More than 55 million individuals across the globe suffer from dementia, with roughly 10 million new cases diagnosed each year. Your elderly parents will inevitably have increasing trouble recalling, perceiving, comprehending, and rationalizing as their dementia worsens. Making daily duties easy allows them to remain as self-sufficient as possible, reducing anger, frustration, and nervousness. Here are some ideas for creating a safe environment for dementia folks.
Signages and Open Doors
Try incorporating straightforward one-word labels or photos with an arrowhead icon indicating the way to key locations since anyone with dementia may not even recognize where they are in their house. It is also critical to keep the interior doors wide open. It’s easier to navigate the house when the insides of rooms are immediately visible. But if there are any rooms your parents shouldn’t enter, keep those doors shut and prevent unnecessary attention to those places.
Rid the House of Unwanted Clutter
Clutter may make a room appear untidy, perplexing, and frustrating. It’s crucial to understand the distinction between hoarders and clutterers to assist your parents to simplify, make more space in their house, and create a safer place for them to age gracefully.
Hoarders are obsessed with their possessions, and letting go typically necessitates the help of a qualified expert who specializes in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. With a little advice, clutterers, the most prevalent kind, are more likely to let go. Understand that your parents may not be impartial when it comes to their belongings, even if you are. For many people, the first step is the most difficult, so be ready to exercise additional patience when decluttering your parents’ home.
Make Improvements to the Bathroom
If your family members have dementia, overlooking running taps is a concern. Flooding not only causes falls and injuries, but it can also cost a lot of effort and money to have your parents treated at the hospital. To avoid that, use showers that turn off automatically after a specified length of time. Flood-proof plugs for bathrooms and basins are also available. When a specific pressure is achieved, they open up, allowing the water to drain until the pressure is lowered before closing again.
Unfortunately, persons with dementia are prone to falling in the restroom. The main culprits are slick flooring, slippery bathtubs, and frictionless bathmats. Install non-slip flooring in the shower, and make sure the floor is the same color throughout. Any color change might be misinterpreted as a step, causing them to fall. If the floor tiles are exceptionally polished, they may appear to be wet, causing confusion, uncertainty, and mishaps. To assist your parents in supporting themselves up or down, grab bars can be fitted where necessary.
Living at home might provide a sense of freedom to someone with dementia. Your parents will be able to keep up with their favorite rituals or activities if you make some smart alterations to the house. Each of these modifications can help your loved ones thrive and survive, allowing them to enjoy a longer and healthier life.
