A dementia-friendly environment is familiar to the person, easily accessible, safe, secure, and supports the person living with dementia to retain their independence.
Consider the following dementia-friendly changes:
- use a D shape door handle that contrasts to the door to ease access
- contrast the colour of doors to surrounding walls
- consider painting the architraves or door frame a contrasting colour
- consider having the toilet door a different colour to other doors
- consider symbols or photographs to indicate the function of the room
- use either Arial or Helvetica fonts for door signage. Place signage at 1.2 metre height so they can be easily seen
- ensure contrast in light sockets. You can also put coloured tape around the switch to assist with identification
- use larger switches for turning on and off lights
- use a whiteboard or calendar to post notes and reminders
- use our online home improvement tool to discover some easy ways you can make your home more dementia-friendly, room by room.