How To Make Your Home Dementia-Friendly

There are many aspects of getting older that are inevitable and we’re all sure to start slowing down at some point in our lives, but there’s a lot that we can do to protect our physical health and ensure that we can continue living independently for as long as possible. 

Steps include following a well-balanced diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol, not smoking and so on, all of which will help ensure that we remain resilient as time goes on.

One of the biggest health concerns of the modern age, however, is dementia, with figures showing that one in three people born in the UK today will develop the disease. 

An Alzheimer’s Society report published this year found that approximately one million people in the UK now have some form of dementia and this is expected to increase to 1.4 million by 2040.

Dementia itself is not considered to be a natural part of the ageing process, caused instead by damaged nerve cells in the brain. 

Although every person with dementia will have their own individual experience of the disease, there are common early signs and symptoms to look out for, including memory loss, difficulty concentrating, organising and planning, problems with communication and language, confusion over time and place, mood changes, difficulty controlling emotions and problems judging distances, patterns and the edges of objects.

It’s not entirely clear why some people develop dementia while others don’t and it can be down to a combination of factors including lifestyle, genetics, age and pre-existing health conditions. 

You can reduce the risks by getting plenty of regular physical exercise, drinking less alcohol, not smoking, managing health conditions hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, and protecting your eyesight and hearing.

However, if you are diagnosed and want to stay living in your own home for as long as possible, it will be necessary to make adaptations to facilitate this.

Potential changes will include ramps and steps to ensure accessibility, adapting the widths of doorways and corridors, ensuring easy access to bathroom facilities, wall-mounting switches and sockets so they’re easy to reach and changing the lighting to make sure that it’s natural and consistent so as to reduce shadows, glare and pools of light.

Because people with dementia perceive colours and shades differently, you can make a big difference to how you perceive your environment by taking the light reflectance value of paint into consideration, creating higher contrasts between walls, doors and floors, for example.

Changing the flooring can also help make your home safer. Avoid reflective and slippery surfaces wherever possible, as well as any bold patterns as these can affect your perception. 

Make sure that trip hazards like steps are clear and well defined, marked out by paint or bright tape, and avoid creating contrasting areas on the floor through the use of rugs and mats.

In the bathroom, which is one of the most dangerous places in the home, you can make life easier by using toilet seats in a contrasting colour to the rest of the appliances, as well as the walls, to make them easier to see. Similarly, you can use contrasting colours for grab rails in the shower.

If you’d like to find out more about what changes can be made at home to help people with dementia live more independently, get in touch with the Practical Bathing team today.

Are Your Slippers Posing A Risk To Your Health?

One of the biggest causes of injury and death among elderly people are slips, trips and falls – and our risk of falling grows as we get older, leading to potential consequences including hip fractures, pain, loss of confidence, surgery, distress and so on.

As such, reducing the risk of falls taking place in the home will be paramount over the years, including everything from installing anti-slip mats and walk-in showers in the bathroom to bringing in grab rails throughout the house, ensuring that carpets and rugs are firmly fitted to the floor, keeping living spaces free from clutter and so on.

Home assessments can be useful if you’re unsure as to what poses specific risks, with a healthcare professional visiting the house to review it and make recommended modifications.

Making sure you get regular exercise and prioritise balance, gait and functional training can make a huge difference when it comes to fall prevention, as well.

However, one little change that you could introduce immediately and which would afford you greater protection against falling is not wearing slippers when at home.

What’s the problem with slippers?

As cosy and comfortable as slippers may well be, they can cause all sorts of problems and can increase your chances of having a fall.

Slippers are naturally loose-fitting and, as such, they can come off quite easily or get caught on something on the floor, which can result in you tripping and losing your balance. This can lead to serious injury, if you’re not careful.

You’re also not afforded much in the way of arch support when you wear slippers and this can cause problems for your feet, including the likes of plantar fasciitis and heel spurs. Sore and fatigued feet can mean you’re more at risk of slipping and having a fall.

Balance is also something that can be affected by wearing slippers more often than not. You need to work all the little muscles in your feet in order to maintain strength and balance, but if you don’t wear shoes that give you the proper support, your general stability will likely be affected.

