5 Tips for Organizing a Home for Better Dementia Care

Living with dementia could strain both the family and the individual. Fortunately, there are specific adjustments that your caregiver can make to your home to make it physically and mentally safer for your loved ones. The tips will also enable the individual to be more independent.

The following tips will enable you to make your Santa Monica home more conducive to dementia care:

1. Improve lighting

With dementia, it may be challenging to tell objects apart, especially with dim light. Good lighting is necessary to show you where the individual is. It is also necessary to enable your loved ones to see items.

It is best to ensure that natural light can get into your house. The caregiver can creatively place objects such as furniture to prevent them from blocking the light from entering the doors and windows. Making the bedroom dark at night may be necessary to enable your loved one to sleep better.

At night, use bright bulbs to ensure that objects are easy to see. Also, complement lighting by painting walls with bright colors.

2. Make the flooring safer

Everybody falls once in a while. Research indicates that the frequency is higher for people with dementia. Therefore, you need to protect your loved ones from possible accidents in the house.

It is best to keep items that could make your loved one fall off the floor. Trip hazards such as cables should be well managed by using strategies such as calling a professional to have them safely installed. The caregiver should also keep items such as rugs away if they limit your movements. Also, make sure the flooring is clear—using plain mats is best.

It would be best to use flooring that has a different color from the walls. The caregiver may advise you to avoid using shiny flooring.

3. Make dining easier

Maintaining a good diet is essential for good health. Your loved ones need to dine with ease. Keep in mind that dementia comes along with memory losses. Therefore, food items should be appropriately organized to avoid accidents such as ingesting poison. Using clear plastic containers to see what is stored inside may be helpful.

Vision and perception may be affected in individuals when they get dementia. Using plates, cups, and tablecloths whose colors contrast with the food would be best. This slight change will also make for enjoyable mealtimes.

4. Keep clutter-free

Untidiness can make a home confusing for an individual with dementia. Naturally, items may accumulate in your home over time. What is essential is for the caregiver to eliminate hazards by helping friends and relatives reorganize the home.

Lock up the items that are not in use. Keep drawers organized and closed to minimize accidents. Avoid distractions by keeping devices such as radios and TVs off.

Your caregiver should also use labels to enable your loved ones to find items with ease. Overall, storing unnecessary items and organizing the remaining ones well is paramount.

5. Get outside

Getting outside is suitable for an individual with dementia—take every opportunity. The caregiver may ask you to make the door easily distinguished from the house's others. Use good color contrast to make it different from other houses on the road. Also, make yourself a good resting area in the garden.

Making the house easy to identify is necessary when the patient has mild confusion and memory loss. Your caregiver may utilize contrasting colors to make it easier for individuals with dementia to enjoy outdoor activities such as taking a walk. Depending on the case, your caregiver may accompany the individual on walks. Regardless, making the home easily distinguishable will reduce the dependence of your loved ones on caregivers, friends, and relatives.

The above tips for dementia care are the first step to making your home safer. If you or a loved one need in-home dementia care within Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, or Marina del Rey, do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.