Dementia Care at Home: Supporting Loved Ones with Memory Loss

Looking for ways to better support a loved one with dementia at home?

As dementia progresses, everyday routines and communication often become more challenging. But making small, thoughtful changes in the home environment and your daily approach can significantly improve the caregiving experience for both you and your loved one.

In this article, we’ll share practical strategies that can help your loved one stay engaged and feel more supported at home, while also easing some of the demands of caregiving.

Sections in this article include:

• How Do I Make Daily Routines Easier for Someone with Dementia?
• How Do I Communicate with a Loved One with Dementia?
• How Do I Support My Loved One’s Wellbeing and Engagement in Daily Living?
• How Do I Create a Dementia-Friendly Home Environment?
• How Can I Ensure Quality Sleep for Individuals with Dementia?
• What Are Some Self-Care Strategies for Caregivers?
• How Can I Get Support That Fits My Needs?

How Do I Make Daily Routines Easier for Someone with Dementia?

Dementia affects a person’s ability to process information, complete tasks or activities in the correct order, and solve problems. As a result, your loved one may progressively find it harder to manage everyday activities such as using the phone or choosing what to wear.

Making minor adjustments to these tasks can help your loved one with their daily routines. Here are some tips you can try:

Establish stable routines

For someone living with dementia, the world can sometimes feel unpredictable. A consistent daily schedule can help them move through the day with greater ease and confidence.

Regular mealtimes, activities, and rest periods can act as familiar touchpoints that help to reduce confusion and anxiety, allowing people with dementia to feel secure in their surroundings. 

Predictable routines also support caregivers, making it easier for you to plan ahead, anticipate needs, and spot unusual changes in behaviour. This can help transform daily care into a smoother, more manageable experience.

Simplify tasks

Activities that involve multiple steps or too many choices can overwhelm someone with dementia. You can help to simplify tasks by breaking them into small, easy-to-follow steps, or limiting the number of choices to prevent decision fatigue.

For example, you may consider guiding them through brushing their teeth one step at a time, or offering just two clothing options instead of presenting an entire array of clothes.

How Do I Communicate with a Loved One with Dementia?

As dementia progresses, your loved one may have trouble with finding the right words to say, following conversations, or expressing their feelings clearly.

Consequently, you may notice them relying more on non-verbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice to communicate. Verbal or physical outbursts may also occur more often.

To support better communication, here are some suggestions to help you connect better with your loved one:

• Speak simply and calmly: Short, clear sentences and a gentle tone may help your loved one to process what’s being said more easily. Maintain eye contact and allow pauses so that they have time to respond.
• Use non-verbal cues: A reassuring smile, gentle touch or calm expression can say more than words. Even if your loved one has trouble understanding conversations, they can still sense emotions and respond to the tone, warmth and affection in your voice and body language.
• Respect: Treat your loved one with respect. Instead of focusing on their dementia condition and impairments, help them feel valued and dignified.
• Pay attention to what they are trying to communicate: Changes in their behaviour such as yelling, crying, repetitive movements, or questioning their surroundings often stem from unmet needs such as physical discomfort, hunger, fatigue, or boredom. By staying calm and observant, you can respond with understanding and address the underlying cause, rather than just reacting to the behaviour.

How Do I Support My Loved One’s Wellbeing and Engagement in Daily Living?

Keeping your loved one engaged and active is key to their overall wellbeing.

Look for small ways to fill their day with meaning and connection. You can start by paying attention to what makes them smile or soothes them, and find simple ways to create more of these moments in their routine.

Build on their strengths

Focus on what your loved one can still do. Opting for activities that align with their strengths and interests often encourage more meaningful participation. You can also explore ways to adapt your loved one’s favourite pastimes so that they can continue to enjoy them at their own pace, whether it's cooking with a bit of guidance, tending to houseplants, or humming along to well-loved tunes from their era. 

Draw on familiar memories

Tapping on past memories is an excellent way to tap into your loved one’s strength. It involves gently encouraging your loved one to revisit meaningful moments in their life using simple prompts such as photographs, music, familiar scents, or treasured keepsakes. By recalling and sharing these memories, they can connect with others, spark conversation, and enjoy moments of joy and recognition.

Include regular physical, social and mental activity

Activities such as going for walks with family or friends, doing puzzles and word games, or listening to audiobooks can help your loved one stay socially connected and healthy.

Support independence

Whenever possible, support independence by involving them in familiar tasks they can manage, such as folding towels, watering plants, or setting the table. These little contributions give them a sense of purpose, helping them feel included and valued.

Provide pleasant sensory experiences

Everyone enjoys different things. Familiar smells, gentle hugs from a loved one, favourite foods, listening to calming music, or browsing old photos can help a person with dementia feel safe, relaxed, and comforted. These experiences support the nervous system and improve overall wellbeing.

Families who may not always have the time to do these activities together can consider supportive options that provide safe and enriching engagement, such as Dementia Day Care or Home Care services so that their loved one can continue to enjoy companionship and meaningful moments throughout the day.

How Do I Create a Dementia-Friendly Home Environment?

A well-designed home environment can ease challenges related to memory, orientation and movement, allowing your loved one to participate safely and comfortably in everyday life.

Before engaging in any home modifications, it’s important to remember that every person with dementia has unique needs, and prioritising meaningful changes that help with your loved one’s individual challenges will work better than overhauling the entire house. 

