You’ve tried to avoid it, but finally the inevitable has happened. You’ve married, changed jobs, or found a house with a one floor layout. Now, you have to move the person with Alzheimer’s that you are caring for to a new home. How do you move with an Alzheimer’s patient?
Well, as you know, the best thing is to stay put. Failing that, you need to try to avoid changing routines as much as possible. If you aren’t moving far, try moving the rest of the house and getting everything organized before moving the patient’s room. Then, have the patient sit in a familiar chair. Put on a favorite show or familiar tune to mask some of the noise and confusion. Then, have the patient’s room moved and reassembled. Be sure to arrange it look as much like the old room as possible.
If you are traveling a long way, you may not be able to set things up this way. For a long distance move, have the movers pack the Alzheimer’s patient’s room last, so that you can pull it out first when the van arrives at its destination. Don’t pack the room while the patient is sitting in it. Move him or her to a quiet, familiar area. If the whole house is in an uproar, go for a drive while you pack the room or take a walk in the back yard.
Don’t be surprised if your loved one is aggitated and upset during and after the move. Even if everything looks like it is the same, it isn’t and he or she will sense that.
Posted by
I have found mum gets agitated even when we are just doing the weekly cleancing and vaucuaming so I can only imagine how bad it would be f we were moving house! . She can become quite confused and upset so now we put her in her room for a lie down before we start cleaning which seems to work better.
Comment by elanor - August 18, 2007 5:33 pm
Elanor,
Yes, cleaning can be loud and confusing. Thanks for a great tip. Sometimes there are such simple solutions to things that we overlook them!
Comment by Anonymous - August 19, 2007 6:33 pm