Columbia Senior AdvisorWhat should a family do in the first month after a dementia diagnosis?
Put legal documents in place while your parent can still sign them (durable power of attorney, health care power of attorney and a will), review safety at home, talk honestly about driving, and learn what the diagnosis means for the next few years.
An elder law attorney can prepare the documents together and explain Medicaid planning at the same visit. Ask the diagnosing physician for the stage of the disease and which changes to watch for, and write those down.
How do we keep a parent with dementia safe at home?
Remove or lock away hazards (stove knobs, firearms, car keys, medications), add night lights and door chimes, set up a medication system someone else checks, and arrange for someone to look in daily.
Wandering is the safety risk that most often forces a move. Door alarms, a medical ID bracelet and a current photo help. Many families also use adult day care, which gives structure to the day and a break to the caregiver. DPH licenses 17 adult day care centers in the six counties, with room for 1,084 participants in total.
When does a parent with dementia need a secured memory care unit?
When wandering or exit-seeking starts, when your parent cannot be left alone safely, or when behavior and night-time waking exhaust the family, a secured Alzheimer's special care unit is usually the next step.
Across the six Midlands counties, 19 of the 64 senior-serving CRCFs carry DPH's Alzheimer's special care unit flag and another 7 report Alzheimer's care without a secured unit; among nursing homes, 4 of 28 carry an Alzheimer's flag (DPH data as of November 6, 2026). Ask every unit for the written disclosure South Carolina's Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act requires, and visit in the late afternoon, when agitation is most common, to see how staff respond.
Where can Columbia-area caregivers get support?
The regional Area Agencies on Aging run family caregiver programs that can offer respite, information and caregiver training, and support groups meet across the Midlands; the Central Midlands agency is at (803) 376-5390.
Community Choices can pay for respite and adult day health care for eligible Medicaid members. Caregivers who take regular breaks keep caring longer, and that break is part of the plan, not a luxury.
Side by side
| Early-stage priorities | Later-stage priorities | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal | Powers of attorney signed now | Guardianship if documents were never signed |
| Home | Safety changes and daily check-ins | Round-the-clock supervision |
| Care | Adult day care and in-home help | A secured Alzheimer's special care unit |
| Family | Learning and planning | Respite and caregiver support |
Drawn from S.C. Code Regs. 60-84, DPH Healthcare Quality and SCDHHS publications, CareScout, CMS, the VA and the regional aging agencies cited in the text; our editorial standards explain how we check them.
