Caring for a Parent with Dementia in Calgary: A Family Guide to Getting Started

Nothing Prepares You for This

One day your parent forgets where they put the car keys. Then they forget the name of a neighbour they’ve known for thirty years. Then they ask the same question four times in the same conversation.

You know something is wrong, but you don’t know what to do next - and nobody hands you a roadmap.

If your parent has been diagnosed with dementia - or if you’re watching the signs and haven’t gotten a diagnosis yet - this guide is for you. It won’t answer every question, but it will help you know where to start.

Step 1: Get a Proper Diagnosis

Memory changes can have many causes - some reversible, like vitamin deficiencies, infections, or medication side effects. Before assuming the worst, your parent’s family doctor should do a full assessment.

• In Calgary, you can also access the Cognitive Assessment Clinic at Foothills Medical Centre or ask for a referral to a geriatric specialist through Alberta Health Services.

  
  

A diagnosis is hard to hear - but it also opens doors. It’s the first step to accessing the right supports.

Step 2: Connect with the Alzheimer Society of Alberta

The Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories has an office in Calgary and is one of the best free resources available to families. They offer education programs, caregiver support groups, First Link® navigator services, and one-on-one counselling. If you haven’t contacted them yet, do it early — the support they provide is genuinely valuable, and it’s free.

Visit: alzheimer.ab.ca

Step 3: Assess Safety at Home

Dementia affects judgment and awareness of risk. A person with dementia may leave the stove on, wander at night, or forget to take medications. Before these things happen, walk through their home with fresh eyes. Check the stove, the medications, the locks on the doors. Consider stove-knob covers, automatic shut-offs, and door alarms.

Alberta Health Services can also arrange a home safety assessment through their Home Care program. Ask your parent’s doctor for a referral.

Step 4: Build a Routine

People with dementia feel most calm and oriented when their day is predictable. The same wake-up time, the same meal structure, the same familiar faces at the same times. Disruptions - even positive ones, like a surprise visit - can cause confusion and distress. When you’re setting up care support, consistency matters as much as quality.

Step 5: Plan for Increasing Needs

Dementia is progressive. The supports that work today may not be enough in six months. It’s worth having a frank conversation with your family early - about finances, about legal documents like power of attorney, about what your parent wanted while they could still express it, and about what the plan looks like as needs increase.

Many Calgary families find that professional in-home care allows a parent with dementia to stay home safely for much longer than they expected - with the right level of consistent, familiar support.

You Are Not Doing This Alone

Caring for a parent with dementia is one of the hardest things a family can go through. It is also something that does not have to be done alone. Asking for help is not giving up - it’s how you protect both your parent and yourself for the long road ahead.

Sunny Senior Services provides compassionate in-home care for seniors with dementia in Calgary. We understand that familiarity and routine are everything, and our caregivers build real, trusting relationships with the people they support. If your family is at the beginning of this journey and not sure where to start, we’re happy to talk. Visit sunnyseniorservices.ca or call 604-500-1153