Your Ultimate Guide to a Dementia-Friendly Home

The only thing more stressful for carers than a debilitating dementia case is a home that makes it impossible to look away for even a second.

You see, dementia makes adults into what some people call “reverse toddler” versions of themselves. Toddlers are tantrum machines, hyperactive beasts, and little energiser bunnies. Their main trick is to do every and anything that comes to them at any point in a day, whether it can kill them or lead to a brilliant invention.

Meanwhile, a person living with dementia doesn’t have the hyperactive tendencies of a toddler. Instead, they get confused easily, such that they might not even be able to tell the difference between salt and talcum powder. There have been cases of people living with dementia who stepped out of the houses they’ve lived in all their lives for a walk, and upon returning, refused to go in because they couldn’t recognise it as theirs. When they finally get in, they get so overwhelmed that they become afraid and sometimes put themselves in harmful situations.

Putting the carer, whose job already requires a huge emotional and mental effort, in a condition where they have to run after their patient like parents run after toddlers, isn’t ideal.

And this, friends, is the reason for this guide.

In the following sections, you will learn more about what it takes to make your home safe for your loved one and conducive for your carer to do their job as best as they can.

Why a Dementia-Friendly Home Matters

But why does it matter, though? If Granny has lived in the same house for the last 50 years and made it her home, wouldn’t moving things around be counterintuitive?

This is a valid concern. Experts say, in fact, that being cared for in their own homes can help people living with dementia enjoy a good enough quality of life. But say, Grandpa, who’s late in this analogy, by the way, was a landscaper and kept his shears and other sharp tools nearby. That’s danger waiting to happen!

When you remodel for your loved one living with dementia, such that you even label stuff, they can be able to walk in and instantly recognise what each item is for. If they don’t, their carer will, making it easy to care for them.

Health Direct Australia says dementia-friendly homes are supportive and safe homes where people like Granny can enjoy their daily routines and do the things they’re used to without fear of danger.

“A dementia-friendly home is a safe, familiar place. Comfort comes from simple things like a favourite blanket or a well-lit room.”

Light, Colour and Contrast

The quickest way to get your loved one with dementia to become scared is to have them live in a badly lit home.

During the day, make sure that sunlight filters in just enough to not need extra lighting. Where the natural light doesn’t hit, remove things that cause shadows or light that area up properly. At night, keep the room dark enough so that they can sleep better. Install sensor lights in case they want to get up for a quick visit to the loo or to drink some water.

It can be tempting to get fancy coloured lights but fight the temptation. It’s Granny’s house and not yours, after all. What should drive your choices of lighting colours is how easy it will be for your loved one to differentiate sections of the house with those lights. One trick is to use warm lights in the bedroom and bright lights in the kitchen and bathrooms.

The colours aren’t just for the lighting. Plates, furniture, decor and carpets should have distinctive colours that can help them recognise different areas in the kitchen. Don’t use busy patterns either, as they can easily get confused like this.

Flooring and Furniture Safety

Even people who don’t have dementia will be looked at weirdly if they live in a home with unsafe flooring and furniture. Nobody in their right mind will keep a chair with a nail sticking out, or a stool with a short leg.

If you, who are healthy, cannot deal with this, how much more your loved one with dementia?

Slips and falls are a big deal in dementia treatment. A dementia-friendly home is one that ensures that all furniture is safe enough for the person living with dementia to use unsupervised. It is a home that makes sure that there are no cables lying carelessly on the floor. It is one that makes sure that all the carpets are properly laid on the floor.

When flooring a home for your loved one with dementia, don’t make it too shiny. It looks like water because of its gloss and can confuse them. Use matte polishes so that they can be more confident when walking. Furniture should also be spaced apart as widely as possible so that they don’t bump into them and hurt themselves in the process.

Most importantly, anything that can move must be anchored. If Granny had a favourite rocking chair, sorry, but it has to go. We can’t risk it with her dementia. If there are stairs anywhere in the house, install railings that your loved one can support themselves on as they go up or down.

Kitchen and Dining Adjustments

If you’ve ever watched a toddler, you’ll understand the kind of panic that comes from realising they waddled into the kitchen. Anything can happen!

