How to Setting Up A Home For a Parent With Dementia

Create a Dementia-Friendly Environment at Home

Dementia refers to a brain disorder that interferes with cognitive processes, challenging memory, problem-solving skills, reasoning, mood, and safety awareness/judgment to name a few. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease which makes up roughly 60-80% of cases.

Whatever the form of dementia, there is a serious breakdown in cognitive skills for seniors which can impact their ability to safely live at home and it only gets worse with time. Family members and caregivers may feel low – how to help their senior loved ones suffering from dementia, especially when it comes to their personal safety at home.

Are you also thinking of the same? Don’t worry, our following guide will help you!

How to Set Up a Private Home for Dementia Patient

We understand that it’s quite difficult to provide proper care to older adults suffering from specific conditions, for example, dementia. Plus, such patients requires special care service in their own homes & 24*7. So, how can you set up a home for such patients?

The following information includes tips on how to set up a private home for a parent with dementia so that they can live as independently and safely as possible.

  • Consult With Professionals

Consult With Professional doctors

If you don’t know where to start or what to look for in keeping a parent with dementia safe at home, seek professional assistance. Talk to doctors, therapists, psychiatrists, or any medical professionals who are familiar with your parents and their dementia prognosis. As the disease progresses, the changes in the body become more detailed and elaborate with time. Professionals who are familiar with dementia will know how to lay out a modification plan for families who wish to keep their parents home for as long as possible.

  • Research And Apply Useful Home Adaptive Equipment

There are two types of equipment that are necessary for home modification – durable medical equipment and adaptive equipment.

Durable medical equipment includes walkers, wheelchairs, and respiratory equipment to name a few. Whereas, adaptive equipment includes reached grabbers, leg lifters, shower chairs, dressing sticks, toilet risers, modified self-feeding and meal-preparation equipment, etc. But, not every parent with dementia will require the same home equipment.

Parents with dementia who have poor walking balance, or a history of falls may benefit from various equipment than others. In order to choose one, consult with a medical equipment provider to see what equipment would work best.

  • Set Up Appropriate Alarm Systems

Set Up Appropriate Alarm Systems

Individuals with dementia may have the tendency to wander out of the home or attempt physical activities within the home that are not safe without supervision.

These days, there are dozens of home security systems available to alert family members when something is wrong or if their parents leave the house alone or without informing. Some alarms can detect when someone has fallen in the home, when there’s a house fire when there’s carbon monoxide, or even if an intruder is trying to break in.

So, a family member can take advantage of such alarm systems to take care of their parents or seniors!

  • Eliminate Immediate Dangers Within the Home

The two most potentially dangerous areas in the home are the bathroom and the kitchen. An individual with moderate to severe dementia problems will struggle with understanding how to safely use basic kitchen utensils and equipment. Depending on the parent and the dementia severity, certain items need to be removed or blocked, including access to sharp utensils, oven dials/buttons, and plug-in appliances.

In some cases, outlets should be covered or blocked to prevent fire or electrocution. The bathroom and tub should include non-slip mats and grab bars to prevent falls and injury. All faucets in the home should have temperature regulators to prevent the parent from accessing extremely heated water to prevent scalding and other burn injuries.

  • Clear the Home of Clutter And Throw Rugs

Clear the Home of Clutter And Throw Rugs

Family members are not expected to restrain or isolate a parent to keep them from wandering around the home, especially if their standing balance is in question. If a mobile parent with dementia does get up and wander the home, make sure that all walkways are free of clutter and throw rugs to prevent falls, loss of balance, and injury.

  • Have a Family/Caregiver Schedule in Place

Caring for a parent with dementia places numerous demands on the children’s schedules, which can cause fatigue, resentment, and burnout. Put a family schedule in place and take shifts to check in on the parent, assist with tasks that require at least one-on-one supervision, and run a safety check on the home (i.e. assess the alarm systems, clear rooms of any potentially dangerous items, etc.).

