Living safely at home with a loved one with dementia: a complete family guide

For most families, a dementia diagnosis arrives together with the question "is it time for a nursing home?" Yet with the right adjustments and support, most people with dementia can keep living safely in the home they know — surrounded by their memories.

1. Keep the home familiar but safe

The biggest mistake in dementia is redesigning the home from scratch. Familiar objects are anchors for memory. Make small touches instead: soften sharp corners, fix rug edges, light the corridor with night lamps and keep frequently used items in the same place.

Photo labels on doors and cupboards greatly reduce the "where is the bathroom?" confusion. The indoor route guide in the WellFamily app was designed exactly for this: the family records routes at home with photos, and the app produces step-by-step audio-visual guidance.

2. Protect the daily routine

Breakfast time, walking time, medication time... Routine is like an invisible map for a person with dementia. When you must break it (a doctor appointment, for example), explain the day in advance, calmly and with pictures.

• Pin the morning and evening routines on a board with text and pictures.
• Prepare medications in day-and-hour pill boxes; set medication reminders on both the individual’s and the caregiver’s phone.
• Plan at least one "joy activity" a day: the garden, music, old photographs.

3. Set up safe zones and location tracking

In the middle stages of dementia, "leaving home and getting lost" is the most common emergency. Accept help from technology without guilt: draw a safe zone around the home in the app; when your loved one leaves it, the whole family is notified with their location.

4. Prepare your emergency chain

In a crisis, the answer to "who do we call?" must be decided in advance. Make an ordered emergency list: first a close neighbour, then family, then emergency services. The SOS feature activates this chain with one touch, sharing location.

5. Don’t carry it alone: build a support network

Dementia care is a marathon. Support from an experienced caregiver — even a few hours a week — helps your loved one socialise and lets you breathe. When choosing a caregiver, always ask about dementia experience, references and their approach in situations that demand patience.