Decoration & Familiarity
Moving house can be nerve wracking but it can also be very exciting. Your room can be decorated according to your preference and your belongings will help you to be surrounded by familiar possessions that make you feel more at home. We encourage new residents and their families to put up memento’s and photographs which are special to them – photographs of family, friends, or important times in your life to look back upon fondly alongside the new memories you will make in our care.
Surrounding yourself with familiar things is important, particularly if you are experiencing the onset, or more developed, symptoms of dementia. Photographs, favourite objects and decorations can help people experiencing dementia to recognise your new home if you find yourself feeling lost or confused.
Lasting Memories
We understand that leaving a home where you may have lived for many years can be difficult, particularly if it is a family home that you have shared with your loved ones and which has many happy memories. However we hope to provide an atmosphere for you gain many more happy memories in an environment that best suits your needs.
Similarly if you have been used to living alone, moving into somewhere new can feel overwhelming. It is important to us that we keep up the daily routines that you are used to and facilitate a lifestyle which is most comfortable in helping you settle in and feel at home.
Why A Memory Box?
For individuals living with dementia a ‘Memory Box’ that includes items that bring back memories of important moments in the person’s life but also enables our staff to understand the people they care for better and make it easier to strike up a conversation with them.
In most cases a person suffering from a memory loss disease will lose their short-term memory but retain their long-term memories. A memory box is a simple tool that can help to bring back happy memories and events from their past.
Download our help sheet to find out more information.
Getting to Know You
Your mementos help us, as well. When you move in to our home it is so important to us that we really get to know you. Seeing the people and the moments that mean the most to you and learning their stories are what help us to get to know you best. In decorating a room with your belongings we can see and become familiar with your life and the people and experiences that are so much a part of it. The better we know you, the more we can help you to settle in.
Some people worry that becoming a resident in a care home means that they will lose the familiarity, independence and personality of their current home, but we are here to assure you; when you make our home, your home, we want to you to make it your own so that we can help you to live each day to its fullest.