If someone in your home is having issues with their memory, be it someone who has suffered an injury or an elderly loved one who isn’t ready to live in a memory care facility, you might be worried about how you can make your home a safe and comfortable space for everyone there. Luckily, with a few changes, you can help your loved one with memory loss find ways to fit in your home.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips to prepare your home to start caring for someone with memory loss.
Start Writing Everything Down
When someone is having a hard time remembering things, it’s going to be incredibly helpful to have things written down so that they don’t have to rely on their memory so much.
While you might already be doing this with things like your own to-do lists and shopping lists, you can and should start doing this with other routines. If your loved one has a routine that they can stick to, writing it down so that they can see it will help them to do those things. Additionally, if you can write down on the front of doors and cabinets regarding what’s behind them, your loved one won’t get as frustrated when they can’t remember where something is or how to find what they need.
Minimize Patterns But Increase Colors
For people who are having memory issues related to the onset of dementia, there will be things that can set them off and make things harder for them to handle. One of these things is having too many patterns around the home. So if there are a lot of conflicting patterns on things around your home, consider replacing those things.
On the other hand, having contrasting colors can be great for people with memory issues, as it can make things easier for them to see and distinguish between. So if your home is kind of monochromatic at this point, see where you can add some contrasting colors to make their life easier.
Make The Environment Safe
The reason you’re bringing your loved one into your home is because you want them to have a safe place to live and, if possible, heal. To create this kind of space, your home will need to be a safe environment.
To achieve this, make sure you put away anything that could cause them to hurt themselves, like clutter. You may also want to put in more lighting so that nothing is in shadow, which can make things harder to see and increase the chance of injury around the home.
If you’re going to be caring for someone with memory loss in your home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you create a safe place for them.
