Dementia Care at Home
in Sri Lanka.
Dementia care in Sri Lanka works best where the person already knows the house. Trained caregivers hold the routine, watch the risks and give the family carer a break — from LKR 4,500/day across Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara. And where home is no longer the safe answer, we say so.
1,000+
Caregiver Profiles
Island-wide — reviewed one by one
1,500+
Families Served
Across Sri Lanka since 2020
96%
First-Match Success
Matched on 50+ factors
72 Hours
Placement Guarantee
From a completed assessment
Why familiarity matters
In dementia, the house itself is doing work.
A person with dementia navigates by pattern rather than memory. They know the bathroom is left at the end of the corridor, that the kettle sits by the window, that the neighbour's dog barks at six. None of that survives a move.
Therefore relocation frequently produces a sharp, visible decline in the first weeks — not because the new place is worse, but because every learned pattern has been deleted at once. That is the single strongest argument for dementia care at home in Sri Lanka, and it is why we start there.
However, familiarity only helps while the house is safe. The rest of this page is about knowing where that line sits, because the families who get this right are the ones who plan for it early rather than discover it at 3am.
- Patterns survive. Independence lasts longer where the environment is already learned.
- Fewer crises. Steady routine and supervised medication cut avoidable hospital admissions.
- The family stays involved. Grandchildren, neighbours and daily life continue around the person.
- It scales. Hours increase as the condition progresses, without another move.
What we tell families
"We are not treating the dementia. We are removing the things that go wrong because of it — the missed tablets, the falls, the meals nobody ate."
BetterHands Care Coordinators
The daily work
What a dementia caregiver actually does.
The same day, every day
Dementia erodes the ability to improvise, so routine does the work memory used to. Meals, washing, walks and rest at the same times, in the same order, by the same person.
Medication actually taken
Not a box left on a table. A caregiver present at the right hour, watching it swallowed, and recording it — because missed doses are among the commonest causes of sudden deterioration.
Supervision without hovering
Bathing, stairs and the kitchen are where injuries happen. A trained caregiver stays close during those minutes and steps back for the rest, which is what preserves dignity.
Relief for the family carer
The daughter doing this alone is the second patient. Planned respite — even two days a week — is often what keeps a home arrangement viable for another year.
What we do not claim. Dementia is progressive, and no caregiver slows it. What changes with good support is avoidable harm — falls, missed medication, poor nutrition, infections and admissions — and how long the family can sustain this. We would rather say that plainly than sell a recovery that does not exist.
Matching care to the stage
What help looks like, stage by stage.
Families in Nugegoda, Dehiwala and Negombo most often call us at the middle stage. Starting earlier costs less and works better.
Early stage
Repetition, misplaced items, difficulty with money and appointments. A few hours of daytime company and prompting is usually enough, and it is the cheapest time to start. Most families wait far longer than this.
Middle stage
Personal care becomes difficult, agitation appears in the late afternoon, and supervision is needed for most waking hours. This is where full daytime cover, or a nursing assistant, becomes the right arrangement.
Later stage
Mobility, continence and swallowing are affected, and nights become unpredictable. Care shifts towards nursing input, overnight cover, and honest conversations about whether home is still the safest place.
The honest part
When a secured setting is safer than home.
Many families reading this are searching for a dementia care home rather than a caregiver. That is a reasonable thing to be looking for, and in these situations it is the right one.
Night wandering is the deciding factor
One caregiver cannot stay awake for twenty-four hours. Any provider claiming a single live-in carer covers unpredictable nights is describing something unsafe. Where these appear, the choice is dedicated overnight cover with two caregivers on rotation, or a secured residential setting:
- Leaving the house after dark, or trying to
- Repeated falls between bed and bathroom
- Not recognising the house, or the spouse in it
- Aggression that a lone caregiver cannot safely manage
If you are weighing the two options seriously, our home care vs an elders' home comparison sets out both sides, including the questions worth asking any facility before you sign. For clinical needs alongside dementia, home nursing care covers what a caregiver cannot.
Transparent pricing
Membership first, then simple daily rates.
One annual membership covers coordination, payroll, and unlimited caregiver replacements. After that you pay a flat daily rate for the level of care you need.
