Dementia care built on routine and dignity
Dementia care at home for the person you love, from carers trained in our own academy. Familiar rooms, the same faces, and the patience to answer the same question a hundred times without ever sounding tired.
9.7 out of 10
From 125 reviews on homecare.co.uk, the independent care review site families trust.
Registered and rated Good
Registered with the Care Quality Commission and inspected by the care regulator, held to national standards.
Our own training academy
We run our own academy and train over 300 carers a year from providers across Berkshire. Every carer receives specific dementia training, not just general care training.
Caring since 2016
Nearly a decade looking after Berkshire families, with visits from just fifteen minutes.
Care that starts quickly
We can often begin within a few days, including after a hospital discharge when things move fast.
On call out of hours
There is someone on call outside office hours, so if something happens in the evening or at the weekend you are not left waiting until Monday.
"His live-in carer is patient, compassionate, and makes a real effort to understand his likes and dislikes, ensuring his needs are always met. The office staff are consistently helpful, friendly, and quick to respond."
Jan S (Power of Attorney of Client), homecare.co.uk review
Your mum still knows where the kettle is
Someone with dementia in their own home still knows where the kettle is, which stair creaks, and where the light switch is in the dark. That knowledge is worth more than any building. It means fewer falls, less confusion, and more good days. We build our care around keeping that knowledge alive, with a small, familiar team of carers, the same routine, and the same patience, every single day. We do our best to send the same small team, and we tell you straight if we ever cannot.
Four things we hold onto, every day
These are not rules on a poster. They are the things our carers do in your mum's kitchen at half past eight on a Tuesday morning.
Familiar surroundings
Your mum still knows where the kettle is. She knows which stair creaks, where the light switch is in the dark, and which chair is hers. That knowledge is worth more than any building.
Consistent routine
The same visits at the same times, the same carer at the door, the same cup of tea in the same mug. When the world feels confusing, the things that stay the same are a kind of safety.
Known carers
We do our best to send the same small team around your mum, so she sees faces she knows. We tell you straight if we ever cannot, rather than quietly swapping a carer without warning. Trust takes time to build, and we do not waste it.
Patience and dignity
When your mum asks the same question for the twentieth time before lunch, our carer answers it as patiently as the first. We respond with kindness, never correction. The moment is hard, the person is not.
Can we avoid a care home?
For a lot of people, the honest answer is yes, for a long time. Home care for dementia works well when your mum still knows her way around her own home, when she has a steady routine, and when a small, familiar team of dementia carers keeps her safe and company through the day. We do our best to send the same small team, and we tell you straight if we ever cannot. Many people live well at home for years, sometimes for the whole of their life, with the right support around them.
What makes it work is the familiarity. Your dad knows which chair is his. He knows the sound of the back gate. He knows the carer who comes at ten past eight, because she has been coming for months. All of that keeps the world making sense for longer than you might think.
And then, sometimes, a care home genuinely becomes the better answer. If your mum needs two people helping her through the night, every night, that is hard to sustain at home. If the house itself has become unsafe in ways that cannot be fixed, a care home with staff on site all the time may be kinder.
We will tell you honestly when we think that time has come, because being willing to say it is what makes the rest of what we tell you worth believing. What matters is the right care for your family, not a sale. You can read more about the choice in our live-in care guide, or in our home care costs guide.
The things that are hard, and how we help
These are not symptoms on a checklist. They are the real moments families describe when they first ring us, and the things our carers are trained to handle with patience and warmth.
The same question, again and again
Your mum asks where her keys are, and you tell her. Five minutes later she asks again. Then again. It is not stubbornness or rudeness. It is the dementia, and it is the thing families tell us about most of all. Our carers answer the same question with the same patience, every time.
Up and dressed at four in the morning
Your dad has always been an early riser, but now he is up and fully dressed while it is still dark. He is not confused about the time for no reason, his body clock has shifted. A carer arriving early can settle him gently, make a warm drink, and keep the morning calm instead of a battle.
The front door and where the keys live
Getting up and going out is one of the things that worries families most. Your mum might open the front door and walk out, not because she is going anywhere, but because she has forgotten she is at home. Our carers keep an eye on the door, walk with her if she sets off, and bring her back safely.
