Guidance · Dementia care
Dementia Proofing the Home
Start with good light, then clear the floor, then look at the doors. Most of it uses what’s already in the house.
Dementia proofing the home starts with light: keeping walkways and rooms well lit matters because changes in levels of light can be disorienting, so lighting is the first thing to look at, before the floor and the doors.
Why light comes first
It’s easier to work by what helps most than room by room, and light helps in more places at once. A well lit hallway also lights the stairs, the bathroom door and the way to the kitchen.
The Alzheimer's Association suggests you keep walkways and rooms well lit, because changes in levels of light can be disorienting. So it isn’t only about brightness. A bright kitchen next to a dark hall is a change in light, and so is a landing with a lamp at one end and nothing at the other.
None of the first three steps needs a contractor. For the wider picture of living well at home with memory changes, start with dementia care at home.
Look at the house in the evening
Walk through at the time of day the house is actually used. A dim stretch of hallway is easy to miss at noon.
Even out the light between rooms
Matching the light in two connected rooms matters as much as making one room brighter.
Light the whole route
Bed to bathroom, chair to kitchen, back door to car. Plug-in night lights along the way help after dark.
Floors
Next, clear the floor
Once the light is even, look at what’s underfoot. The Alzheimer's Association suggests you remove throw rugs, extension cords and excessive clutter to cut down on tripping hazards.
These are easy to overlook because they’re part of the furniture. A rug was chosen for a reason, and the cord goes to the lamp someone reads by. Sitting down and looking along the floor often shows more than a quick walk through.
Work along the same routes you lit, in the same order. For a version that suits any older adult, our home safety checklist for seniors covers the rest of the house.
Take rugs out of the walking routes
Start with the routes you just lit. A rug nobody walks on matters less than the one at the foot of the bed.
Move cords off the walking line
Reroute cords behind furniture, which often means moving the lamp rather than the cord.
Clear the spots where things collect
Every house has a few. A quick weekly tidy of those spots tends to last better than one big clear out.
Then the doors: locks placed out of the usual line of sight.
The Alzheimer's Association’s guidance is about where a lock goes more than which lock you buy: a latch or deadbolt either above or below eye level, on all doors. Often it’s the same kind of lock, just fitted higher or lower.
All doors means the side door, the basement stairs and the slider onto the deck as well as the front door. The Association notes that wandering is common in people living with dementia, so it’s worth looking at every way in and out.
Locks work best as one part of the plan, alongside a steady daily routine. You’ll find more practical steps on dementia wandering and how to prevent it.
Above or below eye level
Fit the latch higher or lower than where the eye usually falls.
Every door in the house
Side entrance, basement stairs, garage and slider, as well as the front door.
Help at home
Where a caregiver can help
Lamps, rugs and locks are changes you make once and check now and then. A caregiver adds something different: a familiar person in the house during the hours your family finds hardest.
people living with dementia will wander at least once, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It’s why the doors matter, and why the locks are one part of the plan.
Company through the harder hours
Safety Supervision is one of the named services Endurance Home Care provides. A caregiver comes on the schedule you choose, keeping your mother or father company, helping with meals and the daily routine, and keeping an eye on things through the part of the day that has become harder to manage alone.
Someone who notices the small things
A caregiver notices when a hallway bulb has gone out or the clutter has crept back, and when your dad seems more unsettled than usual. Your Care Manager keeps you posted, so you hear about changes early.
How it’s arranged
A registered nurse visits first and writes the care plan with your family, and we introduce the caregiver before the first visit. It comes from an agency registered with the state as HCA.0002450. To see what a regular schedule can look like, read about in home dementia care.
Questions families ask
Dementia proofing home: where a family starts
Start with light: keeping walkways and rooms well lit matters because changes in light levels can be disorienting. Then clear the floor by removing throw rugs, extension cords and excessive clutter that create tripping hazards. For exits, the Alzheimer's Association suggests a latch or deadbolt either above or below eye level on all doors. Changes to the house work best alongside a steady routine and someone nearby during the harder hours.
Which single change helps most?
Lighting, in most homes. Keeping walkways and rooms well lit matters because changes in levels of light can be disorienting. Evening out the light between connected rooms, and switching lamps on before it gets dark, also helps with the shadows that can be confusing later in the day.
Are throw rugs really a problem?
Yes. Removing throw rugs, extension cords and excessive clutter cuts down on tripping hazards in the home of someone living with dementia. They're easy to miss on a walk through because they look like part of the furniture, so it helps to sit down and look along the floor.
Where should door locks go?
Out of the usual line of sight. The Alzheimer's Association suggests a latch or deadbolt either above or below eye level on all doors, since a lock where the eye naturally falls is more likely to be noticed and tried. Locks work best as one part of the plan, alongside a steady daily routine.
Would an extra pair of hands at home help?
Tell us about the house and the parts of the day that have become harder. We’ll talk through how a caregiver could help. Home care across Connecticut and New Jersey, and companion care in New York, from an agency registered with the state. The first conversation is free, and nothing starts until you say so.