BetterHands Annual Membership
LKR 20,000
One-time annual registration fee
- Unlimited caregiver replacements at no additional cost if you are not satisfied
- Payroll management and caregiver administration
- Ongoing coordination and support from the BetterHands team
- Access to all services covered under the BetterHands membership
Step two — daily service rates
Duties below are what each role normally provides — your care plan is tailored during the free assessment.
Caregiver
Daily living support and companionship
LKR 4,500/day
Most families start here — a parent who is managing, but should not be alone all day.
- Friendly conversation and companionship
- Bathing and personal care assistance (if required)
- Medication reminders and general supervision
- Simple meals and refreshments
- Short walks and light activities (if appropriate)
- Day-to-day assistance and emotional support
Nursing Assistant
Personal care plus basic clinical support
LKR 6,000/day
Common where diabetes, blood pressure or early-stage dementia needs daily monitoring.
- Everything in the caregiver role
- Vital signs monitoring (BP, blood sugar, SpO₂)
- Medication reminders and administration support
- Basic wound and continence care
Professional Nurse
Complex medical and post-operative needs
LKR 9,000/day
Usually after a hospital discharge, a stroke, or where wounds and IV care are involved.
- Everything in the nursing assistant role
- PHSRC-registered clinical nursing
- Wound care, injections, and IV therapy
- Catheter, NG tube, and post-operative care
Daily rates are charged in addition to the one-time annual registration fee of LKR 20,000. The same daily rates apply to day care, night care and live-in support — no shift premiums, no travel supplements for any district. Hospital bystander cover is priced by shift length instead — see that service page for its packages. A free care assessment is provided before any commitment.
Where we place
Dementia support across Sri Lanka.
Colombo
Colombo 1–15, Cinnamon Gardens, Nugegoda, Wellawatte, Dehiwala
Gampaha
Negombo, Ja-Ela, Wattala, Ragama, Kadawatha
Kalutara
Panadura, Wadduwa, Waskaduwa, Horana
Kotte
Rajagiriya, Battaramulla, Nawala, Maharagama
From families we support
What steady days gave back.
“BetterHands transformed my mother's quality of life. The caregivers are professional, compassionate, and treat her with so much dignity. Our whole family is relieved and grateful.”
Chamari W.
Colombo 07
“After my father's heart surgery at Lanka Hospitals, the nursing team from BetterHands provided exceptional post-operative care at home. They were thorough, kind, and always on time.”
Roshan & Dilini P.
Nugegoda
“My grandfather was very lonely after being discharged from hospital. His BetterHands companion has become a true friend — he is happier and more engaged than he's been in years.”
Priya N.
Kandy
Dementia questions
What families ask about dementia care.
Yes. BetterHands places caregivers trained in dementia support across Sri Lanka, from LKR 4,500/day for daytime cover. Where medication supervision or physical decline is also involved, a nursing assistant at LKR 6,000/day is usually the better fit. A free home assessment establishes which, and how many hours a day are genuinely needed.
For early and middle-stage dementia, home is usually better, because familiarity is itself a form of treatment — a person who knows where the bathroom is stays independent longer. The balance shifts when night wandering begins, when a house cannot be made safe, or when there is no family in the country. Those situations are where a secured residential setting genuinely wins, and we say so rather than take the placement.
A single live-in caregiver cannot stay awake for twenty-four hours, and any provider who says otherwise is selling something unsafe. Night wandering needs either dedicated overnight cover with a second caregiver on rotation, or a secured setting. We will tell you which your situation calls for at the assessment.
They hold the day steady. The same routine at the same times, meals and medication prompts, orientation cues, supervision during walking or bathing, and calm redirection when agitation starts. They also keep a record of what changed, which is what a doctor needs at the next review. They do not provide therapy and they do not diagnose.
No, and we will not claim it does. Dementia is progressive and no caregiver changes that. What good home support does change is the rate of avoidable harm — falls, missed medication, malnutrition, infections and hospital admissions — and how exhausted the family becomes. Those are real gains, and they are the honest ones.
Not sure what stage
you are at?
A free assessment establishes the hours genuinely needed, the night risk, and whether home is still the right place — including telling you when it is not.
1,000+
Caregiver profiles
96%
First-match success
Trained
Caregiver training
72
Hours to placement