Essential Home Modifications for Dementia Patients

Now, more than ever, we want to be able to live safely in our home and avoid nursing homes or assisted living centers. In this article, we'll guide you or a loved one who may be having memory, safety awareness, balance, or strength issues as a result of Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease with key home modifications recommendations to enable you to feel safe again in your home.

Understanding the Needs of Dementia Patients

Each diagnosis, whether it is general weakness, Parkinson's, a stroke, or Dementia and Alzheimer's can impact the safety in a home differently. It is vital to have experts that know these specific diagnoses - not just from a medical standpoint but from a movement perspective, assess your home as each diagnosis is different.

Rosarium Health provides licensed Occupational and Physical Therapists who have treated thousands of patients and are aging in place specialists to perform Dementia and Alzheimer focused safety assessments.

Why have experts in the medical field assess your home for accessibility adaptations?

• Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists (PTs and OTs) understand the importance of working with your whole medical team, from the nurses, physicians, case managers to family members and caregivers.
• PTs and OTs are movement experts. They work with physical and mental disabilities on a daily basis and have seen a large volume of different presentations and cases for each diagnosis. They can anticipate your safety needs for today but also for the future.
• PTs and OTs are medical equipment experts. They give out assistive devices and medical equipment like hotcakes. They know a large variety of devices and equipment and are on the forefront of any new technology that could make older adults' lives so much easier and safer. They are also experts in training the family and caregiver.
• PTs and OTs are trained in home safety assessments and often take additional education such as the CAPS certification to enhance their education even more.

Benefits of Dementia Focused Home Modifications

Even little improvements in your home can make a dramatic difference in the likelihood of a fall! Although it's important to think about safety, it's also important to think about independence. We want you to be able to feel like you can cook, you can walk throughout your home, you can go upstairs or downstairs by yourself.

How can home improvements allow you to age in place longer?

1. Fall(s) prevention. This is the first focus.
2. Help everyone feel happy and confident with you living at home.
3. Help you be able to cook independently
4. Help you be able to move amongst the rooms or floors independently
5. Help you be able to do the hobbies or activities you enjoy doing
6. And prevent/reduce the excessive costs that you may incur with hospitals and nursing homes

What are some minor home modifications that we suggest?

1. Declutter your home. Removing throw rugs, loose cords, items on the floor are all quick fixes that make a dramatic difference in assisting older adults with safety and accessibility.
2. Improve the lighting at daytime but also at nighttime
3. Address your assistive device such as a cane, rollator, walker, or wheelchair
4. Add different handles to the cabinet drawers
5. Recommend installing grab bars in the bathroom and around the toilet
6. Advocate for occupational therapy or physical therapy
7. Guiding you to hire a contractor if needed or discussing financing options if needed. Helping with your ability to pay is a key factor in your ability to perform major renovations.

This is just a small list of adjustments that can truly make an impact on older adults staying in their homes longer and with better quality of life.

Common Challenges Faced by Dementia Patients

When it comes to performing home modifications, assessments, and recommendations for those with Dementia and Alzheimer's it is important to understand that you must consider many different factors.

These factors include:

1. How is one's memory now and also how may it change in the future?
2. Is there a support system of family and caregivers? This dramatically changes certain recommendations
3. How is one's physical strength, ability to get up from chairs, ability to perform stairs, and ability to walk now and how may it change in the future?
4. What does the house or apartment look like right now? (Such as number of bedrooms or stairs)
5. Are there in therapy or performing exercise? Willingness to seek medical help to maintain health?
6. What are other health issues that they may have?

A home assessment performed by a physical or occupational therapist will ask you all these questions and more. Each person is unique in their needs and challenges and that's why it's so important to use a company such as Rosarium Health to guide your home modifications.

Where can those with Dementia and Alzheimer's get a home safety assessment?

We highly recommend you contact our support at Rosarium Health. We have licensed physical and occupational therapist's who are trained in home modifications ready to help you. In addition, we also have a large network of contractors, who just like our therapists, are trained on the complexities of home modifications and can help with installation and remodeling of your home as needed.