Improving The Care Home Experience For People With Dementia

It is estimated that there are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia. And this number is expected to grow over the next few years in line with the increasing life expectancy of our population.

Because of this, it is now more crucial than ever that more is done to not only understand how we can treat the condition but also improve the lives of those living with it.

Supporting Individuals With Dementia

A diagnosis of dementia can leave individuals and families reeling. No matter the age of the person, the impacts of dementia are far reaching and, often, challenging to deal with. But there are a huge number of ways to support someone living with dementia and help to maintain and improve their quality of life.

Dementia primarily affects cognitive functions such as: memory, language skills, information processing, spatial awareness, dexterity, judgement, and attention span. This can manifest in a number of ways resulting in memory loss (particularly short term), disorientation, changes in personality and difficulty in performing everyday tasks.

From a care home perspective, there are a huge range of opportunities to support individuals living with dementia while preserving their quality of life. Although these changes in a person can be profound, it is important to remember that their individuality and independence is just as important as their health and safety.

Planning Activities

Boredom is frustrating for us all, and it’s no different for a person living with dementia. Planned activities are a fantastic way to bring joy to and engage with any residents. Not only do they help to encourage self expression and increase productivity, they’re also vital in the prevention of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Activities such as painting, singing, light exercise, animal therapy, and cooking can be hugely beneficial to individuals living with dementia. Alongside this, having conversations about their favourite things, topics and memories can increase happiness, too.

Reminiscence is a particularly effective way to encourage engagement in someone living with dementia. Typically, short term memory is affected by dementia first, so long term memories remain stronger for longer. Talking about a person’s life can be a hugely positive activity. This can be as simple as simply talking about their childhood and family or flipping through a photo album.

At Hill & Hill Design, we think reminiscence is extremely important for the wellbeing of individuals living with dementia. For care homes we offer a range of reminiscence furniture made in retro 1950s styles that have the ability to evoke happy memories. Designed to create a ‘home from home’ feel, they work to create a warm and familiar atmosphere for residents.

Changes To The Environment

As dementia can have an effect on vision, mobility and depth perception, it is important to ensure care home environments are designed to minimise the risks they pose and encourage independence.

Trips and falls are common in people with dementia, and elderly people in general, so ensuring that the lighting is good and walkways are clear is absolutely essential. Individuals with dementia may also find loud environments and noises uncomfortable, so working to reduce these can also promote wellbeing. A particularly effective way to do this is with soft furnishings such as curtains, cushions and carpets. At Hill & Hill Design, we offer soft furnishings in the form of stylish flame retardant curtains for that home from home feeling.

Not only that, but dementia furniture that is designed to mitigate the risks associated with dementia and promote independence is also crucial. From furniture with curved edges to viewing panels to support with cognitive impairment, our range of dementia friendly products help care homes to support their residents living with dementia.

Creating Dementia Friendly Environments

Care homes have a duty of care to all residents and it is important to give a lot of thought to the ways in which quality of life can be improved for everyone, including those living with dementia. At Hill & Hill Design, we believe in creating dementia friendly environments for care homes that aren’t lacking in personality or stylishness.

With our free design service you can benefit from our expertise and experience in the care home interior design space. From your brief, we can recommend a range of furniture combinations to suit the needs of your residents while promoting a boutique style environments to be enjoyed by everyone. If you would like to find out more about our services, contact us today for more information.