Having a loved one who’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can be hard to handle.
But along with the time that you’re going to take to grieve with them and for them and yourself, it’s important that you start now to make changes so that they can live as well as they can with the disease.
So to help you in doing this, here are three ways that you can help to alter someone’s home when they have just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s before it comes time for them to move into an assisted living facility.
Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes Easy to Implement
While there isn’t reliable treatment to prevent or reverse the effect of Alzheimer’s at this point in time, there are things that you can do to help make things easier on your loved one and potentially slow the effect of this disease.
Some of the best ways to do this are to help them make some healthy lifestyle changes. However, sticking to these things can be hard without your help and support.
To do this, try to think of ways that you can make it easier for your loved one to do things like eating well, getting exercise, and ensuring that they’re sleeping enough. By helping them make these into enjoyable habits in their lives, you can help them slow the progress of their Alzheimer’s.
Use More Signs Around the House
As the memory of your loved one starts to slip from them, they can begin to feel like a stranger in their own home. To combat this, it can be incredibly helpful to use signs around the house to help them remember where and what things are.
When placing signs around the house, make sure you write the word clearly and also include an image of the thing, especially if the sign is being placed on a door, drawer, or cupboard.
You should also be sure that you’re putting the sign a little lower than eye-level for your loved ones so that they’ll easily be able to see it as they’re walking around their home.
Make Everything Easier to See
For people with Alzheimer’s, it can often be hard to see and distinguish between things that they’re seeing. Luckily, you can help with this.
To make things easier to see for your loved ones, try adding more contrasting colors around their home. Make the flooring a different color from the walls, get plates and other kitchen items that will contrast with the colors of foods, and make furniture colors that contrast with the rest of the home.
This can help to make all of these things much easier for your loved one to see, especially if there’s proper lighting in the home. If you’re wanting to help, make life easier for a loved one who’s just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, consider using the tips mentioned above to guide you in doing this.
