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People with dementia often face difficulty in making sense of the world around them. The  environment around them is important  because, that should be supporting their functions, accommodating behavioural changes, maximizing their abilities, promoting safety and encouraging maximum independence. As caregivers we can design environments for them that help maintain their sense of control and personal dignity. In order to promote all of the functional skills and abilities that remain, importance needs to be given to what the person can still do, rather than what they can no longer do, and then design their environment in such a way that supports their maximum independence.

We, at Epoch Elder Care consider this  as one of the major aspects in caring for a person with dementia.  We personalise the room before the arrival of a resident to make the transition  easier and comfortable for them and minimise changes in environment. Most people are still not aware of how small things can do wonders and support the life of a person with dementia if we can put little time and effort to customise the space where the person spends most of his /her time. 

So what are the major aspects to consider when designing and personalising a room for a person with dementia? Here is a description of things we give importance to.

**1. Minimize confusion and maximize orientation**

Dementia often causes lack of orientation in time, place and person. Even early stages of dementia can create confusion in time and place. This increases particularly in unfamiliar surroundings. So  steps need to be taken to minimize this confusion. 

 How can we do our best? 

- **Personalized environment:** Transition from home to an assisted living home creates a lot of confusion and frustration in people suffering from Dementia. Personalizing their room makes this period more easy and less stressful . We ask relatives to get old photographs, mementos, paintings, other familiar items which is used by their loved ones at home or which they are more attached to like their chair, table, eating utensils, any other items like their alarm, pen etc. before the resident comes. When they see all these in their new environment, which make them more comfortable and so reduces confusion. Colouring walls same as their home will also help.
- **Personalizing room entry** helps the resident to understand and locate their rooms easily by building an association (not remembering through memory). This can be done by colouring the doors, hanging decorations, placing decorated name board in bright colour etc. We decorated the door of one of our resident who is in the stage 5 using bright colours, whenever he entered into that floor, this helped him  locate his room very easily without any confusion.
- **Keep the environment clutter free and avoid complicated signs and symbols.** A person with dementia may not be able to comprehend complex signs or language and it makes them more confused leading to increased anxiety and agitation. Keep their favourite items close to their bedside table, so even if they wake up suddenly there would be a sense of familiarity.
- **Using colours:** Always use bright and contrasting colours as this sharpens the environment as well as has an effect on the mood and feelings of the residents. This also helps the residents to differentiate between different things and surfaces. For example, using coloured towels in the wash room helps the resident to differentiate between bathroom wall and the hanging towel.
- **Fix their schedule:** Always try to keep the activity timings and schedule fixed and in same place to reduce confusion. Changing the timings and area may make the resident more confused and disoriented to the time and place .

 

**2. Safety and Security**

This is one of the major aspects to consider while designing a room for a person with dementia .While ensuring safety and security, the settings should allow the person to get maximum independency also. Here are some points which will be helpful:

- **Use adequate lightings:** This not only helps for aiding vision so helps them to prevent any falls or injuries but also helps keep sleep cycles intact. Proper lighting in bedrooms and bathrooms are very important to promote independence and safety.
- **Use of Furniture:** Use all furniture like chairs and tables with blunt edges to prevent any accidental injuries. Keep the furniture in appropriate places to avoid any interference with daily activities of the patient. Avoid glass table tops since depth perception of a person with dementia is affected and it can lead to mishaps.
- **Floors:** Floors should not be slippery. Use of carpets (sturdy and taped) will help  minimize falls and injuries. Avoid wires, or any loose objects lying around on the floor.

 

**3. Promote independence in activities of daily living (ADLs)**

Activities of daily living are routine activities people do every day without assistance. This includes eating, bathing, getting dressed, toileting, transferring and continence. People with dementia may not be able to do all these on their own and the assistance required increases over time, our aim should be making them as much independent as they can. This provides them a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of meaningful life. To ensure the maximum comfort in their daily activities we can do many things which we may  seem minor or silly sometimes but can change the daily life of a dementia person significantly. Here are some tips.