Our “reverse toddlers” do not have half the destructive tendencies that the little tykes may have, but it’s always concerning leaving them alone in the kitchen. From hot liquid spills to broken water fittings, to knife injuries and even electrocution or equipment damage, anything can happen.

But you know what can save you from this fear? That’s right – a dementia-friendly home! Some light adjustments here and there, and you can be sure that Granny wouldn’t pick up a meat cleaver instead of a butter knife.

Put potentially harmful equipment and cutlery out of their reach, label dishes and cutlery, as well as ingredients. For ingredients, especially, use clear containers so they can see the contents clearly to recognise them.

Use the shelves and cupboards to organise items too. One shelf for breakfast items, one for meal prep items (including ingredients), one for cookware and so on. Don’t forget to label them too, because with these labels, Granny will know where to get her favourite cereal easily. Childproof the shelves and cupboards with knives, cleaning chemicals and heavy items.

The most important tip is to always watch the burners and to reduce the number of gadgets in the kitchen. 

The dinner table should not be neglected either. That thing with colours and lighting? Apply it here. Don’t use tablecloths that are too bright. Light the area properly so they can see their plates easily.

Bathroom Safety and Simplicity

Now, this is one area of the home that your loved one should never visit unsupervised. Yes, you can make your bathrooms as safe and simple as possible, but the danger of fatal slips and falls is real for them in a bathroom. This is not even counting the fact that the different knobs could confuse them – like them turning on the hot water knob and getting startled by the water’s temperature.

You still need to make your bathrooms as safe as possible, though. Here are a few tips to do this.

• Labels: Experts say that putting a clear label on the bathroom doors can save them from going into the bathroom by mistake. Labels also help them identify what is what in bathrooms. Also label things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, gels, and so on.
• Safety Rails: Affix rails to the walls of the bathroom that your loved one can grab onto for more solid footing. Health Direct Australia says these handles are life-changing because they make bathrooms easier for people with dementia to manoeuvre.
• Flooring: Rubber mats, grippy floor tiles, waterproof carpets–whatever you know will reduce the slipperiness of a bathroom floor, add it to your loved one’s bathroom. Also, make sure that the plumbing is solid so that there’s no danger of backflow or leaks that can become puddles.
• Declutter: One towel at a time, one soap at a time, one shampoo, one toothbrush, one gel at a time. Don’t have too many options there that can confuse them. The best thing is to leave the shelves empty but for a few daily essentials.
• Change the Locks: Install one-way locks and hold on to the key. Don’t ever give them the chance to lock themselves in.

Again, never let a person with dementia use the bathroom unsupervised. You don’t have to be in there with them. Just be nearby.

Memory Helpers and Decluttering

Label, label and label. We cannot overemphasise this. It is, in fact, the most important thing to do to make a dementia-friendly home. Dementia attacks the memory. Defend it as much as you can with clear labels, memory helpers, and very bold signs.

You can use things like sticky notes for reminders and small messages, a whiteboard to write down routines and schedules, as well as meal plans, and a paper calendar to help them keep track of important dates. For telling the time, a big clock with clear numbers is best. Digital clocks tend to do better because of the ease of telling time with them.

In your labelling, try not to clutter the area. Just because one cupboard has all the breakfast items doesn’t mean there should be so many options. Your loved one will become overwhelmed when they open that cupboard and see three different cereals and five different cereal bowls.

The goal is to create a home that feels familiar and easy to navigate. But everything you do will be pointless if you keep moving things around. Always put everyday items in the same place: let keys be hung on the key rack, keep the umbrella in its case, etc. Display familiar objects, trinkets, and keepsakes clearly AND IN THE SAME PLACE. This helps their home feel more familiar to them as they go about their daily lives.

Tech and Safety Gear for Peace of Mind

Tech can also be a great ally as you aim to create a dementia-friendly home for your loved one. The NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) will even fund some of this tech for you under the “Assistive Tech” plan! Ask your plan manager for more information on this plan so you make your loved one’s–and your’s–lives easier!

