As we age, an unstable and unfamiliar environment can not only be confusing – but it can also be detrimental to the health. A stable environment is one that the senior is intimately familiar with. Examples of these are their own home or the home of a close friend or relative.
A stable environment such as the home that one has lived in for an extended period of time can provide comfort – even through moments of confusion. Although the client may become confused as cognitive function decreases, it can be comforting to know that there are certain items or aspects of the home that may act as a trigger for the memory and bring comfort to the patient. This, in contrast to a residential care home, can help to prevent the onset of cognitive impairments. Residential care homes are unfamiliar environments and contain very few personal effects and items that can create the familiarity which is necessary in the health of the senior.
What are some ways that caregivers can ensure that the home environment remains stable and familiar for the senior care clients? Here are some techiniques that caregivers can employ to help seniors develop and maintain a degree of familiarity within their surroundings.
Keeping the same routine contributes to the stability of the environment. Routines should be adhered to throughout each visit and include the same tasks practices with the same caregiver, when possible. Routines can help establish a personal bond between the caregivers and the clients. The routine may include a daily reminder of the tasks which are to be completed and the medication that is to be taken. Or the routine could include the task of helping with errands and chores around the house. In the case that the routine includes dressing, associating a certain color or piece of clothing with the week day is a great way for seniors suffering from memory loss to remember the day of the week.
As health begins to decline with age it can affect the memory and function of the brain. This can cause difficulty in remembering simple tasks and locations of items within the home. While in the home of the client, caregivers should remember to leave everything as it was in order for the client to be able to locate these items. In most cases, clients have certain areas that have been delegated for certain items and any changes to these locations can cause disillusion and confusion within the mind of the client.
A stable senior care environment allows the care givers and family members to determine if there have been any changes within the health of the individual by taking cues from their surroundings. Some cues may be a well-kept home quickly becoming disheveled or items within random places within the home, which can identify signs of early onset of degenerative brain disorders and may be a signal to contract the services of a qualified medical professional for further diagnosis.
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