Living at home can make adjusting to dementia patients feel safer and more independent, which is what everyone wants for their loved ones. However, adjusting to life with dementia means making changes to the home environment – we’ll tell you below how to do this for a loved one with dementia.
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Ensure Plenty of Lighting
High visibility is beneficial to dementia sufferers because it helps them navigate their surroundings and keep track of where they are, so making sure there is ample natural light will go a long way. Take a walk around the home and make sure there’s nothing preventing light from coming in. However, when you get to the bedroom, you need to make sure it’s dark enough at night for a great night’s sleep. If you take a look at the likes of Parc Provence memory care community, you will notice plenty of large windows to pack in the natural light.
Create Locational Reminders
The nature of dementia means that patients will struggle to remember where their belongings are kept in the house. Therefore, visual location reminders are a great way to ensure they can remain independent for longer. Instead of using just names, we suggest pictures and names because it will be beneficial when struggling to associate an object with its correct name.
Clear Clutter
A cluttered home feels overwhelming and chaotic at the best of times, and it’s much worse for dementia sufferers. Therefore, the home should be maintained and clutter-free to avoid unnecessary distractions. Make sure drawers and cupboards are neat and turn off any televisions or audio devices when not in use – noise can be just as distracting as clutter.
Keep Engaged and Active
Even though their memory is fading, dementia sufferers need to stay engaged in activities they enjoy. Large clocks and calendars will help keep them on track with life and activities. If necessary, invest in a whiteboard so that personal messages can be written, which will save them from leaving endless streams of paper lying around and being trapped in a cycle of cleaning.
Create a Simple Layout
The layout of the home needs to be easy to navigate, so try to avoid positioning maze-like furniture in the living rooms. When it comes to the bathroom and kitchens, we recommend creating a picture of the layout and sticking it to the door, which will help refresh memory before entering. Further, the colors of objects should contrast the walls, which will make them stand out and be easily identified.
Get Outside
Being outdoors is great for anybody’s well-being, but it can be difficult for people with dementia to find their home. Therefore, you should make sure that they have a way to identify the front door – you may paint it a different color or have a notable feature in the front yard.
Living with dementia is challenging, but there are ways to manage the effects and live a relatively independent lifestyle. Making home adjustments will make dementia sufferers feel safe and secure, which will lower their stress levels and enrich their lives.
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