People with dementia have a variety of abilities and needs. Some people may need help with bathing and dressing, while others may need assistance with remembering to take their medications or preparing meals. It’s important to assess your own situation, as well as the state of your home. Here are some tips for making it easier to live with dementia:
Assess your home.
Your home is a place you’re familiar with, but it may not be the best environment for your loved one. There are changes you can make to make living in your home safer and easier for you and your loved one:
- Consider the layout of your home. What makes sense for someone with dementia? Think about how hard it is for them to find their way around, get in and out of bed safely, climb stairs, move between rooms and more.
- Measure the space in each room so that you know how much room there is to move around safely. Also measure any doorways or hallways that are narrow or have low ceilings which could cause problems if they become confused while walking through them.
- Make sure there’s enough space in each room so that your loved one has somewhere safe to rest when needed (such as a chair or couch). You may need furniture rearranged so they don’t feel overwhelmed by too many things going on at once – this could include moving their favorite chair closer towards where they spend most time during each day (e.g., kitchen) while moving other pieces away from areas like entrances/exits where there’s lots happening all at once).
Get some help with the housework.
Keeping a clean house is important for your loved one, as well as for you. You may need to enlist some help from family or friends to keep the house tidy. If you can’t do this, look into home care agencies that provide housekeeping services. If that’s not an option for you, consider hiring a professional housekeeper on an hourly basis.
Try to stay on track with exercise and diet.
Keeping your body in shape is a great way to keep your mind sharp. It’s also important for the health of people living with dementia.
Exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, improve sleep, and lower blood pressure. A healthy diet can prevent weight gain due to medications used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
An exercise plan tailored to your needs is ideal—whether it’s walking around the block every day or working out at home with equipment provided by a therapist or employees from an adult daycare center.
The Need for Day Care: Compared to the magnitude of the prevalence of the disease, the support services for Persons with Dementia Care. As a result, the burden of caring for a person with dementia is entirely met by the family. Taking care of a loved one with Dementia full time can be tough for the family members. Round-the-clock routines cause isolation from friends and family. Financial hardships due to high costs of care also takes a toll on the family.
Keep a calendar or reminder notes where you can see them.
Keeping track of the important dates and events in your life is a great way to stay on top of your schedule. Keep track of important dates using a large calendar that you can see from across the room, such as one mounted on the wall or in an open-access place like a kitchen cabinet.
Reminders are also helpful for those who live with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Write reminders down so they’re easily visible and easy to find if you need to remember something later on. Use small calendars (either paper or electronic) to write down reminders throughout the day, or use post-it notes as reminders for yourself. If you have difficulty remembering appointments, consider using a diary or notebook where you write everything down so that it’s there when it needs to be accessed again at another time.
Plan ahead for trips out of the house.
When you’re planning to go out of the house, there are some things you should do early. Plan ahead so that you will not forget anything important or have to rush out at the last minute.
Prepare in advance:
- Make a list of what you need to take with you. Put each item on its own piece of paper and make sure it has a place in your bag or purse. Write down what time you need to leave and where you’re going. Be careful not to make the list too long—if it takes too long, it might get forgotten!
- Pack everything early so that there’s no need for last-minute preparations when someone needs help getting ready for a trip out of their home (or even just around town). This includes putting medication in pill organizers, putting money into wallets/purses and remembering any other personal items needed during travel such as eyeglasses or hearing aids
Cut down on clutter and distractions around the house.
Dementia can be overwhelming in the home. It can make it hard for your loved one to find things, and it can also cause them to lose track of time so that they don’t remember where they put something. That’s why clutter should be minimized in the house.
To reduce clutter, try these tips:
- Reduce clutter on tables, countertops and other surfaces.
- Get rid of items that might be a safety hazard (such as old newspapers or magazines).
- Be sure there are places to sit down throughout the house so your loved one has somewhere safe to rest after being on their feet for a long time.
You’ll also want to make sure you have plenty of storage space so you’re not constantly running out of room for new things or having boxes stacked up in front of doors that need frequent access when people come over.
Install safety features in the home, such as smoke alarms and locks on windows and doors.
- Install smoke alarms. Alarms should be placed throughout your home, including in the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and one outside each sleeping area. If you have hearing impairments, it’s especially important that you install visual alarms so that you’ll know where they are at all times (you can use this guide to help identify the right type).
- Have a fire extinguisher handy. In case of a fire or other emergency situation, having an extinguisher nearby is essential for keeping yourself—and others—safe until emergency responders arrive on scene to deal with the situation directly.
- Lock windows and doors when not in use; having them locked will make it more difficult for someone with dementia who may have wandered off from his or her caretaker’s supervision before entering through an unlocked door or window even if he or she wasn’t able to locate his way back home easily enough otherwise due to cognitive impairment issues associated with dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia.”
Take advantage of programs for people with dementia and caregivers.
If you’re looking for more information about dementia care, there are many excellent resources available. Local programs and support groups offer a wealth of information on how to live with dementia. You can also find online resources that will help you learn about the disease and how to care for someone with it.
- Support groups: You may even want to look into joining a support group for family members of people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia (e.g., Dementia Resources). In some cases, these support groups might be offered by your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA). If not, they can still be found at several websites dedicated to the topic such as [dementiaresourcesonline] (https://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/) or [dementiaresearchinstitute] (https://www.dementiaresearchinstitute). These kinds of organizations provide valuable information and valuable resources that can give families hope in this difficult time and help them feel less alone in their situation
- Respite programs: Your loved one may need respite at some point during their illness; this is when another caregiver comes in for awhile so that you can take some time off from caring for them yourself
Dementia can make it harder to live independently, but these tips can help you adjust to your changing abilities.
Dementia can make it harder to live independently, but these tips can help you adjust to your changing abilities.
Focus on the positive. You may need to accept that you no longer have the same skills you once had. But there are still some things that you can do well, and this will help you feel better about yourself and make others feel good about helping out as well.
Be prepared for changes in yourself and your loved ones as dementia progresses. When one person gets dementia, everyone else in the family may also be affected by the changes that are happening because of it. Each person’s reaction will probably be different: some people become withdrawn while others become more outspoken; some people get angry while others cry easily; some people act silly while others stay calm most of the time (even though they might be scared inside).
Stick with what works best for everyone—and don’t try too hard! Don’t force yourself into doing things differently than normal unless they’re clearly making life easier; instead focus on finding enjoyment out of each day rather than worrying about whether or not everything is perfect all at once – nobody is perfect anyway so why try?
Conclusion
We hope these tips will help you make your home safer for yourself and others who live there. If you have questions or want more information about how to care for someone with dementia, contact us today! We’re happy to offer support in any way we can as you adjust to your changing abilities.