Thoughtful, step-by-step improvements work best in supporting your loved one’s sense of familiarity and security at home. It also gives them time to ease into the changes.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Clear walkways: Remove clutter, loose rugs, and cables to create safe paths through the home and reduce fall risks.
• Choose familiar or simple appliances: When replacing appliances, select identical or similar models with auto-shut-off features to support safety and ease of use.
• Improve lighting: Shadows and glare may frighten or confuse those with dementia. Setting up bright, even lighting throughout the home can help your loved one move around with more confidence and reduce their risk of falls.
• Reduce or remove triggers for changed behaviours: Some behaviours occur because the environment is confusing or stressful. Simple changes such as installing motion sensors at doors and keeping shoes out of sight, may gently discourage wandering without taking away your loved one’s sense of autonomy. If your loved one becomes upset because they don’t recognise their reflection in the mirror, covering mirrors can reduce episodes of agitation or shouting. These small adjustments can calm situations gently while still respecting their independence and sense of control.

How Do I Support Mealtimes for Individuals with Dementia?

Eating may seem like a simple task. However, for someone living with dementia, changes in appetite, functional ability and attention span can make the process less straightforward.

With some planning and patience, it’s possible to make mealtimes go more smoothly.

• Serve familiar foods: Dementia can make new flavours or textures unappealing. Familiar dishes offer comfort and can help stimulate your loved one’s appetite.
• Try finger-friendly options: If handling utensils becomes tricky for your loved one, finger foods like sandwiches, fruit, steamed vegetables, or cut-up meats can make it easier for them to maintain independence during meal times.
• Create a calm eating setting: Limit distractions and background noise like the television or radio during mealtimes, so your loved one can focus on eating without feeling overstimulated.

How Can I Ensure Quality Sleep for Individuals with Dementia?

Sleep challenges are common for people living with dementia, often due to changes in the brain, disrupted body clocks, and increased confusion at night. For caregivers supporting a loved one with dementia at home, poor sleep can affect both the person’s health and the caregiver’s ability to cope.

Understanding why sleep issues occur and taking targeted steps to manage them can improve comfort, safety, and overall well being for your loved one.

• Manage night-time confusion and sundowning¹: Many persons living with dementia experience increased agitation or restlessness in the evening due to changes in the brain. Calm reassurance, familiar cues, a consistent daily routine and a steady presence can help settle the person with dementia and provide better sleep.
• Regulate sleep–wake cycles naturally: People living with dementia often experience disrupted body clocks, particularly when daytime naps make it harder to sleep through the night. Supporting balanced rest and natural daylight exposure helps regulate sleep patterns and improve night-time rest at home.
• Monitor sleep-related dementia behaviours: Frequent waking, wandering, or calling out at night may signal discomfort, pain, or progression of dementia. Tracking these behaviours helps caregivers and healthcare professionals adjust care approaches as part of ongoing dementia care.
• Seek night-time care and caregiver support when needed: When night-time care becomes challenging, home care services or respite care services can provide overnight support. These services are an important part of comprehensive dementia care at home, supporting the wellbeing of both your loved one and caregivers.

What Are Some Self-Care Strategies for Caregivers?

Caring for someone with dementia takes immense energy and emotional strength, which is why looking after yourself is essential to avoid caregiver burnout.

Here are some ways you can practice self-care:

Share the responsibility

Avoid attempting to handle everything alone. Approach family members and friends for help when possible. Simple gestures like sitting with your loved one for a couple hours, helping with a grocery run or simply offering a listening ear can make a big difference and give you some much-needed breathing room.

Include regular breaks in your care routine

Take some time off by stepping outside for a breath of fresh air, enjoying a quiet coffee, or spending a few minutes on a hobby you love. These small pauses allow you to recharge and make caregiving feel more sustainable.

Know when it’s time to seek professional support

There may come a point where extra help becomes essential. This could happen if your loved one experiences behavioural or cognitive changes that are increasingly difficult to manage by yourself, or when you notice your energy levels wearing thin. 

Getting support is not giving up or failing, it's about doing what is needed to ensure the safety and well-being for both you and your loved one.

For families exploring extra dementia support, there are many options designed to provide comprehensive care, engagement, and peace of mind. These include:

Structured support at Dementia Day Care

At NTUC Health’s Dementia Day Care, your loved one is welcomed into a safe space where they can enjoy gentle cognitive activities and meaningful social interaction. Our specialised programmes are designed to help seniors stay active, maintain independence, and feel emotionally supported throughout the day.

For caregivers, this means being able to step away during the daytime to rest and manage other responsibilities, while knowing that your loved one is taken care of and engaged in a setting that’s both nurturing and purposeful.

Practical assistance with Home Care

When daily routines start to feel overwhelming, having a helping hand at home can make all the difference. NTUC Health’s Home Care services bring professional, compassionate support right to your loved one’s home to help with tasks such as medication reminders, showering and meal preparation.

Beyond simply assisting with routines, our Care Associates aim to build trust, offer companionship, and engage your loved one in ways that keep them mentally and emotionally connected. It’s a flexible option that brings peace of mind, especially for families managing mobility or health challenges that make leaving home for respite or support services more difficult.

1 Sundowning: Late-day Confusion, Mayo Clinic, 26 March 2024