These Tips Will Help You Turn Your Home Dementia-Friendly
If you or a loved one has been recently
diagnosed with dementia, this article may be of some assistance to those
who remain at home and do not go for aided care. It may be beneficial
to keep on living at home as long as physically safe, as it provides
comfort and a feeling of safety and control. We'll start with some
general tips for a better quality of life, and then provide you with
some specific tips and tricks you can start applying to your home today!
In my opinion, everyone could benefit from some of the tips as they
just make life easier.
What is the Difference Between Alzheimer's and Dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of
symptoms that impact memory and other cognitive skills such as
communication, the daily performance of household activities, and
awareness of surroundings. People who suffer from dementia may forget
where they are or how they got there, how appliances work, they may
experience troubles with mobility, and changes in hearing, vision, and
perception of depth and temperature. The tips in the article are meant
to cater to the needs of people who, despite those difficulties, can
still manage themselves at home.
Alzheimer's disease can be included in the many symptoms of dementia. It
mainly affects memory and cognitive functions. Patients will often feel
disoriented or depressed. In the advanced stages of the disease, there
will be difficulties speaking, swallowing, or walking.
Another important thing to know about the differences is that unlike
Alzheimer's, dementia doesn't have a predictable development timeline,
so the progress of the disease is different for each individual.
General Changes Around the Home
When you first start making changes in
your home, the best tip we can give you for guidance is to focus on
prevention rather than caution. Instead of walking around a rug, for
instance, remove it altogether.
Make sure your house is well lit. Open the curtains, cut any
vegetation outside the windows that could be over-shading your home, and
if needed, add some lamps that will also contribute to the feeling of
warmth.
Keep family photos and happy memorabilia around the home for good
spirits. You might be facing some struggles along your journey, and
looking back on happy memories will keep you in good spirits. You can
stroll down our many nostalgic posts as well.
Spending time outside will be beneficial. If you have a garden and
you enjoy it, consider adding a birdbath or a bird feeder to attract
some welcome avian visitors. Make sure your outdoor sitting area is well
shaded so you can spend the time comfortably and safely.
Research how can you use technology to help you. Nowadays there are
sensors for gas leaks, smoke, water temperature, and many more
potentially hazardous incidents that will alert or switch off your
devices before anything bad happens. You can even purchase an automated
feeder for your pet.
Call in your family and host a de-cluttering day. Your home should
be organized, easy to navigate, and clutter-free. These projects will do
the trick in no time!
Some Specific Tips
Labels, labels, labels! Tag any and
everything you can. Post-it notes will be of good use here.
Mark on every light switch what it controls and where the on and off
ones are. Label the hot and cold water on the faucet as well.
Speaking of post-its, these will come in handy with any and all
storage solutions. You can keep a shortlist of the content of a drawer,
or use a post-it that says "socks" for example. Keeping a kitchen
cabinet inventory list will also be helpful.
Keep a phonebook by your phone with large font numbers and names.
You can also include photos for easy recognition.
Pop on some colors to help you distinguish between things. We
recommend painting all sorts of knobs, doors, or door frames, and
purchasing brightly colored pillows to put on the couches.
Purchase a large face clock and calendar to keep up with the times.
Alternatively, choose a smart/digital one that will always display the
correct time and date and will update to daylight savings automatically.
Install grab rails around the stairs and inside the shower.
Hang a sign on the bathroom door to signal to yourself (and
visitors) where it is.
Consider using brightly colored tissues, paper
rolls, and a brightly colored toilet seat. The bright colors will help
you find these items if you experience difficulties with vision.
Have a designated area to drop the mail and keys, and a designated
brightly colored box for all remotes. Label all remotes. You can tape
down with black tape any buttons you don't use and keep only the on-off,
volume, and channel buttons visible.
If you're considering a heavy-duty renovation, make sure to not
choose shiny flooring. When choosing a color for the walls, avoid
patterns as they are confusing. In the garden, you can install raised
flower beds for easy gardening.
Make sure your garden is enclosed and secure to prevent wandering
off.
Use clear containers for food you store in the fridge. If you want
to go the extra mile you can even tag them with post-it notes. You
might want to replace your plates with a lightweight, breakproof
material.
Hang all your clothes in a hanging closet, so that browsing will be
easy.
Avoid harmful chemicals. You can either lock them away if you have a
caregiver that helps with cleaning or simply switch to harmless natural
cleaners. We have plenty of DIY alternatives for you:
A natural all-purpose cleaner
An oven cleaner
A rust stain remover
A dishwasher detergent, a fabric refresher, and a laundry soap
A window cleaner
You may notice reflections and mirrors bother you. You can simply
cover those with a fabric.
And finally, help yourself to a collection of resources:
1. Information source for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
2. Information and tips for caregivers.
3. An online book for tips in the format of an Ikea catalog.
4. An online booklet on further tips for making your home dementia safe.
5. A Facebook support group for caregivers.
Labels: Alzheimer's, avoid harmful chemicals, break-proof materials, clutter-free home, dementia, grab rails around stairs, hang clothes in closet, large clock, name food containers, support groups, tips for caregivers
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