Environment

Living with Dementia poses many challenges. Dementia can have adverse effects on hearing, vision, mobility and understanding. What might seem like a very simple and clear cut situation to the average person, could represent a difficult, confusing and frightening situation for someone who has Dementia. For this reason the environment in which people with Dementia are cared for should be adapted to make life as easy as possible for them to manage their day to day activities. This can vary from the way in which a kitchen or dining area is set out, to the way lighting is used to illuminate a room. A well designed environment can make a huge difference to how a person with Dementia can cope independently with their daily activities with minimal risk of injury to themselves or others.

Basic Adaptations

There are many basic adaptations that can be implemented very easily and with minimal cost. Try to keep rooms and passageways well illuminated, avoiding any dark or dimly lit areas. Keep passageways, corridors and open spaces clear and free from clutter to avoid any potential tripping hazards. Try to avoid glare by using matt or satin finishes on walls, doors and woodwork. Hide any dangerous areas, or entrances to rooms that you do not want the person with Dementia to go into, by covering them with a curtain, or painting them in the same colour as the surrounding walls in order to disguise the door. These doors should also remain locked to minimise the risk of them being discovered.

Frequently used rooms should be conspicuously marked using Dementia Signage which should be positioned at a height between waist and shoulder level to ensure maximum visibility for the person with Dementia. Personal rooms, such as bedrooms, should be labelled with the person's name, and picture if possible. High contrast colours are a good way of highlighting certain aspects of a room, but avoid using black, as people with Dementia quite often misinterpret this as a hole or gap in the surrounding area. Plain floor, wall and furniture coverings are also a good idea to help keep visual confusion down to a minimum, and you should investigate and use any items of Assistive Technology where it is possible and practical.

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology is the name given for specific items that have been adapted for use by anyone with a special need, specifically people with Dementia. These items can help with things such as bathing, mealtimes, and taking medication. Some examples of Assistive Technology are coloured toilet seats, coloured plates and cutlery, timed medication dispensers, telephones with large picture displays, and systems for remotely monitoring movement within a specific area.

PSS have published their own catalogue of Assistive Technology items which are available on the open market. This catalogue contains details of what each item is for, an indication of the cost, and where it can be purchased or ordered. The catalogue can be found on the downloads page by clicking here.

Dementia Signage

Dementia signage can help a person with Dementia find their way around. This signage will highlight areas of your home, care home, day care centre, or any other building such as the dining room, bedrooms, garden, or toilet and can help them find their way around when they have problems remembering the layout and location of certain rooms within their environment. They are high visibility, high contrast, brightly coloured signs which often include a picture or illustration to reinforce what the sign represents such as a full dinner plate for the dining room, or a flower to represent the garden.

PSS have published their own versions of Dementia Signage for use around the home or care home. This Dementia Signage can be downloaded for free and printed on A4 paper, (or bigger), and fixed onto walls or doors to indicate the more common rooms are such as 'Bedroom', 'Bathroom' or 'Dining Room'. If you have access to a laminating machine, you can laminate each sign before fixing it to the wall to make it a bit more robust and resistant to damage. There are many signs available to download. The full list of them can be found by clicking here .