Free slipper exchanges

To help reduce the risk of trips and falls, many places around the UK offer free slipper exchanges, where you can take your old worn-out pairs and get a brand-new pair for free.

While wearing other forms of shoe can afford you the best protection against falling, slippers are successful at keeping your feet warm and snug – but it’s vital that they’re kept in good condition to ensure that you can stay safe while standing up and moving around.

Wearing worn-out slippers or padding about in socks can significantly increase your risk of slips, trips and falls, so if you are wedded to your slippers finding a free exchange programme in your local area could be a wise move.

How To Improve Your Balance To Prevent Injuries

One of the biggest causes of injury among older people is slips, trips and falls, so it’s essential that we do all we can to protect ourselves as we age by maintaining our physical health and getting as much exercise as we’re able to do on a regular basis.

A big part of preventing accidents such as these is to work on improving your balance, as this is how we control the position of our bodies, whether we’re walking around, getting up from seated or just completely stationary.

In order to maintain our balance, our visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems need to work together, with our brains processing all the information that these systems transmit so that we can function and move around safely. As we get older, the integration of these three systems can get worse, which is why we become more susceptible to falls.

However, there’s lots you can do to improve your balance and make sure that you’re able to control your core muscles, arms and legs effectively. To help you work on your balance, here are some exercises you can easily do at home that should make a significant difference to your strength, mobility and confidence.

The grapevine

This exercise involves walking sideways by crossing one foot over the other. Start in a strong standing position, then cross your right foot over your left and bring the left foot round to join it. Repeat five times on each side. You may need to take bigger steps at first, but aim to make them as small as possible, as this will help you improve your balance the most.

The one-leg standing position

Single-leg exercises are particularly beneficial for building strength and balance. To do a one-leg stand, start by facing a wall with your arms out and your fingertips lightly touching the surface.

Lift your chosen leg, keeping your hips level and a slight bend in the opposite leg. Then put your foot back down on the floor. Hold the position for five to ten seconds, repeating three times on each side.

The tightrope walk

This exercise involves walking along a straight line, with your arms extended out to the sides. Start off slowly, keeping your feet on the line at all times as you go and walking heel to toe, with five seconds before each step.

Lunging

Another great exercise to try is lunging, as this will help you recover quickly should you lose your balance while walking. Simply stand up straight with your hands resting on your hips, then step a foot forward and bend at the knee, lowering yourself down until your thigh is parallel with the floor below. Breathe, hold and then slowly return to your starting position.

Of course, as important as exercises such as these are, it’s also essential that you ensure your home doesn’t pose a risk to your health. Make sure that rooms are kept free from clutter so there’s nothing to trip over and consider using anti-slip measures in places like the bathroom and kitchen to afford you further protection against injury.

With just a few little changes here and there, from lifestyle factors to home adaptations, you should be able to successfully protect yourself as you age.

How To Reduce The Risks Of Falls As You Get Older

As we get older, it’s not unusual to start feeling increasingly unsteady on our feet. One of the biggest reasons for this is sarcopenia, or age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Joint movement also becomes less flexible and stiffer because the lubricating fluid inside our joints starts to decrease, while the cartilage becomes thinner.

While some age-related changes are largely inevitable, such as grey hair and wrinkles, it’s important to remember that we don’t have to accept these physical developments as an unavoidable part of the ageing process. 

In fact, there’s a growing body of research that suggests we can reduce the risk of changes to muscles, bones and ligaments by staying as active as possible and getting regular exercise.

It can be tempting to move less if you’re worried about slips, trips and falls, but the best way to ensure you can continue to be mobile and live independently is to move as much as you can. This will help you maintain your strength, coordination and balance, all of which will help prevent the falls you’re worried about.

It can also be helpful to learn how to fall safely in a bid to reduce the risk of hospital admissions, which is something that British Judo is now promoting as part of the Finding Your Feet scheme, in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire and Anglia Ruskin Hertfordshire.

According to the BBC, the programme will see qualified judo coaches teach people safe falling techniques based on the martial art. Approximately 18 different judo techniques have been adapted to help older people, including yoko ukemi, which is a sideways fall that includes protecting the head.

People will also be taught how to tuck their chin in if they’re falling backwards, how to fall forward without using their hands and how to roll properly in order to get back up safely.

