy
Reducing stress for someone with Alzheimer’s means being consistent. We can help you and your friend or family member create and stick to a routine, and we can do it in a way that meets their particular needs.
This includes:

  • Making sure the home feels familiar to them
  • Giving them the freedom to move about unrestricted in the home
  • Minimizing stresses that can aggravate the symptoms of cognitive change
  • Keeping them oriented with daily reminders of time, place and person
A caregiver and her patient standing in front of a cash register in a store. A caregiver and her patient standing in front of a cash register in a store.
2. A Helping Hand
Along with a specialized cognitive care plan, Right at Home caregivers also provide general companionship to your loved one, including helping with daily tasks and protecting them from isolation or loneliness.
Learn more
A caregiver and her patient discuss medication. A caregiver and her patient discuss medication.
3. Keeping Them on Track
People with dementia may have specific, strict medication regimens. In some cases, this could require the services of a skilled nurse. Fortunately, in some states, many of our caregivers are also trained nurses, so you can rest assured the person’s needs will be met.
Learn more
A caregiver and a patient’s family member talk outdoors. A caregiver and a patient’s family member talk outdoors.
4. Giving You a Break
Since you carry a heavy burden as a caregiver of a person with dementia, it’s important to have a break. We can help with that, too, giving you much-needed rest and time off so you can focus on your own needs.
Learn more

The Latest Thinking in Cognitive and Dementia Care

Research into the care and treatment of dementia like Alzheimer’s is constantly growing. Here are some of the latest ideas that have guided our training and care programs.
female caregiver playing chess with senior
female caregiver playing chess with senior

Top 10 Myths About Your Risk for Alzheimer's Disease

Read more
smiling senior and younger ladies
smiling senior and younger ladies

Adapting the Home When a Loved One Has Alzheimer's Disease

Read more
senior and caregiver arranging flowers
senior and caregiver arranging flowers

When Your Loved One Receives a Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Read more
caregiver helping senior arrange flowers
caregiver helping senior arrange flowers

Hear What Others Are Saying

5 star icon
"We miss seeing all of your caregivers. We will never forget the stress of needing help right away, and your staff's assurance that Right at Home would be there for us and your arriving at our house that very night. What a gift you gave us."
Anne N.

Hear What Others Are Saying

5 star icon
"We hired Right at Home after a terrible experience with their competitors. We hired Right at Home to care for my 87-year old mother who has Alzheimer's. Since employing Lanette and her staff, my brother and I can sleep at night. Our hospice agency has been very impressed with the care Right at Home has been giving my mother. It's been a Godsend."
A. Sawyer

Hear What Others Are Saying

5 star icon
"You can only understand the hospice journey when you have to make it with your loved one. Lanette and her team know it well and she went above and beyond to help us through the difficult time of losing my beloved father. Each person that came to stay with us at my house had a special way about them that made me feel safe and comfortable doing things like sleeping through the night. Starting with Lanette, each employee is extremely professional and they truly love what they do. I can't imagine having made this journey with my family without the loving care of Lanette and her team to help us along the way. Highly recommend."
K.L.W.

Hear What Others Are Saying

5 star icon
"I started using Right at Home in 2015 for my 92-year old father. Dad's long term care company recommended Right at Home. They have provided care for my father from 8AM to 10PM, 7 days a week. Their caregivers have all been caring, professional and reliable. Dad needed care 24/7 and Right at Home have been open and flexible with Dad's changing needs. I feel confident that he is in good hands."
Mimi C.

Hear What Others Are Saying

5 star icon
"We had to place my mother in an assisted living facility. We did not realize how severe her dementia was. We had to have Right at Home take care of my mother for several weeks until we could get her in a nursing home facility with a Dementia Unit. Right at Home came in every day of the week for about 18 hours a day at the assisted living facility. My mother was scared and anxious. She never could have made through those weeks without the excellent care that was provided by the Right at Home staff. My mother is doing very well now. Thank you Right at Home for helping my mother and family get through those trying times."
Robert S.

Need time for yourself? We’re there for you at any time, anywhere.

Already know which services you need?

Connect with us

Not sure what types of care you need?

Let's find out