Another elder care question: Importance of familiar surroundings

[Harriet Vane]

I need LINKS and RESOURCES and BEEN-THERE-DONE-THAT anecdotes.

When setting up a room for an elderly person with dementia, how important is it to have their own, familiar things? 

If you had a large, extra room (formerly used as a rec room) that could easily fit both bedroom furniture AND living room furniture, would you set it up that way? (For the dementia sufferer.)

FYI--My opinion is that recreating as much of that person's home that they lived in for decades is comforting and helpful to a dementia sufferer. That actually using that person's couch and coffee table + bedroom furniture will feel better to that person in the midst of many traumatic losses, especially since no one else is currently using that furniture.

I need links for articles that explain that dynamic. Ya know, from real experts. Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

Edited to clarify--

Any anecdotes are genuinely helpful and appreciated by me. Thank you for sharing. 

I need the LINKS and RESOURCES from official experts for those in my world who are struggling to understand why I want to set up the person's room to look like his own living room that he has hung out in for fifty years. 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Harriet Vane

[prairiewindmomma]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5795848/

The words you want to search for are “wayfinding”, “orientation” and dementia. I don’t have a ton of time to dig up links today, but you are right, and I am sorry your family is being unsupportive.

“https://www.enablingenvironments.com.au/orientation-and-wayfinding.html

[prairiewindmomma]

Anecdotally, the $10k/person/month private dementia family home situation we put family into gave us a bare suite. We brought in their own furniture from the family home. My grandmother was disoriented for about 6 weeks and then accepted it was home. My grandfather adjusted in a few days’ time.

They would’ve supplied furniture had we asked but we also did a similar setup to their home so they could recognize the space and attach function to it.  Recognizing The function of an item is something that is lost with dementia so limiting the number of changes helped the brain attach.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My mom is in the beginning stages of dementia now, but we moved her out of her 3-bedroom house into an independent living apartment 7 years ago, after she had had major heart surgery, and had lost some physical and cognitive function. The apartment has three rooms, and we set them up as closely as possible to her house (which she had lived in for 50 years). We set up her bedroom, a formal "living room", and an informal "den". We chose the rooms to be in the same basic configuration as her house, so that she would always know she needed to go "left" to get to her bedroom, and "right" to get to the den. Having a miniature version of her house made the transition so much easier for her.

Now, as we're considering moving her into an assisted living or memory  care unit, we will definitely choose the furniture she uses most often (her bed and chest, and the recliner she naps in), her TV. If we have room, we'll take her love seat as well, so that her guests will have a place to sit. 

 

[Jentrovert]

I can't quite understand why anyone would dispute that a person (any person) moving (anywhere) would most likely be more comfortable with familiar things. This is true of many people of any age, and it would naturally be especially true of someone who has presumably lived in those surroundings for many years and is now, for reasons not of their own choosing, forced to relocate. It boggles the mind that anyone would argue *against* bringing familiar items when moving an elderly person, with or without dementia.

My 4 grandparents lived until I was in my 20's and early 30's. Three of them had some form of dementia. I have assisted with multiple moves (other family members as well), and had a great-grandparent live with my family when I was a late teen. We always, always set up their rooms with familiar furniture and most loved objects. 

Sorry, that first paragraph turned into a bit of a rant. The thought of moving any of my loved ones without familiar objects was kind of . . . I don't know. It just strikes me as extremely inconsiderate and disrespectful. We've had to limit items due to space, but with the space available . . . why wouldn't you?

Eta: wanted to make it clear, this wasn't directed at you. I understand you want to keep familiar things.

Edited July 26, 2020 by Jentrovert

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, Jentrovert said:

I can't quite understand why anyone would dispute that a person (any person) moving (anywhere) would most likely be more comfortable with familiar things. This is true of many people of any age, and it would naturally be especially true of someone who has presumably lived in those surroundings for many years and is now, for reasons not of their own choosing, forced to relocate. It boggles the mind that anyone would argue *against* bringing familiar items when moving an elderly person, with or without dementia.

My 4 grandparents lived until I was in my 20's and early 30's. Three of them had some form of dementia. I have assisted with multiple moves (other family members as well), and had a great-grandparent live with my family when I was a late teen. We always, always set up their rooms with familiar furniture and most loved objects. 

Sorry, that first paragraph turned into a bit of a rant. The thought of moving any of my loved ones without familiar objects was kind of . . . I don't know. It just strikes me as extremely inconsiderate and disrespectful. We've had to limit items due to space, but with the space available . . . why wouldn't you?

Eta: wanted to make it clear, this wasn't directed at you. I understand you want to keep familiar things.

 

I agree 100%, and I know you are ranting in solidarity with me. Thanks for affirming that.