1. **Place all the belongings of the patient in a constant place-** changing of places creates confusion and makes daily routine  more difficult.

2. **Bathrooms can be customised** to enhance more comfort and safety. Eg: Fixing grab bars, Increasing the height of the toilet by keeping a commode chair over the toilet seat, keeping things like soap, towels , mugs etc in designated places so that the person can easily locate and recognise those things.

By incorporating these small but important modifications we can bring many changes in the life of a person with dementia. These may  slow down the progression of the disease, but this will definitely help them  minimize confusion and promote comfort, can  help reduce  difficult behaviours and agitation and  live a purposeful life.

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Personalising rooms for people with dementia

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There’s the music of sarod playing in the background while I write this, helps me write my memoirs!

When I was a child, I used to write diaries. What’s enticing to me at that point in time was the smell of new vintage-looking pages, and a unique feeling to ink it down. It all started then. Who knew the passion for writing would grow so strongly on me!

Hi, I’m Sneha, Business Assistant & Content Writer at Epoch. Yes, I own these words and wear them with pride. The journey to earn this was pretty savage, and I’ll like you to be a part of this! Hence, sharing a page from my memoir.

It was the dawn of the year 2020 when I promised myself to come out of the University with a Mass Communication and Journalism degree in one hand and a placement in other. Things started turning upside down when the covid wave came along and washed away all the aspirations I had of starting my career in a corporate world. Later that year, after graduating, I started freelancing.

Little did I know that the universe had something else up in its sleeves.  On 1st Feb, I started my journey at Epoch, and it’s already a year now! I’ll need pinches from myself to believe so. When I stepped out of my comfort zone, came to a new city, I met amazing people, especially women, who inspired me in the most unusual ways. It is my sheer luck and fortune that I landed in Epoch right after college. The journey of amazement and learning didn’t stop for me, I would say.

How often does it happen that a CEO of an organization holds your hand, mentors you, and walks you through your journey? Well, happened to me and to all those who started anew! Here, at Epoch, I saw myself under the guidance of domain experts. From each one of them, I learnt something, both applicable in personal and professional lives. My team pushed me one notch beyond my threshold, surprisingly that brought different colours to my work. To date, I am told to be the owner of not only my projects, but also my decisions, successes, and failures. I am learning.

Epoch has played a vast role in shaping me into Sneha 2.0. If you know me and don’t believe, let’s go out for a cup of coffee! A confident and radiant Sneha, you’ll see.

Epoch homes abode elderly those who need dementia care and assisted daily living support. When I started, I was briefed about dementia but the understanding of the daily life of a senior 75+, came to me when I was in their presence. Recently through one of the Epoch webinars, I heard a doctor/geriatrician say, and I quote, “there’s a person still behind the dementia patient”, and this made me realize how naïve are we to not notice this in our elderly loved ones!

Amidst the pandemic, there were fewer interactions with our elderly residents, regarding their own safety. But whenever I got the chance, covered in PPE kit, I would jump to know each one of them. With some I sang era old songs, with some I recited poems of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Dinkar, Nirala, with some I learnt the concept of perspective, with some I learnt fashion, some taught me to live life with a bang, and that’s what I am doing!

Epoch in a way turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I would like to stop the roller coaster of my emotions here by simply being grateful. One day, when I close my eyes, I would love the memories with Epoch to roll in the cassette of my life. 

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To Epoch, a cassette of my life

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I want to share my unique professional journey with you. Personally, I have been someone who is always up for trying new things.

In August 2014, after completing my training as a General Duty Assistant, I got placed at Epoch Elder Care as a care attendant.  Even though I had prior care training, being a care attendant in an assisted living home was new for me and there was much to learn, especially about dementia care. At Epoch, everyone is encouraged to ask questions whenever they do not understand, your colleagues and seniors will answer them patiently and help you understand your issues. I realised how tough life can be with dementia and at Epoch I was able to increase the quality of life of elders with dementia and this was very satisfactory for me. 