Professor Mike Callan of the University of Hertfordshire – and a member of the International Judo Federation Scientific Committee – said: “Judo coaches have a valuable skill set, as they understand the key principles of falling safely. By teaching these techniques to older adults, judo can make a significant contribution to a particular problem for society.”

Making adaptations is also another key way you can reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls within the home. The bathroom is one of the most hazardous parts of the house, so it makes sense to start there when considering making rooms more accessible.

Installing anti-slip flooring is an excellent place to begin and once this is in pride of place, you can make other changes like walk-in baths and showers, shower seating, grab rails and so on. 

Bringing in new features in line with your changing needs is one of the best ways to ensure that you can continue to age in place, living independently within the comfort of your own home for as long as possible.

Ageing In Place: What’s Holding Us Back?

It’s well documented that the UK has an ageing population, with record numbers of people living to 100 now being recorded and life expectancy increasing all the time.

However, the most recent Centre for Ageing Better’s State of Ageing report for 2023-2024 has found there is an increasing divide between demographics when it comes to our experiences of getting older, with poorer people in worse health and living shorter lives.

It was also found that more people are now living with major disabilities and illnesses as they get older, concerns that are exacerbated by the homes they live in, many of which pose significant health and safety risks.

There are now millions of people living in homes that have trip hazards and are both damp and cold. This in itself is bad enough but when coupled with spiralling energy costs and the cost of living crisis, people are now being forced to cut back on heating their homes – which is putting their health at even more risk.

Of the 3.5 million non-decent homes that exist in England, some 49 per cent are lived in by someone over the age of 55. Furthermore, the number of over-50s living in private rental accommodation has been climbing steadily over the last 20 years or so and the highest proportion of non-decent properties can be found in this housing sector. 

This means that older private renters are now likely to live in homes of poorer quality, restricted in their abilities to hold landlords to account and without the financial means to carry out repairs, make necessary adaptations to cover evolving physical needs, or to find more suitable accommodation.

As such, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to remain independent and age in place, which is the aim for the majority of those above a certain age. Strategic Society Centre figures show, in fact, that 80 per cent of older homeowners are keen to stay where they are.

The problem here, however, is that housing stock in the UK is currently not well suited to facilitate this, despite the fact that making properties more accessible and adapting them to accommodate a change in needs can delay the necessity for residential care by four years.

What the Centre for Ageing Better is now keen to see is a move away from the viewpoint that home adaptations are a symbol of frailty, but rather a desirable feature for homes to have, features that can allow people to remain in the comfort of their own homes for as long as possible.

For example, doorways could be made wider to accommodate wheelchairs, counter tops in the kitchen could be lowered, ramps could be installed outside, walk-in showers and easy access baths could be a standard feature, flooring in kitchens and bathrooms could be anti-slip, appropriate lighting systems could be installed… there’s a huge amount that could be achieved, with relatively little strategic planning.

If you are currently concerned that your home may not be fit for purpose as you get older, get in touch with the Practical Bathing team today to see how we can help make it safer and easier to use, even as your needs change and evolve.

Home Adaptation Delays Putting Older People ‘At Risk’

Delays by local councils around the UK in making home adaptations are putting older people at increased risk of going into residential care because it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to live independently in their own homes, a new report has revealed.

Surveys show that older people are keen to continue ageing in place, the Age UK study observes, with adaptations, aids and accessible housing all essential to ensuring they can do so, while simultaneously reducing pressure on the NHS and social care.

Facilities like stairlifts and walk-in shower baths can help reduce the likelihood of slips, trips and falls, giving people greater independence, sustaining better health and reducing dependence on others for care, as well as making any future hospital discharges easier.

However, according to the report, in 2021/22 more than two-thirds of local councils took more than six months to install adaptations through the disabled facilities grant. Reasons for these delays include poor administration, poor customer services and poor communication between different teams and departments.

As such, the Step Change: Improving Delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant report is calling for an increase in the amount of accessible age-friendly housing and quicker access to aid and adaptations to be put at the heart of the government’s vision for older people’s housing in the future.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams said: “We know that falls cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year, with 30 per cent of people aged 65+ and 50 per cent of people aged 80+ falling at least once each year, so you can see how important home adaptations can be.