Refusing a wash from someone she does not know
Your mum needs help with washing, but she will not let a stranger do it. She is not being difficult. She cannot place the face, and that makes it feel frightening. A carer she knows, the one she sees most days, is the one who can help. That is why we do our best to send the same small team, and we tell you straight if we ever cannot.
Not eating properly because cooking has become confusing
Your dad used to cook a proper meal every night. Now the hob seems to baffle him, or he forgets he has eaten. A carer can make a meal, sit and eat with him, and keep an eye on what he is actually eating, not just what is in the fridge.
Restless as the light goes (sundowning)
As the afternoon turns to evening, your mum becomes anxious and restless. This is so common it has a name, sundowning. The fading light seems to unsettle people with dementia. A carer being there through the late afternoon and evening can keep things calm and safe.
If any of these sound familiar, you are not alone. Caring for someone with dementia is one of the hardest things a family does, and noticing the signs early is the first step. Our guide on self neglect in an older person may help if you are worried about changes that have crept in slowly.
Getting to know who they were before all this
Caring for someone with dementia is not about managing a condition. It is about looking after a person. Your mum is not her diagnosis. She is the person who worked at the bakery for thirty years, who loves Motown, who always had the radio on while she cooked, who could not abide a cup of tea without two biscuits. We want to know that person.
Before our carers start, we sit down with you and build a picture of who your mum is. Her work, her music, her routines, her people, the things she has always loved and the things she has never liked. We write it down, and we share it with the team who will be seeing her.
It changes what a visit actually feels like. Instead of a stranger asking your dad if he needs help, it is someone who knows he used to be a joiner, who asks about the shed, who puts the station he likes on the radio. That is the difference between care that works and care that feels like home.
Dementia is not all the same
Every kind of dementia affects people differently. Our carers are trained to understand the differences and to adapt the care to the person, not the other way round.
Alzheimer's disease
The most common kind. It usually starts with small memory slips, like forgetting recent conversations, and slowly affects more of daily life over a number of years.
Vascular dementia
Often follows a stroke or problems with blood flow to the brain. It can affect people in steps rather than a slow slide, and it can change how someone walks and thinks.
Lewy body dementia
Can cause vivid hallucinations, unsteady movement, and sleep that is very restless. It needs a carer who understands that what the person sees is real to them.
Frontotemporal dementia
Often affects people a bit earlier. It changes personality and behaviour before memory, so the person you love may seem different in how they act, long before they seem forgetful.
Whatever kind of dementia your family is living with, we will take the time to understand how it affects the person you love, and build the care around that.
Enhanced dementia care
Sometimes a single carer calling in is not enough. When things become more complex, we add to the support rather than walking away. Here is what enhanced dementia care means in practice.
More frequent visits
If your mum needs help three or four times a day instead of once, we add the visits. The routine stays the same, just closer together.
Two carers where one is not enough
Some moments need two pairs of hands, like helping your dad get up safely or managing a wash. We send two carers who know him and know each other.
Carers with extra dementia training
Our team complete enhanced dementia training through our own academy, the same academy that trains carers from other providers across Berkshire.
Working alongside the memory clinic
We keep in touch with your mum's memory clinic and GP, so the care at home matches what the professionals are recommending.
Night support when needed
If your dad starts getting up in the night, we can add overnight support. See our night care page for waking and sleeping nights.
Care that grows, not restarts
When we add to the support, we do our best to keep the same familiar team. Your mum does not start over with strangers every time her needs change, and we tell you straight if we ever cannot.
Enhanced dementia care is not a separate service we switch on. It is simply what happens when we add to the support as things change, so the person you love keeps the same familiar team while receiving the extra help they need.
As dementia moves on
Dementia does not stand still, and neither do we. We review your mum's care plan regularly, not just once at the start. As her needs change, we add to the support so the family are not starting again every few months with new faces and new explanations.
If she starts to need more visits, we add them. If she needs two carers for a wash, we send two. If she starts getting up in the night, we bring in overnight support. If the time comes when live-in care makes more sense than visiting care, we talk you through it. We do our best to keep the same familiar team with her throughout, and we tell you straight if we ever cannot, because knowing the person matters more than anything else.
We will also tell you, honestly, if we think the time is approaching when a care home would serve her better. We would rather have that conversation early and kindly than let you struggle on alone.
Help with the cost of dementia care
The cost of dementia care depends on how many visits your mum needs, how long each visit is, and whether she needs one carer or two. The only way to know properly is a free chat at home, because the right price depends on what she actually needs, not a price list.
