Latest / More Organised Less Clutter / 235. Create a Dementia friendly home
Transcript
- speaker-0: Welcome to More Organized, Less Clutter, a podcast to empower individuals and neurodivergent families with practical, realistic tools to create a more organized, sensory-friendly, clutter-free, and intentional home that works with your lifestyle and brain, not against it. I'm Narelle King, a professional organizer and neurodivergent mom who understands the unique challenges of family life. I help people just like you simplify your space build sustainable organisational systems and create more breathing room physically and mentally. Every fortnight, you'll hear solo episodes and guest conversations filled with practical strategies on decluttering, home organisation, routines for neurodivergent families, mindful living and how to build a home that feels safe, calm and functional. You'll walk away with actionable takeaways you can implement even if you only have 10 minutes to spare. Today on the podcast, more organized, less clutter, I'm talking with Lindle Harris from Compassionate Transitions. She's a dementia doula and the host of Dementia Unraveled podcast. She helps families better understand and navigate the dementia journey with practical tools, compassionate support and education. Today she shares information about dementia and some really simple tips to set up a dementia friendly home. So this conversation is also a video recording that you can watch on YouTube. Let's jump into this more organized, less clutter conversation with Lindle to set up a dementia friendly home. Today on more organized, less clutter, I'm talking with Lindle Harris from Compassionate Transitions, a dementia doer and host of Dementia Unveiled podcast. Today, she will be sharing with us some ideas to help us with setting up a dementia friendly environment in our home. Welcome, Lindell. speaker-1: Hello, thanks so much for having me Narelle. speaker-0: ⁓ no, thank you so much for making the time to come on here and share your knowledge around dementia. But let's start. So if you were a Barbie doll, what two accessories would you come with? Just to give people a little bit of insight into things that you like to do. speaker-1: ⁓ okay. So one would be audio. It'd be whether it's my phone because it probably would be my phone actually. But headphones that go with it because obviously audio is a big thing. Music, podcasts, I just love listening to audio. And a second one. ⁓ gosh. It probably be my glasses because really I can't see without them. can see long distance, I can't even come. speaker-0: Yes, I can relate to that as well. I constantly need them on and I'm practicing with contacts at the moment, which is a little bit hard, but getting there. But back to the audio, maybe just give people a little bit of insight as to something you did used to do a lot of, which you're moving away from. Well, sort of, but not really. You're mixing it together now, aren't speaker-1: I am, I am. Yes, since 2015, I have run a business in podcast production and been a podcast producer. And last year I had ⁓ a 180 degree turn in my degree, in my degree, in my career even, ⁓ and became a dementia doula. So I knew that podcasting probably wasn't something I wanted to do forever a few years ago. And I heard about dementia jewelers and instantly knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. So yeah, I did a big pivot and it's been amazing. It's great. I love it. speaker-0: ⁓ yes, and I have to thank you for you helped me with launching my podcast. ⁓ Go back, you edited all the first three episodes, which is like, what is it? Two and 30 episodes ago. Four years ago. Yeah. So what's, if I was to come to your house as a professional organizer, what part of your home would you love support with? speaker-1: long time ago. This one makes me laugh ⁓ because I have ⁓ a family that on both sides of my mum and dad's family, they had family heirlooms and things that got passed down. so I have managed to get, or some of it's in a storage shed of my mum's side of the family things, my dad's side of the family's things, my auntie's things when she passed away, my husband passed away, so I've got all his things. I've got so much stuff that I sort of slowly, slowly get through. So if you came to my house and we'd be emptying that storage shed, getting it here and getting it all sorted. speaker-0: still have a of house that the furniture would suit as well. speaker-1: So interestingly known, but I have kept key pieces. So, and I really struggled with that actually when me, when mum moved, because she had some really beautiful pieces that I would love to have kept, but some of it just didn't suit the rest of my stuff. So I've kept key pieces and made that work with other things and then an area that sort of knew her because she had some really beautiful antique furniture and China cabinets and things like that. speaker-0: Yeah. And I don't know if you've put any flat packs together recently over the last few years, but they're terrible and they fall apart and they don't last. So furniture, old furniture is just so well made and so beautiful. So I can see why it's so to through and decide. It's so unique. So what strengths do you think you bring to this new business and your services that you're now offering as a dimension dweller? speaker-1: I think, I think obviously the podcasting background. So I can get the message out to ⁓ many in a way that I guess ⁓ a lot of my colleagues have a different, you