“Something as simple as a grab rail or a walk-in shower can make the difference between someone being able to remain at home, living independently, and having to move into a care home, at substantial cost to the taxpayer or to themselves if they have to pay their own fees.”

In terms of expense, the average cost of two hours of help each day comes to £13,200 per year, while average annual residential care costs reach £39,520, which further cements the case for prioritising home adaptations and accessibility aids.

Can Garden Rooms Help Support Independent Living?

Being able to live independently and age in place is of growing interest to many around the UK, ensuring that we can continue to enjoy the same level of freedom that we had when we were younger, even as our mobility and physical needs change over time.

To facilitate independent living, it will likely be necessary to make home adaptations and alterations to ensure that it remains safe for you to live there. 

This could include, for example, installing walk-in showers, bath and shower seating and anti slip flooring in the bathroom, widening doorways throughout the house to accommodate a wheelchair, lowering the kitchen worktops and installing ramps outside.

Another home adaptation that’s becoming more popular, however, is the addition of a garden room outside. If you have or are anticipating reduced mobility but want to remain at home, a bespoke garden room could be the way to achieve this, with these spaces easily tailorable to suit your accessibility needs.

These annexes mean that you can potentially move family members into your actual home if and when you need to, while still enjoying the flexibility of having your own space and without having to move to a care home in order to be looked after. 

As we all know, care homes can be incredibly expensive and it can be very hard emotionally to leave the home you’ve lived in for so long, but a garden room represents an excellent solution to a tricky situation.

You’ll be able to retain your independence (far more so than if you did move to a care home) while having the peace of mind that relatives are nearby, able to give you the support you need, coupled with that all-important sense of familiarity that makes the house your home.

These spaces can easily be custom-built to integrate into the garden, featuring futureproof fixtures and fittings that can cater to your evolving needs, or those of a loved one. As an alternative to a care home, it’s certainly one worth exploring… and one that can actually add significant value to your property, at the same time.

Home Accessibility Changes To Support Sight Impairments

Continuing to live independently as we get older is certainly possible, but in order to facilitate this it may well be necessary to make certain changes and adaptations to our homes as our needs evolve over time.

It’s natural for vision to deteriorate with age, with the most common eye conditions that are likely to develop including cataracts (where the lens starts to cloud over), glaucoma (where the anterior chamber starts to narrow and block the drainage system near the iris), macular degeneration (where the retina becomes less sensitive to light) and diabetic retinopathy (where sugar buildup damages the eyes).

If you are losing your sight or have an eye condition of some kind, it is possible that you’ll have to carry out home adaptations and improvements to make your property accessible enough to support potential sight impairments.

Indoors, it can be helpful to increase the amount of natural light that comes flooding into your living spaces. An easy alteration would be to switch out heavy drapes for voile curtains or some other kind of sheer fabric, although you may find you need to make more extensive alterations, such as installing new windows to improve light levels.

Reducing trip hazards is also a must if you’re struggling with your eyesight, so make sure that any loose carpet tiles or floor planks are repaired and that the artificial lighting in each room is sufficient to keep all four corners of the space well lit.

The bathroom and kitchen in particular can represent significant health risks, so focusing on these parts of the home first can make it a safer place in which to live. 

Using anti-slip mats and other kinds of safety flooring can ensure there are no slips, trips and falls. It can also be beneficial to decorate the space in a matte finish to minimise reflective surfaces, which can be dazzling and affect vision even further.

When installing features like grab rails, shower seating, bath lifts and so on, it can be beneficial to use contrasting colours to the rest of the bathroom so you can see them more easily.

As important as it is to prioritise the inside of your home, it’s also vital that you make the exterior of the property safe, as well. 

Again, fixing any and all potential trip hazards is a must, with all paths and fenced areas well maintained and looked after. As for plants and trees, keeping everything cut back and orderly will also help reduce the risks of an accident taking place. 

Outdoor lighting can also be used to excellent effect to ensure that any obstructions are seen before they cause problems, as well as using lights around the locks and keyholes on your front and back doors to help you get in and out of the house without much trouble.

Home Adaptations To Help With Arthritis

Arthritis is a very common condition that causes joint pain and inflammation, making movement more difficult than usual, particularly in the hands, spine, knees and hips.

