Nice touches for assisted living apartment

[Anonymous]

Family member with dementia will be moving into assisted living shortly. We are able to completely furnish his room. His spouse (not joining him) is not great at at thinking about small details to make it more comfortable, so I’m planning to take that on. Some things I’m thinking: moving his favorite recliner, getting a few large coffee table type books (photos only) of some of his past interests, framing some large photos of family. Any advice or things you did that made a difference?

[Anonymous]

Forget about that stuff. YOu need to label all his clothes down to the underwear assuming the facility's doing the laundry. Buy some laundry markers or order labels as you would for a kid going to camp. Label every personal object from phone handset if you provide it and TV remote and readers/glasses unless you want to keep replacing them. My mom likes food gifts and doesn't care about anything else.

[Anonymous]

You are on the right track, OP. The labeling thing suggested by the PP is a good thing, too, but your family member will appreciate and benefit from having familiar things in the apartment. Photos on the wall, photo albums, beloved clothing items (even if they're a little worn), a familiar comforter or blanket, those kinds of things.

Remember that memory is multi-sensory so if their home always had a certain "smell" from air fresheners to cleaning detergents to potpourri to the smell of cabbage then that helps. I'm not saying their house does but if their house does then that will be comforting. Even spraying some of his wife's perfume onto a pillow in the bedroom could be calming. Music from his teens/20s/30s also is good. If he will have a phone in his room then a phone list with pictures taped to the wall or table is helpful. Does he have a favorite coffee mug? That should go with him.

Also, ask the facility what they recommend. They may have a list.

You are a good person, OP, for helping this couple! It is a major change and you are so kind to be thinking of what will help your family member make the transition more easily.

[Anonymous]

My mom look at old photos all the time, and really enjoys when someone brings her one she didn't have, also have the old comfortable things about them that that own is very important, looks are secondary.

[Anonymous]

Hiring a laundry service to wash closes twice a month.

[Anonymous]

Music from the 30s/40s/50s is so important. My mother worked in an assisted living facility until she was 83 and she always came in to work with her music (sinatra, big band, etc). She said the residents could always tell when her shift started because they would start singing along at meals, etc. you can do a Pandora radio preset to those stations, or a CD player.

[Anonymous]

Hobbies that what is important to my mother. She is an avoid knitter so we made sure she had her knitting basket full stocked (she knits for everyone in the facility). Anyone who visits her knows to bring three or four bundles of yarn. Even in her decline she is always thinking of taking care of someone with a scarf or something. We also placed lots of family photos on the wall to the left of her bed, she sees them as she falls asleep.

[Anonymous]

My dad was in skilled nursing care for over two years and his room was so depressing. My mom refused to decorate and initially, my dad was generally agitated by most everything. So, it had to be bare and spartan.

Over time, a few things were added.

Succulent plant for the window. A colorful bolster pillow. I made a shadow or memory box with pictures, some meaningful favorite things that were a conversation piece.

Another family temporarily replaced the bifold clothes closet doors with curtains; easier for the staff and resident to access.

Consider storing clothes only on hangers. Provide hangers. This way, laundry doesn't have to be folded. Laundry done in house is typically put on hangers. Easier for staff, easier for resident. My mom used to put entire outfits together for my dad and have it all on hangers for the aide who helped in or later, got him dressed.

Dresser drawers can be used for photo albums and maybe extra supplies and or reserve clothing.

A collapsible hamper. Keep in bottom of closet.

[Anonymous]

If you are comfortable with putting an Alexa in the apartment, there are a lot of skills to help people living with dementia.

https://medium.com/@JaysThoughts/using-the-amazon-echo-to-improve-the-lives-of-alzheimers-patients-f5727560a5eb

[Anonymous]

I like everything 7:21 said.

Mom has late stage alzheimers/dementia--

What we've learned

A soft throw for the recliner. One of those fake sheepskin
on one side and velour like on the other. At late stage
they like textural/soft things and it is comforting.

If there is room a chair with arms. This helps with dressing
and is a good chair for his wife when visiting. We ended
up commissioning a chair to be built by an Amish carpenter
as it was tough to find a wooden chair with arms.

Things to cheer you and staff up. Throw pillows etc.

Comfort slippers. Comfort robe.

Definitely radio or cds.

Also the color red is a great visual color for alzheimers/dementia in late stage. Mom tests normal
on eye site but she has depth perception issues
due to the disease. It is obvious that she
can interpret the color red better....so
red throw, red slippers, red throw pillows etc, red
robe etc.

If any of the family have a visiting dog maybe a couple of dog toys.

Mom still gets PT and has an exercise routine with 1 pound dumbbells. If he uses dumbbells or anything like that for PT routine then I'd bring them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forget about that stuff. YOu need to label all his clothes down to the underwear assuming the facility's doing the laundry. Buy some laundry markers or order labels as you would for a kid going to camp. Label every personal object from phone handset if you provide it and TV remote and readers/glasses unless you want to keep replacing them. My mom likes food gifts and doesn't care about anything else.

+1. Sadly, it comes down to this. The residents go into each others rooms and take whatever isn’t nailed down and then leave it wherever. We got FIL an air cleaner and he peed into it thinking he was in the bathroom. He didn’t look at books or the tv because they would confuse him. He didn’t recognize most people in person, nevermind photos. Food and drink ended up being the only thing he cared about.

[Anonymous]

A power recliner/lift. We had to get one for both my parents. It’s sturdy so they can push off it well to stand up, or the attendants can have the chair help get them to the standing position.
Pictures/items from home.

[Anonymous]

A large bulletin board so that you can bring various photos and swap them out sometimes. My husband's grandmother loved to get photo cards for any occasion and would display them all year. Even when sje could barely speak, she would point to the picture of her late husband and then to the faces of the grandsons who resembled him. It was so sweet.

[Anonymous]

We brought our own furniture - recliner, dressers, pictures (prints), photos of family and tv to the nursing home. Also, brought own bedding and towels. Do label everything - you can get a clothing stamper off amazon and labels online.

[Anonymous]

I decorated my mom’s room with framed art and photographs from her home. She didn’t care about any of it. Her only interest is “word search” books so we keep her supplied with those. Extra pajama bottoms because she wets them.