How to Decorate Your Home for Dementia

The dementia-friendly decor trend I am loving right now is all about making your home feel more inviting. Soft colors, warm lighting, calming vibes - are all ways to create a more welcoming environment.

Soft colors

The jury is still out on color and how it affects our moods. Some believe that the colors we surround ourselves with can have a dramatic effect on our emotions. For example, warm colors tend to be more relaxed.

Warm colors can be found as reds and oranges, whereas cool colors are typically blues and purples. Yellow, being the exception, is considered both warm or cool depending on its shade.

It is important to consider the color palette you are choosing from when decorating a dementia-friendly space. Of course, it is also important to choose colors you love and enjoy. However, it helps to be mindful of the effects that certain colors can have on someone who has dementia.

Area rugs

After choosing your preferred color scheme, it is time to look at furniture and accessories. This is the fun part! One of the best ways you can help create a dementia-friendly space is by adding area rugs. Area rugs help to define a space and are also an easy way to change up the feeling and ambiance.

Rugs come in all shapes and sizes - making it easy for you to find exactly what you're looking for. Steer clear of rugs with various patterns or abstract styles. A loved one with dementia may misinterpret the print of the rug as real objects on the floor. Lean more towards low pile solid colors, excluding the color black as this may be misinterpreted for a hole in the ground.

Smart lighting

Another decorating aspect to consider for your home is to remember that things can get disorienting very quickly for your loved one. With regards to sundowning, lighting is a good way to reduce the chances of this behavior (confusion, frustration, etc) occurring.

A great way to do this is by using smart lighting to create a more comforting and cozy feel. Warm daylight lighting, such as Philips Hue smart bulbs or LED floor lamps are great options for this. If you're looking to add dimmers to your home, then this is also an excellent option!

You can help orient your loved one to the specific time of day when needed.

Decorating for dementia

It's important that we provide the best care possible when it comes to our loved ones. That means making sure their surroundings are not only cozy but also safe from harm in every sense. Dementia-friendly decorating can be done on any budget so there's no excuse not to get started today!

Take these tips and go shop around. In all your shopping, don't forget about us and let us know which one you are going to try first!