It can be a very difficult condition to live with and there is no cure for it, although there are treatments that can slow its progress. Lifestyle changes, medication and surgery can also help you manage your symptoms, but ultimately it will likely be something that you have to live with.

As such, making changes around the house and adapting your living spaces to reflect your change in circumstances can prove very beneficial, helping you to navigate your way through your home more easily and without putting yourself at risk.

The likes of fixed ramps and automatic doors or wider doorways can be helpful if you need to use a wheelchair, while baths and showers with inbuilt handles can help you manoeuvre yourself in and out.

However, you may find that you prefer to significantly overhaul the bathroom entirely and turn it into a wet room, or perhaps install a walk-in bath to make life even easier. Thinking about how your symptoms may change over time can help you decide what adaptations to bring in.

The bathroom is perhaps the best place to begin as this is one of the most hazardous rooms in the house. Installing a shower seat can help keep you safe as you bathe and you may find slip mats of particular benefit in the shower, bath and by the toilet.

Changing your bathroom routine can also help ease your symptoms. For example, washing your hair can be very tiring, so perhaps consider using dry shampoo occasionally to provide you with some relief.

Keeping a towel warm on the radiator for when you’re ready to get out of the bath can also help, as cold can exacerbate your symptoms and cause even more joint pain and stiffness.

In the living room, consider changing the layout of the space to make it easier for you to traverse and aim to keep the floor as free from clutter as you can to reduce slips, trips and falls. You may also find that investing in sturdier furniture helps you throughout the day, as you can use the backs and arms of chairs and sofas for additional support.

As for the kitchen, lowering the cupboards means you won’t have to stretch so far to reach what you need and you could invest in ergonomic handles for your taps to make them easier to turn on and off.

Ultimately, the aim is to reduce as much strain on your joints as possible and there’s a lot that can be achieved in this regard, both in terms of home adaptations but also lifestyle changes and altering your routines to accommodate your changing mobility.

French Architects Designing For Dementia

A new experimental village on the outskirts of the French town of Dax in the south-west of France has been hitting the headlines of late, garnering praise for its comprehensive design that aims to improve the wellbeing of those suffering with Alzheimer’s.

The Village Landais Alzheimer has been modelled on the Hogeweyk dementia village in the Netherlands, the Guardian reports, which is a healthcare facility that has both the look and layout of a village.

Similarly, this latest project in Dax has been designed to resemble a traditional community, with people able to enjoy familiar architecture based on common features that can be found throughout the region.

For example, the facility includes a bastide, which is an arcaded square that houses a library and a restaurant. There are four clusters of homes to be found here, with shallow pitched roofs with clay tiles, which have been built around a green space that has trees and a pond in the middle.

In all, 108 residents call this village home, with 12 daycare patients and over 120 staff and 80 volunteers. Particular attention is paid to the needs of those with early onset dementia.

Mathilde Charon-Burnel, manager of social care projects for the region’s local authority, explained that features like circular walking routes and other such features are intended to deliver an “impression of liberty”, working to reduce the impacts of the disease.

For example, paving stones are in beige throughout to prevent strong contrasts from disturbing people, while mirrors can be concealed by shutters if necessary to avoid causing potential upset. Light and dark tones are also used to great effect, pointing people to where they should go and deflecting them away from restricted areas.

Projects such as this one are sure to become increasingly important as time goes on, with life expectancy increasing and more and more of us living to 100. 

Housing design has an incredibly important role to play in supporting people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible, as well as supporting them to lead fulfilling lives even when facing diseases like dementia.

Making both homes and neighbourhoods more age-friendly will help support the evolving needs of an ageing population. 

In a recent white paper, the Social Care Institute For Excellence emphasised the importance of using population data and projections for accessible housing and planning, alongside integrated healthcare and more robust community engagement.

To help achieve age-friendly communities, home designs need to meet the needs of the entire population as it ages, with national mandatory requirements set in place for 90 per cent of new homes to be made accessible and adaptable, while ten per cent be designed to be wheelchair accessible.

Furthermore, local neighbourhood plans should feature design principles to create more age-friendly environments, while the government should invest in training to support the co-design of age-friendly environments so that the right homes can be delivered in the right places.