When does a parent with dementia need home care in Sandy Springs?

Loyal Care · Published November 11, 2026

When is it time for dementia home care in Sandy Springs?

There is rarely one big moment. Most families notice a pile of small things. Dementia is a general word for memory loss and changes in thinking that make daily life harder. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause.

The Alzheimer's Association describes the middle stage of Alzheimer's as typically the longest stage, one that can last for many years. In that stage a person can still take part in daily activities, but with help. The Association lists changes that families often see:

• forgetting events or parts of their own history,
• a growing tendency to wander and get lost,
• sleeping during the day and becoming restless at night.

It also says that as the disease moves on, the person will need a greater level of care. In real life, these are the moments when Sandy Springs families tend to call us:

• Mom repeats the same questions or gets lost driving to a store she has used for years.
• Meals are skipped, or the stove gets left on.
• Dad's walking has slowed and he is unsteady in the shower.
• Nights are hard, and nobody in the house is sleeping.
• You are the main caregiver, you also work, and you are running on empty.

None of these is a diagnosis. They are signs that one person can no longer carry the day alone. If you are seeing them, it is worth talking to your parent's doctor and to a home care agency at the same time.

No diagnosis yet? Start with Georgia Memory Net

Many families start looking for help before anyone has named the problem. Georgia has a state program built for this step.

Georgia Memory Net is a statewide program that the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services describes as developed in partnership with Emory University. It has worked since 2017 to help more Georgians get an early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. It has seven Memory Assessment Clinics, one of them in Atlanta, plus telehealth sites in other parts of the state.

How to get there, according to Georgia Memory Net:

1. Talk about memory testing with your parent's primary care provider. The referral starts with them.
2. Your parent has an assessment, in person or by telehealth.
3. The clinic gives a diagnosis and a care plan.
4. A community services educator connects the family with local support.
5. Ongoing care stays with the primary care provider.

A home care agency is not part of this medical step. Loyal Care LLC does not diagnose or treat, and your parent's doctor stays in charge of their medical care. What a home care agency can do is help at home while you wait for appointments, and drive your parent to them.

What does a dementia caregiver do in your parent's home?

Dementia home care means a trained caregiver helps your parent stay safe and comfortable in their own home. Your parent does not move anywhere. The goal is a steady, familiar day.

At Loyal Care, the caregiver follows a written care plan built around the routines that already work for your parent. That can include:

• keeping the same routine each day, with the same faces where possible,
• help with bathing, dressing and the toilet,
• help standing, walking and getting in and out of bed,
• meals, snacks and drinks,
• medication reminders (caregivers remind; they do not give injections or decide doses),
• safety checks around the home,
• company, conversation and simple activities,
• a caregiver overnight so the family can sleep.

Loyal Care caregivers are CNA, PC or PCT certified, and Loyal Care gives them ongoing training in Alzheimer's, dementia and Parkinson's care. Founder Florissa Maher, a nurse with more than 40 years in healthcare, put it this way in a 2026 interview: "In dementia care, small details make a profound difference. How you communicate, how you respond to confusion, how you maintain a sense of dignity."

The schedule can grow with your parent's needs: a few hours a day at first, then overnight, 24-hour or live-in care later if needed. Read more about dementia and Parkinson's care at home.

Making the house safer, and planning for wandering

Home is usually the calmest place for someone living with dementia, as long as the house keeps up with the changes. The Alzheimer's Association's home safety guide suggests:

• stoves and appliances with an automatic shut-off, or stove knob covers,
• grab bars at the shower, tub and toilet, and non-slip strips on slippery floors,
• medicines kept in a locked drawer or cabinet,
• bright walkways, night lights, and no throw rugs or loose cords,
• locks placed out of sight, and inside door locks removed so your parent cannot lock themselves in,
• guns and other weapons removed or locked away,
• a close eye on the temperature of bath water and food.

Wandering deserves its own plan. The Alzheimer's Association says six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once. Its advice includes keeping a recent photo of your parent, making a list of places they might try to go, and using door alarms or chimes. If your parent goes missing, start looking right away. If they are not found within 15 minutes, call 911, file a missing person report and tell the police your parent has dementia.

Georgia has an alert for exactly this. Mattie's Call, set up by the Georgia General Assembly in 2006, is a missing person alert that covers adults with dementia or another cognitive impairment. Only a local law enforcement agency can start it, so in Sandy Springs that call goes through 911 and the police. The GBI says it is used when police believe the person is in immediate danger and have checked the facts.

A caregiver in the home helps here too. Loyal Care caregivers do safety checks around the house and keep the day structured, which matters because a restless, bored afternoon is often when wandering starts.

What does dementia home care cost in Sandy Springs?

Start with what Medicare does not do. Medicare says it does not pay for long-term care, which includes personal care such as bathing, dressing and using the bathroom. For most families, dementia home care is paid privately, sometimes with help from a long-term care insurance policy. If your parent has a policy, our earlier post explains how long-term care insurance pays for home care in Georgia, including when memory loss counts.

Loyal Care LLC is private pay and publishes its rates on its home care pricing page. Longer visits cost less per hour:

• A 4-hour afternoon visit at $35 per hour is $140.
• A 10-hour overnight shift at $26 per hour is $260.
• Round-the-clock care at $26 per hour is $624 a day.
• Live-in care is $552 to $600 a day, depending on the level of care.

Weekends cost $2 more per hour and holidays are time and a half. The care assessment at home is free. There is no contract, a $500 deposit before care starts, and 2 weeks notice to stop. Loyal Care accepts Zelle, checks, major credit cards and private long-term care insurance. It does not accept Medicaid, Medicare or VA benefits.

If cost is a stretch, the Atlanta Regional Commission's Empowerline is the free starting point for older adults and caregivers across metro Atlanta, including Fulton County. It can point families to respite care, caregiver resources and help planning ahead.

Loyal Care's office is on Glenlake Parkway, so home care in Sandy Springs is home ground, from Perimeter Center to the river. Caregivers also go to Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Roswell, Atlanta and the other towns on our service areas page.

Talk to Loyal Care about your parent

If your parent is living with dementia and the days are getting harder, call Loyal Care at (678) 834-8488 or send the form on our contact page. We will set up a free care assessment at home, and care can start as soon as the day after that assessment.