know, I sit in that space sometimes where they've got a lot more experience in caring for people with dementia and a dementia background. But I think what I bring, which is different is that technical skills, particularly podcasting and helping get. get a message out to a bigger audience. speaker-0: Yeah, definitely. And that's such an important thing because we can be that local business, but really some things need to be shared with the whole world. And that's the beauty of podcasting, isn't it? speaker-1: ⁓ it is absolutely. it's, one of those funny moments where dementia doula was a real sliding doors moment for me. I heard it and I was like, that is exactly what I'm going to do. And I'd signed up for the course I was going in five days. I was starting to learn all about it. speaker-0: That's all right. I was just about to ask, what, are you happy to share how you got into the dementia? Like what was it that drew you into actually dementia doula over any other sort of, you know, work? Yeah. speaker-1: Yeah, absolutely. So when my husband passed away in 2018, I did an end of life doula course and I was trying to work out how I could incorporate that into a business. And it was really difficult because my kids were young, I was a solo mum. And my aunt was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and I also have dementia in my mum's side of the family. ⁓ was, yeah, it was one of those interesting moments of really knowing that I was comfortable at end of life and the dementia doula role was initially created because there's a gap for that end of life for people with dementia and palliative care. ⁓ and so, yeah, I was trying to work out how do I, actually started by my business as compassionate transitions as the end of life doula trying to work out exactly what services. And as I was editing a podcast or I was creating a podcast for a client of mine. she was interviewing a dementia dual or the woman who created the dementia dual role. so having that conversation with my client about it just clicked. I knew exactly that's what I was doing. I'd signed up as a say, I was starting to study it and it feels like, ⁓ I know people often talk about whether it's their purpose and what have you, but this actually does feel perfect. Like it's so aligned and everything just feels lighter and better because I'm on the right sort of track of what I want to be doing. yeah. speaker-0: That's great. That's so nice to hear when you found that actual purpose and you've brought all those strengths that you have to this new role. speaker-1: Yeah, it's good when it all comes together and you think, ⁓ this is what it was. Because obviously there are times when you think, don't know, this is all coming together, but yeah, absolutely. feels so good. speaker-0: So when someone is living with dementia, why does the home environment become so much more important? speaker-1: Yeah, it is really important because your home environment can, it can really work for someone or it can work against them if they're living with dementia. Because if you think about it, the home is their safe place. It's their safe environment. So if we have it set up so that they feel confident about where they are as their brain changes start to affect, you know, it might be their memory or their, or their mood or their behaviors and things like that. They know that home is their safe space. And often you will talk to people, whether it's families or loved ones who are caring for someone living with dementia or brain change, that when they go out, they can be really unsettled. And so when they're in their home and they're in their familiar surroundings, that makes a huge difference. speaker-0: Yeah, that's great. Yes, I can see that even with my own father, like when he's out, it's different than when he's at home. He's so much more comfortable and yeah. speaker-1: Just familiar surroundings. It's the way their brain is working. And when they're relaxed and their brain is calm, it's nicer for them to feel. speaker-0: Yeah. So what are some of the key things families could, should consider when creating a dementia friendly home that speaker-1: Yeah, so there are a few things when you think about how dementia might affect people. And just want to step back a sec to say what dementia is because there's still a lot of confusion around. Well, a lot of people use the term Alzheimer's and dementia interchangeably. And actually there's over 120 different types of dementia. So dementia is the overarching umbrella term for a set of symptoms or a set of conditions that can affect our brain. And a lot of people think that dementia is just about memory, but that's not the case. can be about how people think, how they feel and their ability to undertake everyday tasks. So when we think about that and put it into the lens of, ⁓ you know, things around the house, their senses also change as the brain changes. Now with different types of dementia, different parts of the brain might change and everybody has a different experience with dementia as well. So you might have two people with the same type of dementia, but have very different parts of their brain affected. And so that can affect their senses, which can affect obviously your vision, your hearing. So when it comes to vision, if you think about things like ⁓ making sure that you have no clutter in the hallways and... and ways that people get around their rooms. That's really important. It could be the lighting. If you have some of those automatic lights