Meanwhile, the tech you should be looking at installing is:

• Sensors and Alarms: The sensors can notify you or the carer in case your loved one goes where they shouldn’t. They can also help them get into place where they should without much difficulty. Alarms, meanwhile, can help to turn gadgets off, serve as warnings for things like smoke or gas leaks, and serve as reminders for important routine activities, like taking meds.
• Communication Aids: You may not need special tech for this, but there is special tech for this. You can do this on a smartphone. Attach pictures to certain numbers that they can look up and call. This makes it easy for them to reach out to those they need to reach out to. There are also wearable emergency buttons that they can hit in case they need something.
• GPS Trackers: If your loved one is prone to wandering, then GPS trackers are your best bet. Devices like Apple’s Air Tags are a great way to keep track of them.

If you’re lost and need guidance on which tech to install that fits your loved one’s needs, Support Network staff can advise and even assist you in installing them.

Outdoor Spaces

Don’t forget to remodel the yard and garden while you’re trying to make your loved one’s home more dementia friendly. The outside air has a great effect on people living with dementia. Your loved one can get some good sunlight and gentle exercise from just walking around the garden or yard.

This is why the pathways have to be even. Call the landscaper to deal with any mounds that could cause them to trip as they take a walk in the yard. Call the lumber to ensure that the sprinklers aren’t in the way. Rake the fallen leaves away from the pathways often, and make sure to trim the lawn very often. If you can, install ramps with handrails.

As for plants, please do not use any thorny plants. Even if Granny loved roses, don’t leave the rose bush in the garden. Get her the roses in bouquets instead. Replace the bush with plants that have no thorns. If they used to garden, guide them back into it. If they didn’t use to garden, show them how to. It can be an activity that helps their brain remain anchored to reality.

Also, make sure that the fence is secure. And if the gate is in view, make sure it stands out well enough that they can easily differentiate it.

If your yard or garden is big enough to accommodate seating, make sure that you apply the same furniture safety tips to the seating. Make sure there’s enough shade where the seating is situated.

Experts recommend that people living with dementia get out very often. The exposure to daylight helps them sleep better at night. It also helps their body clock calibrate itself. And here’s a little tip: Add a bird feeder to your yard. The birds bring peace that will greatly help them live better lives.

Daily Routines and Social Engagement

We’re almost at the end of this guide! Before we conclude, though, let’s talk about the kind of routines that your loved one can engage in after you’ve made a dementia-friendly home for them.

You see, remodelling is just one part of making a home conducive for a person living with dementia to thrive. Activities are a big part of doing this. This mostly means that you have to develop a scheduled routine, so that they don’t lose touch with reality.

This means set times for walks, set times for the bathroom, set times for meals, set times for medication and so on. This can make it easier for them to handle each day as it comes and not feel too overwhelmed.

Also, make sure that your loved one does mental activity. Reading is good, but if they’re losing language, switch to picture books. Get them to garden, just like we noted in an earlier section of this guide. Taking care of plants can help their brain stay active. It also helps them stay physically active, too.

And, as for physical activity, apart from walks, get your loved one to do simple things like folding laundry, setting the table for dinner, and even going with you as you shop for groceries. You can even introduce them to new activities like crocheting, painting, or baking. This consistency builds security and familiarity in their brains.

We did not forget about you, the caregiver. Your job is tough, and you do need as much support as you can get. That's where Support Network can come in. You can learn how to create routines and how best to adapt to each situation.

Conclusion

This guide makes it look easy, doesn’t it? The truth is that it’s not. This thing takes effort and time. It’s a continuous process, which means you cannot get tired. It also means that you can never get it right immediately, and cannot do everything at once.

But it’s always worth it to see your loved one thriving in spite of their dementia.

Do not take away their independence as you try to create a dementia-friendly home. Your efforts should primarily be geared at making them comfortable enough to live a good-enough life as they see out their years.

Try out one change at a time. For example, get new chairs one day and see how your loved one reacts. Then change the room’s colour. Change things one at a time. And if you need help with these ideas, we’re only a call away!

Don’t forget: We’re always cheering you on!