Dementia and residential care

People with a dementia diagnosis find that some aspects of their daily lives become gradually more and more difficult. While there are many ways to receive dementia care and support while living in your own home, sometimes staying at home is not practical.

In this case you, or your carers, may decide that you need to move to residential aged care, to take advantage of additional professional support.

All government supported aged care homes are able to care for people with dementia, although some homes specialise in this area, and have dedicated dementia care units and additional staff skilled in dementia care.

When comparing aged care homes, consider whether specialised dementia care is needed. And keep in mind that the memory loss associated with dementia may have an impact on people who learned English later in life. Having staff who speak different languages can make things easier.