So, allow time in the schedule to just be there for the parent and to be that familial support. Dementia is an incredibly scary disorder to have, and involving family members in parents’ lives makes them feel included and at ease which can potentially prevent erratic or wandering behavior.

  • Recruit Home Care Services When Necessary

Since dementia is a progressive disorder, it is only a matter of time for family members to seek professional assistance. Home care services are a suitable option for families who know their parents are still safe at home with additional support. Even if your parents are in the earliest stages of dementia, research your home care options now to be better prepared for the future.

If you’re looking for such services or want to hire responsible caregivers for your parents or seniors, Justin Villa Care is here to assist you! We have certified professionals who will take care of your seniors in every possible way.

  • Have An Emergency Preparedness Plan

Accidents happen, even for seniors who aren’t living with dementia. Seniors are more at risk for falls and home-based injuries due to age-related conditions. So, it stands to reason that seniors with cognitive deficits are at even more risk no matter what well-intended environmental modifications are in place.

Therefore, families should have to adopt an emergency preparedness plan if their parents experience a medical incident or injury while in the home. For this, you must have health insurance information ready and a list of appropriate doctors and hospitals in the area. Plus, make sure you have contact information and persona/medical history information, especially if the parent is unable to collect that information themselves. You also have to organize a list of family members who can be ready at a moment’s notice if a medical emergency does occur.

  • Involve the Parent in Arranging and Decorating the Home

Completely setting up the home for a dementia parent with alarm systems and unrecognizable medical equipment can be overwhelming and distressing. So, we recommend involving your parents with dementia in organizing the home. Prepare them ahead of time by showing them pictures of the equipment that will be brought in.

Let them feel like the house is still their home. Allow them to organize and decorate around the environmental modifications, just if it’s safe and there is minimal clutter. Be loving and gentle with any environmental modification suggestions.

For More Detail – Contact Justin Villa Care!

Having a parent with dementia problems live in their own home safely and for as long as possible is an achievable goal for families to attain. However, if this is a new experience for you and your family, you can take advice from our professional experts.

We also recommend in regard to the above tips while setting up your home for your parents, do your research on relevant medical equipment and other home care services. You must have an emergency plan and work together as a family to help the parent with dementia live safely and to the fullest quality.

In case, if you’re preferring to choose home care services, Justin Villa Care assures you of all the reliable services. So, your loved ones receive all the quality care even while remaining in a home. All our in-home specialized caregivers are knowledgeable, experienced, and specially trained in helping individuals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doha

Doha

Doha Isleta, L.V.N. has been the Client Care Manager at Justin Villa Care, LLC for over 10 years. She oversees each client case and makes sure that families are confident in the caregiver that they choose. She looks forward to helping you or your loved one live at home safely and independently.

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Justin Villa Care Implements Safety Measures to Protect Clients From COVID-19

Justin Villa Care is dedicated to implementing proactive measures during this difficult time to support our caregivers, clients and families. Here are some of the measures we are implementing to help your loved ones to stay home and stay safe.

Caregiver and Staff Education

Our caregivers and staff have received communication and training in:

  • Symptoms
  • Safety protocols
  • Travel reporting requirements
  • Proper handwashing techniques
  • Respiratory etiquette
  • Warning signs of illness
  • Infection control protocols, including effective cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and hands Following CDC and local health authority guidance

Caregiver and Staff Monitoring

We will not place any caregiver with a client for a minimum of 14 days or until cleared by a medical provider if the caregiver has:

  • Been exposed to a facility where COVID- 19 is being treated
  • Traveled to a location on the CDC advisory list in the past two months
  • Started showing symptoms of the illness
  • We will not place any caregiver who has symptoms of illness on assignment or accept new clients who demonstrate symptoms that are highly consistent with the COVID-19 diagnosis or who have traveled to Level 1-3 areas in the most recent 14 days.

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