that you can get now from movement, that can really sort of light up a pathway, say for example, from the bedroom to the bathroom, if they need to go to the toilet in the nighttime. ⁓ Another thing with visuals is the person living with dementia will often sort of mid to late stages, they will start to experience ⁓ visual impairment or not so much impairment, but visual changes and the depth perception can change a lot. So it can be really difficult for someone living with dementia to distinguish between colors. ⁓ If there's no colors, I should say. if you, for example, if you have a white plate on a white table, it can be really difficult for when that depth perception starts to change to, for the person living with dementia to actually distinguished between the plate and the table. And then if you've got white food on the plate, so mashed potato or something like that, that can be hard as well. So little things like putting in contrasting colors. So in that instance, you could change the color of the plate, or you could change the, ⁓ a different colored placemat underneath the plate so that it stands out from the table. And another really ⁓ common one here is the toilet. So often we have a white toilet seat on a white toilet. And sometimes that's on a white tile of bathroom floor. So it's really difficult for the person with visual change to actually work out where the toilet seat is. And so it can be a really good idea to change the toilet seat so it's a contrasting color. But then you have to think about things like a black toilet seat for someone who has lost that depth perception can look like a hole. And so they don't want to sit on a black toilet seat. ⁓ Red might be an alarming color for them. So they might not want to sit on a red toilet seat. So thinking things like a gray toilet seat or something that stands out, grab rails are the same, making sure they actually have a different color and they stand out so that ⁓ it's easier for them to see it against a wall, for example. speaker-0: They're always white, aren't they? They In all the homes I work in, they're usually white. Yes. To try and camouflage them. speaker-1: to try and blend in. We have mats down around our house now. You know, when visuals change, can, the way their eyesight changes, and I know I'm doing it so that I'm doing it so you could see it on video, but it comes into sometimes at those advanced stages to a binocular view. So they can't see under their chin, for example, they don't have peripheral vision and mats and things like, well, coffee tables, can become trip hazards, but mats in particular, if they have a really crazy pattern on them, ⁓ or if they're, they're black, can look like a hole. So really being mindful of, of some of those things and, and shadows, shadows that are cast across rooms at different times of the day that they can really affect people. I could, I could go on and on and on, I really, speaker-0: Lots of that people to be aware of. speaker-1: Yeah. there's lots of things like, if they're starting to forget where, let's say they make tea and coffee and they're quite confident in making tea and coffee, but they forget where the cups are and the spoons are, then we can put things on the bench ready for it to be made. Or we could put labels onto drawers and cupboards to say where things are and that way finding the signs on toilet doors and bathroom doors. So they know exactly which room is which. can be really helpful. another one that I ⁓ think is really important and I know a lot of people may not know is the sound sensory changes. And so it can be really difficult for someone to work out if that sound is the person talking or is it the lawnmower in the yard next door, it doesn't even have to be your yard or what's that noise that's going on? And it can be quite hard to determine what noise it is. having background noise on when you've got people over and you're having conversations can be really, really difficult for the person living with dementia. So you want to think about things like, you know, if you're having conversations, background noise off. So no radio in the background, no TV in the background. Certainly if you're sitting and not doing anything and listening to the radio, that might be different. ⁓ But if you try to have a conversation with people, removing that background noise. speaker-0: Yeah, that's a great tip as well. ⁓ So if you were to, I love all of those things because all of them are just, you know, they're small things, but they would make a huge impact in somebody's home. And like, like we love making things more functional. And that is exactly what those suggestions are going to help people do in their home. So what are some simple things they could do and change like straight away? Cause one thing I wanted to ask you is, so where do you get a colored toilet from? Are they easy to- speaker-1: So I would say it's colored toilet seat. So it's not too difficult about it, yes. You can get colored toilet seats, I would say probably Bunnings. Or if you look online, I would suggest that maybe a patterned toilet seat isn't the best thing because they have got some great contrasting toilet seats that have got seascape patterns on them and things like that. speaker-0: I've seen those. speaker-1: They might look great, but for the person living with dementia and it can't distinguish the 3D, they can't work out if they're going to sit on something that's going to bite them or what's happening there. So that might turn them off as