How can you make the environment safer for someone living with dementia?

Training and Healthcare Blogs

A safe and familiar environment can greatly enhance the quality of life for those living with dementia.

Simple modiﬁcations can reduce confusion and promote independence, allowing for a more fulﬁlling daily experience.

Here are 12 things to consider when looking at a person’s environment…

1) Lighting - Use good lighting throughout the home, including nightlights and automatic light sensors.

2) Furniture - Rearrange furniture to make it easy to access and use and pad or remove sharp corners.

3)Floors - Keep floors clear and uncluttered and remove loose rugs or seal carpet edges.

4) Stairs - Install grab rails on stairs and mark the edges of steps with brightly coloured tape.

5) Storage - Install safety latches on storage cabinets and drawers and keep medications in a locked drawer or cabinet.

6) Water - Set the water heater to 120°F to avoid scalding, and label hot-water faucets red and cold-water faucets blue.

7) Safety devices - Install smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, movement sensors etc and test them weekly.

8) Emergency information - List emergency phone numbers and the person's address near all phones.

9) Colour - Use a lighter colour on the walls than the floor to create contrast and avoid bold patterns and stripes.

10) Signs - Use brightly coloured signs or simple pictures to label rooms and put signs on doors and cupboards.

11) Decluttering - Remove or lock away dangerous items or substances.

12) Timers - Use timers for plugs, lights, and heating systems to turn them on and off automatically

Plenty more tips and resources to help you care for someone with dementia, on our dementia training course.