Preparing your home

Creating a safe and comfortable environment

Creating a safe and comfortable home environment, plays an important role in ensuring better quality of life for people with dementia.

The fundamental purpose of a dementia friendly home is to compensate for the effects of dementia and to support retained function and skills. Maintenance of quality of life for the individual person with dementia is the desired outcome. The quality of life of people with dementia is expressed through their response to their environment.

One goal of quality and effective dementia care is to create an environment which balances sensory stimulation so that neither over-stimulation nor boredom predominate.

The built environment will contribute significantly to the quality of life for people with dementia when it provides:

  • Balanced and controlled stimulation
  • Features that assist orientation
  • Success, self-esteem and confidence
  • Involvement in everyday activity
  • Supporting relationships with family, friends and the community
  • Unobtrusive security

Further help

  • Our range of Help Sheets on the environment and dementia address the most commonly raised issues about preparing a dementia friendly home
     
  • The Enabling Environments website explores 10 key principles for quality dementia design in home, care environment and garden settings.