Dementia and memory care that keeps home feeling familiar
Our caregivers use redirection, validation and calm, familiar routines to help tense moments ease and keep the day predictable. A coordinator who knows your parent confirms every visit.
Phones answered 24/7. A coordinator calls back within the hour, day or night.
What dementia and memory care includes
Practical, everyday help at home, given with patience. It is not medical or nursing care.
- Calm, familiar routines. Your caregiver learns when your mom likes to eat, rest and get dressed, and keeps the day in that order.
- Redirection. When a moment gets tense, the caregiver gently turns attention to something calmer, like a cup of tea or a favourite song, instead of arguing or hurrying.
- Validation. The caregiver responds to how your dad feels, not whether the details are right, so he feels heard rather than corrected.
- Personal care with dignity. Bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and mobility, at your parent's own pace. See personal care.
- Medication reminders. Prompts at the usual times to keep the routine on track, not administering medication. See medication reminders.
- Company and everyday help. Conversation, meal prep, light housekeeping, errands and outings. See companion care.
- A break for the family (respite). A few hours, a weekend or overnight, so the person doing most of the caring can rest. See respite and overnight care.
Who it helps
It suits families where a parent or partner is living with memory changes and wants to stay at home. Often an adult child has noticed mom needs more help than before, or a spouse has been doing the caring alone and is worn out.
It helps when language matters. We match caregivers by personality, language, schedule and need, and our caregivers speak many languages, including Tagalog, Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic and French. If your dad is most comfortable in his first language, tell us.
And it suits families who want one steady contact. The same coordinator knows your parent, the caregiver and your family, so you are not starting over each time you call.
What a visit looks like
Every visit is at least 2 hours. Here is how care is set up, and what each visit is like after that.
Before care starts
Before care starts, a coordinator goes over the care plan with you: your mom's routine, what she enjoys, what helps on a harder day. The plan and her preferences are kept on file.
A caregiver matched to her
Every caregiver is interviewed in person, reference-checked, criminal-record-checked and trained before joining us. We match by personality, language, schedule and need. If the fit isn't right, we re-match at no extra cost.
Before each visit
Your coordinator sees the whole week in one place and confirms every visit. Each morning, our system checks the schedule and flags problems, like a visit with no caregiver assigned. The office fixes them before the visit, not after.
During the visit
The caregiver follows the familiar order of her day, like meals, rest and getting dressed, at her pace. If your mom isn't up for a shower, the caregiver can help with other care in her plan instead, like dressing.
When the regular caregiver is away
A backup caregiver works from the same care plan and preferences, not from scratch, so the routine stays familiar.
If there is a hospital stay
Visits are paused, and the office sets a reminder to check in with you, so care can restart smoothly when your mom comes home. Client Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI) does not cover care while she is in hospital. You let your case manager know, and the case manager confirms CDHCI again before visits restart.
How it's paid for
Client Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI). A home care case manager (Assisted Living Alberta, formerly AHS Home Care) assesses your parent's needs and approves the hours. Your family chooses the provider. CDHCI covers the care in the approved care plan, such as personal care or respite, which is a break for the family caregiver. Our caregivers bring redirection, validation and familiar routines to that care. Homemaking, like laundry or light cleaning, counts only if it is in the plan. Even then, it goes alongside personal care or respite, never on its own. Each type of care has its own approved hours. Your parent must be home during CDHCI care.
CDHCI is for people living in their own home, generally not a lodge, assisted or supportive living, or a group home. The care must be directed by your parent or by someone they choose, such as a family member. Your case manager decides whether client-directed care suits your parent. No assessment yet? You can refer yourself, and no doctor's referral is needed.
On CDHCI, only the care in the approved care plan is covered. A visit only for company or errands is private care, which you can add on top of approved hours. Outings are always private care, because your parent must be home for CDHCI care. Your case manager decides what is approved. You talk to the case manager, and we can explain beforehand what to ask. Call us first at 587.443.1888.
As a registered CDHCI provider, we invoice Alberta Blue Cross directly for the approved hours we deliver. We record the time for each type of care, as the program requires. You are not invoiced for those hours, and you get a copy of every claim statement.
Private pay works on its own or on top of approved CDHCI hours. You get a written quote before any care starts, with no extra charge for evenings, weekends or holidays. For private hours, we invoice you.
The minimum visit is 2 hours either way. CDHCI doesn't add hours to meet a visit minimum, so if your parent's care plan has shorter visits, we work out the schedule with you and put any cost in writing before care starts. See home care costs and our client-directed home care guide.
Where we provide it
Outside these areas? Call us. We may still be able to help.
Calgary
All quadrants of Calgary and the surrounding area.
Edmonton
Edmonton's inner city and suburbs.
Red Deer
Red Deer and central Alberta.
Lethbridge
Lethbridge and southern Alberta.
Common questions
Do your caregivers provide medical or nursing care?
Will my dad have the same caregiver each time?
What if mom refuses help on the day?
Is dementia care covered by CDHCI?
Can you provide overnight care?
Talk it through with a coordinator
Call 587.443.1888 any time. Phones are answered 24/7. Tell us about your parent's routine and what a harder day looks like. Prefer to write it down? Use the request form, and a coordinator calls you back within the hour, day or night.