well. So contrast would be something that I would say ⁓ would be really good to bring into it. So contrasting color, whether it's toilet seat, whether it's placemats, think about how your room is set up. The other thing I would say is have a familiar ⁓ corner or chair, if they have a favorite seat, think about where that seat is positioned. You know, has it got good light from say a window coming in? ⁓ And once they're comfortable in a space and they know that's their safe space, don't rearrange. In fact, don't rearrange the house once that brain change is starting because that gets really, really confusing. And you can start to see and feel the agitation if they don't feel familiar and they don't feel comfortable. So that would be ⁓ my second. So contrasting colors first, have the familiars surroundings, reducing clutter and having that favorite sort of ⁓ spot where they are really comfortable. And the third thing would be to use labels and ⁓ sign posts to different rooms and things like that. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah, that's their great tips. And look, I love labels work for me. And there's ways that you can do it. So it's still not obvious, like too obvious if you don't want it to. Because I find that sometimes a reason why people will say, I don't want my house to just have labels everywhere. It's like, okay, but we can do it in a more discrete way so that the person with dementia or whatever it is, can actually ⁓ help them distinguish where the things go. speaker-1: Yeah, and we've got to remember that and I know how easy it is when you have lived experience in my family and what have you that it can be easy for us to think that we can fix things and it'll be okay, they'll remember where it is. But if someone's living with brain change, we're the ones that have to change because they can't. And so we have to think about we might not like the labels or we might not like the look of it, but really we're trying to make it more accessible for the person living with dementia. We're the ones that have to get past that. And it can be tricky sometimes. I know, with my own mum, she's got mild cognitive impairment. And sometimes there were times when I'd be like, no, we'll set it up this way, we'll do it this way. And not really recognizing that I was the one that had to change. I couldn't fix it. I wasn't trying to just be difficult. I was trying to fix a problem. And it's really about, we need to change and we need to adapt. because it's a lot more, it's easier for us. We don't have that brain change ⁓ that they do. speaker-0: So one thing, and it just reminded me is also around something else that families could do. Cause this is the reason we reconnected is I was helping my family for decluttering my dad's garage. And so I reached out to say, what, are some things that I need to remember when working with him? And like you shared some great stories around, ⁓ making sure that you keep those things that is going to give them, you know, memories and stories that they can tell. So what would be something that you would say to people who are decluttering with a family member? Things to maybe look at, considering to keep rather than just getting rid of everything. speaker-1: Yes, absolutely. And because it is, it's a funny thing, isn't it? Cause we can, we can control like what's in the house. So if we're decluttering, we can think, you know, we'll just get rid of this because when we're caring for someone, might be feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. And that's something that we can do is we can sort the house out and make that. But when someone's got brain change and it is affecting their memory, it's the newer memories that go first. And so I love the analogy of it's like a filing cabinet. You've got all of your memories in the filing cabinet and it's the first, it's the newest memories that go first. And so that's why quite often people with dementia will forget the short term ⁓ things and their longer term memories can stay really clear. can, sometimes they can remember everything right back in childhood. And so when you're doing a declutter, I think it's really important to put aside things or make a memory box. of things that were really important to that person because not only is it something nice for them to be able to look at ⁓ and remember parts of their life, but also they're great talking points. And so if you find that communication is becoming an issue and you're, you know, you wanting things to talk about getting out your memory box and talking about, you know, a certain memento that they've got that was really important at a certain point in their life. And they can just open up and just, they're comfortable talking about it. Did you experience that with your. speaker-0: what I experienced. So basically, my dad taught me how I need to put my irrigation into my garden because he had all the bits and pieces that I could do that with. And he also taught me about plumbing, which I was like, you know, you're an electrician, not a plumber, but he told me all about that too. And then he had all the electrical parts, which some of it's actually antiques. So my brother actually took some of those because he's an electrician. ⁓ just to keep as antique things that they just don't use anymore. ⁓ But it was really interesting because he could tell me everything about those. Every piece of scrap metal, what he would use it for. speaker-1: Yes. And isn't it interesting when you're sitting and talking