Designing a dementia-friendly bedroom at home can greatly enhance the quality of life for those living with dementia. The design should prioritise comfort, safety, and accessibility to enhance dementia care at home. Choose calming and familiar colours that can help reduce confusion and anxiety. Clear out unnecessary clutter and ensure that the room is well-lit. Install handrails and grab bars for support, particularly in the bathroom. Consider incorporating familiar items and photographs to help with memory and familiarity. It is also important to ensure that the room is temperature-controlled and equipped with appropriate bedding to promote a night of restful sleep.
With the right adjustments and mindful choices, you can transform your bedroom living space into a welcoming haven that promotes safety, comfort, and independence.
In this post, we will guide you through a range of dementia-friendly home ideas that can make daily life easier for your loved ones. From minor changes to strategic design choices, there are various ways to create a supportive environment.
Dementia Care Support Guide: Warm and Informative, Welcome to our guide on designing a dementia-friendly bedroom in your home, where warmth meets practicality. Whether you're a carer or family member, we understand the importance of a safe and nurturing space for your loved ones with dementia. This post will provide you with practical ideas and insights, helping you transform your home into a haven that supports dementia patients' unique needs.
Remove any items that could cause accidents or confusion. Remove loose rugs or carpets to prevent falls, remove clutter, and ensure that furniture is arranged in a way that allows for easy walking in the bedroom.
Use contrasting colours to identify key items, such as light switches or door handles in the bedroom.
To enhance visibility and minimise shadows in the bedroom, it is important to have adequate lighting. Bedside lamps or motion-activated lights can help navigate at night. Additionally, incorporating smart devices like Google or Alexa can provide convenient assistance with controlling the lights. A simple command such as "Hey Google, turn off the lights" or "Alexa, turn off the bedroom lights" can easily manage the lighting in the room.
Surround the room with familiar items like photographs (with names or where the photo was taken), personal belongings, or family possessions to create a sense of friendliness and familiarity.
Use whiteboards to write important information such as appointments, birthdays, names and phone numbers, medication times, etc.
"Refrain from writing doctors or hospital appointments on the whiteboard; my dad has a habit of marking off the whiteboard just to avoid the appointment. To prevent my dad from erasing doctor or hospital appointments from the whiteboard, my mom has started writing alternative activities such as "going to the park" instead."
Try to keep the same furniture as much as you can in the bedroom. Make sure all the bedding has contrasting colours. Remove big mirrors (like wardrobe mirrors); as dementia progresses, some people with dementia experience paranoia. They couldn't understand the reflections of the mirror, and in some cases, reflections from window glasses can agitate too. So make sure you can close the curtains in the evening, or consider installing smart automated window blinds. Most of them can now be controlled via smart speaker systems.
Ensure all unused electrical outlets are safely covered. Get installed a camera system and a smart screen system to check their welfare. Get incontinent sheets to prevent any mess from accidents.
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Dementia is progressive. So make sure to carry out regular checks and adjustments to the environment to improve the dementia-friendly bedroom facilities as a part of dementia care in your own home.