There is help available, and a dementia diagnosis can change what funding you are entitled to. The main options are:
- Local authority funding. If your mum's savings are below the threshold, the council may help after a financial assessment.
- Direct payments. If the council funds the care, you can receive the money directly and choose your own provider, including us.
- Attendance Allowance. A benefit for people over 66 who need help with personal care, not means tested, and a dementia diagnosis often qualifies.
- NHS Continuing Healthcare. Fully funded care for people with complex health needs, not means tested. Some people with advanced dementia qualify.
- Paying privately. Many families pay for some or all of the care themselves, and we will be honest about what that looks like.
If you are not sure what you are entitled to, we will help you understand the options without any pressure to go ahead. Read our full home care costs guide for more detail.
Looking after you as well
If you have been managing alone, perhaps for months or even years, you are probably exhausted. You might feel guilty even reading that, because the person you love is the one who is unwell. But you cannot pour from an empty cup, and the people who last are the ones who let help in.
We can give you a proper break. A carer coming in for an afternoon so you can sleep, or go to the shops, or just sit in silence for an hour. We can cover the evenings or the nights so you can sleep properly for the first time in months. See our night care page for what overnight support looks like.
Asking for help does not mean you have given up on your mum or your dad. It means you are looking after yourself so you can keep looking after them. That is not weakness. It is love, and it is the sensible kind.
The first twelve months after a dementia diagnosis
A practical guide for families in Berkshire. Written to be genuinely useful whether or not you ever become a client. Download it, keep it, share it.
What is inside
Nine short chapters, plain English, no jargon.
What to do in the first month
A gentle walk through the practical first steps, from registering with the GP and memory clinic to telling the people who need to know. Nothing rushed, just a clear order of things so the first weeks feel less overwhelming.
Who to tell and what to sort out
A plain list of the people and organisations worth informing early, from family and neighbours to the bank, the utility companies and the DVLA, with a note on why each one matters.
Lasting power of attorney, and why doing it early matters
What an LPA is in plain English, the difference between one for health and welfare and one for property and finance, and why sorting it while your mum or dad still has capacity is one of the kindest things you can do for them.
Attendance allowance and the council assessment
How Attendance Allowance works, who tends to qualify, and what a local authority care needs assessment involves. Written so you know what to expect, not so you have to decipher a benefits booklet at midnight.
Making the home safer without making it feel like a hospital
Simple, dignified changes that reduce the risk of falls and confusion, from lighting and trip hazards to keys and the front door, without turning a much loved home into something clinical.
How to handle the conversation about driving
Why driving often becomes an issue, how to approach it kindly, who needs to be told, and what the DVLA expects. One of the hardest conversations, handled honestly.
What to expect over the first year
A realistic, unsentimental picture of the first twelve months, the good days and the harder ones, so you are not blindsided by changes that are part of the condition rather than a sudden crisis.
Local Berkshire support
Where to turn locally, including Alzheimer's Society services and memory cafes across Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell and Newbury. [Keith to confirm current local memory cafe details, meeting days and contact numbers before publishing.]
How to look after yourself as the carer
Permission to rest, practical ways to protect your own health and sleep, and why looking after yourself is how you keep looking after them. The chapter most carers skip, and the one that matters most.
This guide is general information to help you understand what to expect and what to sort out. It is not medical advice and it is not a substitute for talking to your GP, the memory clinic, or a qualified professional about your own situation.
Get the guide
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Not ready to share your details?
That is perfectly fine. You can read our free guides right now, no form needed.
If you would rather just talk to someone, call us on 0118 391 3542.
If you are the one receiving the care
This is still your home. Your chair, your kitchen, your view out of the window, your routine. Nobody is coming to take any of that away from you. We are here to help you keep it.
You stay in charge. If you want your tea at half past ten and not before, that is when it comes. If you want the carer to knock and wait, that is what they will do. If there is something you do not want help with, we will not push it. It is your day, and we fit into it, not the other way round.
The person who comes to see you is someone you will get to know. They are not a stranger forever. They are there because your family want you to be safe and happy at home, and so do we.
Dementia care across Berkshire
We provide dementia home care Reading families rely on, and we support families across Wokingham, Bracknell and Newbury, and the villages in between. If your mum lives in Wokingham or your dad lives in Reading, we have a local team who know the area. Home care for dementia works best when the carers know the streets, the shops and the shortcuts. If you are not sure whether we cover your village, just ring us.
