martina
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- Table of contents
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- Community private services
- Keywords
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- Public place facilities (e.g. libraries or museums for people living with dementia)
- Private shops facilities
Do you know?
A safe environment can improve the quality of life of people living with dementia!
A safe environment can improve the quality of life of people living with dementia!
| Sometimes older people after retirement used to build up their own daily routine. Someone likes to go out for a coffee, others buy the newspaper or meet friends for a pleasant conversation. |  |
Daily routines have an important value related to the sense of belonging and autonomy. They also have a significant social value, providing daily ecological stimulation which allows a slower progression of the disease.
If you are a person living with dementia you may experience confusion and trouble performing daily activities. In order to maintain daily habits safely as long as possible, it is essential to make the environment and access to shops/services safer and more suitable providing a rewarding and less confusing experience.
 | And you, how do you do in order to make safer the access to shops and services? Discuss it with the community members |
Do you know?
A safe environment can improve the quality of life of people living with dementia!
A safe environment can improve the quality of life of people living with dementia!
Sometimes older people after retirement used to build up their own daily routine. Some like to go out for a coffee, others buy the newspaper or meet up with friends for a pleasant conversation.
There are many activities you can do, including going out for groceries, buying bread, going to the supermarket or local market, going to the pharmacy or clothes shop. Daily routines have an important value related to the sense of belonging and autonomy, they have also a significant social value, providing the daily ecological stimulation which allows a slower progression of the disease.
People living with dementia may experience confusion and trouble performing daily activities. In order to maintain daily habits safely for as long as possible, we can implement some solutions.
Below are some suggestions to make the environment and access to shops/services safer and more suitable for people living with dementia and providing a rewarding and less confusing experience:
There are many activities you can do, including going out for groceries, buying bread, going to the supermarket or local market, going to the pharmacy or clothes shop. Daily routines have an important value related to the sense of belonging and autonomy, they have also a significant social value, providing the daily ecological stimulation which allows a slower progression of the disease.
People living with dementia may experience confusion and trouble performing daily activities. In order to maintain daily habits safely for as long as possible, we can implement some solutions.
Below are some suggestions to make the environment and access to shops/services safer and more suitable for people living with dementia and providing a rewarding and less confusing experience:
- Coloured pathways marked on the floor to indicate the route into the shop, the till and then the exit
- In a bar or restaurant, place tables far apart to ensure a private and quiet environment. Excessive noise can lead to great disorientation.
- Avoid putting a black doormat at the entrance: dark colours on the floor can be mistakenly perceived as empty.
- Mark steps and, where possible, replace them with ramps
- Avoid mirrors or glass doors
Other suggestions:
- Show one product at a time, e.g. if the person wants to buy a pair of shoes, show them one model at a time in order to avoid overstimulation.
- Agree with local shopkeepers to pay later for the coffee or the newspaper
- It may be useful to leave the caregiver’s telephone number to local shopkeepers in order to be called in case of unusual movements by the person living with dementia
Raising community awareness about dementia is crucial for the implementation of these activities. This is a prerequisite for a good and fruitful cooperation between caregivers and shopkeepers.
People living in the community and shopkeepers need to be trained and prepared to deal with people living with dementia and other forms of disability in order to creatively adapt commercial spaces.
An example is the 'Dementia Friendly Supermarket' project in Bari, where 13 megastores trained employees to guide people with dementia while they shop. They modified the structure, providing signs with enlarged letters and rest areas between aisles to make shopping time tailored to customers living with dementia. Identification badges were also distributed to customers for personal assistance and priority at counters and checkouts.
| And you, how do you do in order to make safer the access to shops and services? Discuss it with the community members |
References
http://www.alzheimer.it/todisorientamento.html
https://www.dementiafriendly.it/sto...ntro-estetico-delle-sorelle-ilaria-e-arianna/
https://startupitalia.eu/2494-20210...tro-inclusivo-ecco-le-citta-dementia-friendly
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