Six Tips for Organizing a Home for Better Dementia Care

Living with dementia can be hard on both a person and their entire family. However, there are plenty of things that you can do to ensure that your loved one is able to continue to live at home and stay as independent as possible. You just have to find ways to organize your home in order to keep it as safe as possible. 

Here are some tips for organizing your home for better dementia care in Charlotte, Pineville, and Concord. 

Tips for Organizing Your Home for a Better Dementia Care

1. Declutter your home. 

Living in a home, whether it is for months or years, can lead to a lot of clutter. Now is the time to go through and get rid of as much clutter as possible. Not only will you and your loved ones not trip over things that are just lying around, but it will also be easier to find the things that you do need. This will also help later because there won't be as much to go through after your loved one is gone. 

2. Keep frequently used items easily accessible.

If your loved one likes toast or coffee every morning, leave them on the kitchen counter. Keep brushes, combs, toothbrushes, and other things right on the counter of the bathroom. Does your loved one like to read? Leave a book by the bed. Do whatever you can to make your loved one's life as easy as possible. 

3. Keep doors open. 

If your loved one is struggling to find different rooms in the house, it is often easier to maneuver and find them when the doors are left open. If all of the doors are shut in the hallway, your loved one can't simply look into them to figure out where he or she is going. 

4. You may want to take the doors off of the cabinets or use signs in the kitchen. 

Since most cups, plates, and other utensils are hidden away in the kitchen, it can be hard for someone to remember which door to open. For this reason, you may want to remove the doors to make it easier on your loved one. If that isn't an option, you may want to put signs on the doors so that your loved one can easily find what he or she is looking for. 

5. Many older people prefer toilets that are higher than normal toilets. 

This will help them to use the bathroom on their own for as long as possible. You may even want to consider adding handles that they can grab when they are going down and getting up.

6. Have a routine and stick to it. 

Though most people do better with a routine, it is even more important for those with dementia. Start every morning off the same way. Have a schedule for the day, and then do the same things every night before bed. 

Living with dementia can be hard on the person, and their entire family. However, with a little organization, you can make your loved one's life a lot better. This may include decluttering the home and keeping items that are used regularly in easy view. Keep doors open so he or she can easily find the room that they were looking for. You may even want to take the doors off of the cabinets for the same reason! 

If you need more information about assisting your loved ones with dementia, contact us at Senior Helpers today and find out how we can help.