with somebody who might not feel as confident to talk about current affairs because they might not remember what's going on. But when you bring something out that they can talk about till the cows come home, you just watch their eyes light up and you can see them change because they've got that purpose. I think quite often someone living with dementia can feel sort of down and sad and maybe like they haven't got a purpose. But when you're asking things that they know, they just, they light up and it's just such a beautiful feeling when you see smile and the joy come back to them when they're about something. So I would say when you're decluttering, think about those, those items that might seem like nothing to you, but might mean something to them. And then creating a memory box. Same thing with photos. I think photos are super important. So Keeping photos, ⁓ again, it might be that you can declutter a whole lot of stuff, but keep some really key things that are important to the person. speaker-0: Yeah, I think from my advice of what I did is definitely working with them because that's when you found the items that triggered the memories. If I had to have done that by myself, there's no way I would have kept, there was a few things that there's no way I would have kept because I was like, what is this? But when I worked with my dad, he told me, ⁓ this is like a garden light that I made to go camping. So when they go camping, he'd made these little lights that you could just put in the ground so we could see where to go to the toilet around. speaker-1: now. speaker-0: So it's like, ⁓ they're really important to keep. definitely, yeah, doing it with the person is definitely a key. speaker-1: You it's interesting that you say that about the things like that. I just, it prompted a memory that when my dad, my dad passed away 15 years ago and he also had some very antique tools from, he was an engineer and his father was an engineer. So we had all these really old antique tools, but also instruments that they used to use for, for when they were doing their drawings and when they were doing their work. And ⁓ Someone that I know actually said to me, I've got a great idea to preserve some of these, because I've got children and my sister's got two sons. And he said, get this. He'd done it previously to someone. He got a sash window, an old sash window, and he built it like a picture box. And he actually put some of those antique pieces and instruments into the sash window so it's a display of these beautiful antique. ⁓ pieces and it was really, really different, but it was beautiful. there's dad's pieces and dad's family's pieces that have been around for hundreds of years on display. ⁓ speaker-0: It's what my brother's planning to do with these antique lights that my dad had kept, which his dad was an electrician. So I have a funny feeling there's a connection that the same, they'd been passed to him and he's, yeah. So there's so many things of preserving these and then actually having that talking point, isn't it, to pass on, it then means something to the next generation rather than just passing him, I don't know, a plate and saucer and there's no story. it's like, well, why would I keep this? speaker-1: Yes. Yeah. And I'll give a little tip with that might be if you're not a hundred percent sure what something is, or you do want to know the story, just get your phone out and hit record and ask them. Just we, and I'm say this from my perspective because I can overthink it and think I've got to sit down with mom and work out who's China was that, or I've got all this jewelry that I've got. Who's jewelry was that? Like who's, when Jenny and I, my sister are working all of this out, we don't really know some of the story in the background of some of those things. And as you say, that can be, know, do we want to keep this and pass it down through the generations? Get your phone out, hit record and just sit and talk to them because you don't need to make it a, know, we've got to go get a notepad and write it all down. ⁓ Because you'll be really grateful that you did like you did with your dad. know, the stories behind it, makes it more, it makes it more special. speaker-0: Yeah, definitely. Lindle, thank you so much for all of your tips. What is the best place for people to connect with you? speaker-1: My website is compassionatetransitions.com.au. ⁓ I'm launching my podcast, so Dementia Unraveled. And yeah, I do have ⁓ a resource that I'm happy to share with your audience as well. It's a few page booklet on simple changes that can help. Yeah, it's called Simple Changes to Create a Dementia-Friendly Home. And it just gives you some of those tips and tricks to help set up the home so that it's a little easier for the person living with dementia. speaker-0: Beautiful. Thank you so much, Linda. speaker-1: You're very welcome. Thanks for having me. speaker-0: Have you ever wished for a simpler, more organised approach to handling your laundry? It's time to regain control with our free step-by-step guide designed to streamline your laundry routine and create a laundry space that's organised and functional. Let's transform how you manage those overflowing baskets and pesky little single socks. Head to simplyhappy.com.au to the Resources tab to get instant access today. I'd like to acknowledge the Wathaurong people of the Kulin Nation on which this podcast is recorded as the traditional custodians of the land. I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.