Given my inclination to try new roles, back in 2018, I was chosen for the role of Admin Assistant which was a huge change for me professionally as I was moving from  care to an administrative role. With much support of senior colleagues, I was able to manage this role with confidence. Here I learnt new skills like vendor management, maintenance planning, and working with multiple departments. Being an ex-care attendant, I was able to understand the importance of this role where I had to ensure the upkeep of Epoch homes and how crucial it was for our care attendants to take care of our residents. Iss dauran maine apni life ko bahut hadd tak personally, professionally and financially grow bhi kiya hai (During this time, I was able to grow personally, professionally and financially). 

Then in January 2020, I saw an opportunity to move to a new role within Epoch as a Human Resource (HR) assistant and I confidently took the leap. Given my prior experience as a care attendant, I was quickly able to connect to prospective candidates for Care Attendant role and understand who could be a good fit at Epoch, and I learnt the aspect of people management. Ab dedication and guidance of my manager and colleagues ke sath grow kar raha hun or hope aage bhi yun hi grow karta rahunga. (With the dedication and guidance of my manager and colleagues, I am learning & growing  ,and will continue doing so!)

Thanks to Epoch, I have been able to understand this industry well and grow myself professionally in many different perspectives by gaining many new skills.

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Trying new roles and gaining new skills at Epoch

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I want to share my journey so far with Epoch Elder Care. I started my journey as a care attendant with Epoch’s Monet house at Pune location on 15th May 2016 and sab kuch naya tha mere liye (everything was new to me). It was a great year well spent at Monet house; and bohot kuch sikhne ko mila (great learnings came along). Under the guidance of our Facility Managers and Facility Nurses and other care attendants, I was properly trained to look after our residents. Epoch work culture bohot welcoming and unique tha mere liye (Epoch culture was welcoming and unique for me) - where the team was great & they treated me like a family member. Not only this, the relationship and bond I developed with residents was an amazing feeling. The concept of dementia and its management was something jo mujhe dhire dhire samajh aya. (The concept of dementia and its management was something I learned over a period of time).

After the completion of one year, the management decided to transfer me to Epoch’s other home (Vermeer House) in Gurugram. I was happy with the decision for two reasons. Firstly, my learning was about to expand and secondly, my hometown was nearby. After working as a care attendant for a year and a half at the Vermeer House, the management decided to promote me to the role of Head Care Attendant. Finally, my dedication & honesty paid off. My responsibilities increased and I had to oversee all errands related to our residents, other care team members, and the house overall, which I enjoyed throughout.

Then again on 1st May 2019, I was offered a role change based on my skills and eagerness to work. This time the management decided to offer me the role of Admin Assistant, which I accepted confidently. It was challenging at first, but with the constant guidance of the then corporate team, I managed with quite ease.

Epoch has not only helped me professionally but also personally. It is here that I met Sarita (Care Attendant at Vermeer House), married her and started another chapter of my life. She is always there to support & motivate me. 

During the outbreak of COVID-19, around Feb 2020, I was handed over the role & responsibilities of an Office Assistant in the new Vermeer house at Gurgaon. Covid ke first wave me hume bohot kuch naya experience karne ko and samajhne ko mila. Ye time humare liye bohot difficult tha but hum sabne milkar Epoch and ek doosre ko sambhala. (New learnings came along whilst managing and experiencing the first wave of coronavirus. It was a difficult time, but we managed to pull through). I was presented with the COVID warrior award. Epoch ke saath ab itne memories jud gaye hain ki yahan har koi apna sa lagta hai. 

Epoch me hamesha kuch na kuch naya sikhne ko and samajhne ko milta hi hai and mere liye bohot unique experience banta raha hai.

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My journey of multiple roles at Epoch

I have been with Epoch Elder Care as a Facility Nurse for  almost 2 years now and it gave me the opportunity to work with elderly very closely which involved not only taking care of their health and medicines but...

Personalising rooms for people with dementia

Chinchu Joseph , Facility Manager, Vermeer House

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