Questions families ask us about dementia care
No question is too small, and no question is silly. If you are wondering it, other families are too.
Can someone with dementia stay living at home?
Yes. With the right support, many people live well at home for years, sometimes for the whole of their life. Familiar rooms, a steady routine and the same faces all help. The thing that matters most is that the people around them understand dementia and adapt as things change.
When is a care home the right decision instead?
A care home becomes the better answer when someone needs two people helping them through the night, every night, or when the house itself has become unsafe in ways that cannot be fixed. For a lot of people, home care works well for a long time first. We will tell you honestly when we think that time has come, because being willing to say it is what makes the rest of what we tell you worth believing.
What is enhanced dementia care?
Enhanced dementia care simply means adding to the support as things change. It might mean more frequent visits, two carers at once when one pair of hands is not enough, or carers with extra dementia training from our own academy. It is not a separate service we switch on. It is what happens when the person you love needs more, and the same familiar team stays with them throughout.
My mum keeps asking the same question, how do your carers handle that?
Our carers answer the same question with the same patience, every single time. They do not correct her or tell her she has already asked, because that only causes distress. Instead they might gently redirect the conversation, offer a cup of tea, or simply answer again as if it were the first time. The moment is hard, the person is not.
Dad gets up and gets dressed in the middle of the night, can you help with that?
Yes, this is very common. A waking night carer can stay awake through the night, walk with your dad if he gets up, keep him safe on the stairs, and gently settle him back to bed. It means you can sleep knowing he is not on his own. See our night care page for more on waking and sleeping nights.
What happens if she does not recognise the carer and refuses to let them in?
This happens, and there are ways through it that do not involve forcing anything. Our carer will not push or argue. They might sit and chat about something familiar first, perhaps a photograph or the weather, so your mum feels less threatened before any care begins. We do our best to send the same small team so the faces become known, and we tell you straight if we ever cannot. We also work with you on a plan for getting in, whether that is a family member greeting the carer at the door or a regular time she expects. If a particular approach works, we write it down and share it with the whole team.
Do you support people with Alzheimer's, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia?
Yes. Our carers are trained to support people living with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia. Each kind affects people differently, so we take the time to understand how it affects the person you love and build the care around that, not the other way round.
Will she have the same carer every time?
We do our best to send the same small team, because knowing the person matters more than almost anything else in dementia care. We will tell you straight if we ever cannot, rather than quietly sending someone new. When someone is unwell or on holiday, we introduce the replacement carer gently and in good time, never suddenly.
What happens as the dementia gets worse?
We review the care plan regularly, not just once at the start. If your mum starts to need more visits, two carers for a wash, or overnight support, we add it without her starting over with strangers. The same team stays with her as her needs grow. We will also tell you honestly if we think the time is approaching when a care home would serve her better.
Can you give me a break, or stay overnight?
Yes, and asking for this does not mean you have given up. A carer can come in for an afternoon so you can sleep or go out, or we can cover the nights so you can sleep properly for the first time in months. See our night care page for what overnight support looks like. Looking after yourself is how you keep looking after them.
How much does dementia care at home cost?
It depends on how many visits your mum needs, how long each visit is, and whether she needs one carer or two. Visiting care starts from £18.18 per visit, and live-in care starts from £1,125 per week. A waking night costs more than a sleeping night because the carer is awake and on duty all night. The only way to know properly is a free chat at home, because the right price depends on what she actually needs, not a price list.
Does a dementia diagnosis change what funding we can get?
It can. A diagnosis may open up Attendance Allowance, which is not means tested and often qualifies for people over 66 who need help with personal care. Some people with advanced dementia qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is fully funded. Local authority funding and direct payments may also be available depending on savings. If you are not sure what you are entitled to, we will help you understand the options without any pressure.
Do you cover my village?
We cover Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell and Newbury and the villages around them, including Caversham, Tilehurst, Winnersh, Twyford, Crowthorne, Thatcham and many more. If you are not sure, give us a ring and we will tell you straight away whether we can help.
Caring for someone with dementia?
We understand the worry, and we understand the tiredness. Talk to our team about dementia care at home. No pressure, just honest, practical advice from people who know.
