This Insidious Dementia
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This month on the blog I’m talking about alterations for dementia and signage that I made for my mom, who had mild cognitive impairment.
When one gets dementia or mild cognitive impairment things around the house start being a challenge. What once was familiar is familiar no longer.
As the caregiver, making those alterations for dementia is up to us.
Here are a few adaptations that I did for Mom. You can find out more about my mom here.
The Oven
As Mom progressed with dementia she had a harder time figuring out how to turn the oven on then set the right temperature.
This is the note that I made for her which was taped onto the control panel.
In looking back at the photo and critiquing it, it would have been better for me to have drawn pictures of the actual buttons to press. That way they get both the visual and the verbal cues.
I can’t remember if she had trouble with the microwave. For me, I was more concerned with what kind of dish/plate/??? she would come up with to use in the microwave.
It wasn’t long after she started having difficulty that I started taking care of the meals and cooking for her. That way I knew she was eating at the right times and eating healthy. (Kinda!! – she really liked her sweets!!)
The Front Door Lock
We had a front door lock that was kind of weird. Even when the door was locked you could still turn the handle so it was very hard to tell if the door was locked or unlocked, unless you opened the door and turned the outside handle to check.
I would have the door locked then Mom would come along and check before she went to bed and unknowingly unlock it. Then I would come along later before I went to bed and have to relock the door.
Finally, I just put this note on the door to help her.
The TV Remote
The TV remote for people with dementia seems to be a big problem. My thought – there’s just way too many buttons to deal with. It’s no wonder it’s confusing!
This caused a lot of problems with Mom. You may not be able to see the black tape but I covered the button on the top right.
When she pushed that button it messed up the channels and she couldn’t get anything to show.
In hindsight, I should have covered up all the buttons except for the on/off. You can see how confusing that remote would be for someone with memory problems.
The Stereo
On this shelf stereo unit below, I had a note beside the stereo and one on the stereo. The note on the left was how to turn the stereo on and off and how to get to the cd or the tape player.
The picture on the right shows the note that I taped to the front. Underneath the note, I put a black piece of tape to cover the red light. I also put a note beside the push button to load/unload a CD and a note reinforcing where the tape player was.
The Modem
In my mom’s bedroom there was a TV which was right across from her bed. Beside the TV was a modem and a router. Both had colored lights. I put tape over those lights as well and tried to turn it away from her view so she wouldn’t notice them.
I don’t think it was necessarily that they bothered her, I think it was more that she was concerned whether something should be turned off.
So, why am I bringing this topic up?
Because you as the caregiver might have to make little changes like this at your house or your loved one’s house. We do what we can to make life a little easier for them.
I’ve said this before, but one of the best pieces of advice I heard was this – You have to live in their world, because they can’t live in your world.
We have to do what we can to make their world easier to cope with.
Let me know what you all have done in the way of altering for dementia. Have you made notes like I did or various other signs? Did it help or not?
You might also be interested in these posts –
Common Questions about Driving with Dementia
Dementia Patients and Toileting Issues
6 Simple Steps to Get Your Loved One to Change Clothes
You might also like to visit my Etsy store, DementiaHelpingHand, where I have products for you, the caregiver, and for your loved one with dementia.