There’s No Place Like Home

People living with dementia, especially in the earlier stages, and adults with developmental disabilities may sometimes find themselves at odds with their families and with providers about which of these aspects is ‘most’ important. This is particularly true for assisted living facilities where adult children want their parent with dementia to move in for 'safety' and the adult parent wants to retain the freedom to come and go as they please.

For aging parents with an adult child with a developmental disability, the conflict is similar: caregivers want to keep their adult child safe and the adult wants their autonomy. As you’ve been learning throughout the curriculum, the goal—and the obligation—of the care community in person-directed care, is to find safe ways to support the person’s needs, wishes, and dreams.

Positive relationships with staff or care providers who come and go are important. Making sure that care recipients are involved in their decision-making, that they have access to seeing the people they enjoy and be able to do things they enjoy doing all contribute to a sense of well-being in any care environment.

Tips on Creating a Safe Physical Environment

In a facility

Recognize that an individual should be supported to reside in a safe physical environment. In order for that to occur, it’s possible that changes may need to be made. Consider the following questions when evaluating the physical environment:

• Are the hallways clear of all obstacles?
• Is there sufficient room for the person to move around?
• Is there adequate and comfortable lighting, including night lights as necessary?
• Is the interior sanitary, orderly, and comfortable?
• Are the temperature levels comfortable and safe?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no” evaluate what needs to be done for each individual's level of comfort. This is challenging in care facilities without private rooms when roommates can’t agree on the temperature of the room!

At home

Many families of persons living with dementia and of adult children with developmental disabilities are turning to technology to try to balance the needs for safety and autonomy. A few examples are smartphone monitoring via cameras, GPS tracking devices that can be worn, and rideshare company services like Lyft Assist.

As you learned in the previous lesson, creating positive conditions includes paying attention to the emotional atmosphere. This can be enhanced by addressing caregiver stress. In addition, this lesson expands the area of positive condition to include the physical environment. You can improve that by paying attention to areas that make the place more comfortable and safe for the people you serve.