How to Assist Your Family Member with Dementia when Relocating to a Facility


Many family members will ask whether it is the right time for their family member living with dementia to relocate, this is a difficult but important decision. Family members along with the person living with dementia should work out an advance directive (future care plan) at the early stages of the diagnosis, this will assist the family later on when the person living with dementia is no longer able to make the decision or have input. Below I have highlighted some reasons, causes and incidents that usually lead to the relocation of someone living with dementia, but one needs to keep in mind that all cases are unique.
  • Safety Issues in the home due to a loss of independence, increase in falls and/or an elderly spouse who can’t keep up with the physical care needs of the person with dementia.
  • Wandering and getting lost, about 60% of persons with dementia wander.
  • Escalated caring and health needs of the person with dementia or their family care giver.
  •  A lack of family support, the person’s children may be working full time and/or there may only be one care giver at home with no one to assist, which then leads to burn out of the care giver.
  • Care giver stress and burnout- this usually happens when the person with dementia is living with family members.
  • Need for specialised care due to behaviours of concern or physical needs.
  • Due to financial reasons- 24 hour home care can be very expensive.

How can you help your family member cope with the change?
Care givers and family members should have a good support system before and when making the decision with regards to the move, as persons with dementia really struggle to accept and understand the move to a facility and usually those closest to them get the blame. 
Getting care assistance within the person’s home prior to the move can assist greatly as they will become more open to idea of someone helping them. If possible their care providers could make the move with them to assist the person with settling in.
Meet with staff working at the facility beforehand to discuss the person’s care needs, life history, likes and dislikes and functional abilities. In this way everyone at the facility will be prepared and the person with dementia will feel more at ease and comfortable. Develop a plan in terms of the day of the move, visiting the person with dementia, outings for the person with dementia and ask what their day would look like when living at the facility.  
Settling in may take up to three months and is dependent on many factors, it is important for the person with dementia to be very comfortable during the first few weeks. Families should also ask facility staff for feedback instead of only relying on what the person with dementia says- photos can also be very reassuring. 
Displaying positive emotions when visiting, keeping visits short and having some of the person’s favourite snacks may also help.
Having a concrete reason and saying something meaningful and familiar to them, which everyone is aware of can help to reassure the person with dementia when they ask why they have moved or display anxiety regarding the move. 
Everyone is unique and has different needs, this is the basis of person centered care and should always be practiced!

Lou-Ann van Heerden
Occupational Therapist @ The Villa 
Location: South Africa 1 Derry St, Vredehoek, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

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