For us, every new day is the dawn of new hope, new possibilities. Old age, however, is a different ballgame altogether. Old age sometimes brings with it dementia. People no longer recognise their home environment. Though there are ways to deal with Dementia. Every day they wake up to a strange place and must learn how to get about all over again. It is challenging for the person with dementia and for their caregivers. For dementia home care, it is absolutely essential that the house that they live in is safe. Accidents do happen and as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
If you have an old parent with dementia living with you, it may be time to dementia-proof your home. Survey your house for danger zones and decide what must be done to make the house safe for a patient of dementia.
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- Keep it simple. With progressing dementia, the cognitive level of a person goes down. It becomes challenging for them to absorb new information. Sometimes they forget simple things. If the environment in the home is simple, it is a big help. Walking passages or ways, for example, should be as straight as possible. The more direct it is, the easier it will be for a person with dementia to navigate it.
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- Make it clutter free. Keep spaces free of too many pieces of furniture or showpieces. This will make it easier for the dementia patient to move about. It will also help them to remember and make decisions easily. Too many things in the house may also cause over-stimulation. A clutter free home environment will prevent it.
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- Label everything. Use labels and signs as much as possible. Depending on the cognitive level of the person suffering from dementia, use labels with words or pictures. A sign saying ‘Bathroom’ or a picture of a toilet outside the bathroom will help your loved one identify that part of the house.
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- Items that use electricity. For your elderly loved one, replace all your electronic items with ones that have the auto shut-off feature. These are more common now than they used to be. Electric kettles and irons are the most commonly used items that have this feature.
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- Light up. In addition to removing clutter, you must ensure that your house is well lit so that your elderly loved one can see their way well enough not to trip or fall. Light up all areas of the house. Install night lights in all rooms. Also, if there are lights that are too bright, replace them with softer lights. This will ensure that they don’t get agitated due to the glare.
As the disease progresses, some areas of the house will automatically become off-limits. The kitchen will eventually become a danger zone. We at TriBeCa Care understand that dementia home care is not easy. We have specialised dementia care counselling that will help you and your elderly relative. Find out about our managed elder care services & our team of experienced caregivers will help ensuring your house is safe for a dementia patient.
For further details, visit us at www.tribecacare.com
E-mail us at:enquiry@newwpsite.tribecacare.com or call us on +91 33 402 777 77 / +91 8017770323
