furnishing MC room

DDNNYC

moving mom in soon and need to furnish, decorate, etc.  She has limited mobility and, at this stage, biggest issues are confusion and exec function/working memory issues.  She is generally oriented to time (month and year) and recognizes people (but might forget a name).  

Any advice for things that might be particularly helpful to have in the room to keep her organized/comfortable/happy?  Anything special I should keep in mind when picking furniture?

At home she mostly stayed in bed surrounded by a million scraps of paper with notes and baskets full of random things nearby, but was always very stressed out about everything - so I'm not sure recreating her bedroom from home is the best plan.   

MN Chickadee

Familiar things, photos of family, pretty things to look at and mess with were good for my LO. Just don't send anything irreplaceable. Send copies of favorite photos, not originals. Keep the valuable jewelry and family heirlooms at home. Things walk off with other residents, get squirreled away, broken. In the end simple was better for my LO. We ended up reducing the amount of furnishings because it was just too much for her. Cabinets and drawers became a place to put trash. She has a comfy chair, a small side table, a small dresser, and a bed. Everything else was just in the way. It depends on the stage your mother is at. If she still can operate a TV perhaps you put one in. We did not, because my mom would never have been able to use it herself. A digital picture frame is a nice alternative, so we can beam photos to it any time to brighten her day. If you need to use a fib about it being temporary, new bedding and furnishings may work better than something familiar.

easy23

The MC facility provided us with furniture at no charge. Twin bed, dresser, nightstand, lamp, chair, tv.

LaurenB

I would purchase an additional bedside table that they can use to keep their belongings within reach.  The facility will provide 1 for the room to place their food on, but an additional one that they don't have to clean or rearrange to all for a tray to be placed is nice.  Make sure that you label the hell out of it.  Well intentioned staff may accidently walk off with it.  I put fun tape around the border/edges of mine and have my name clearly labeled on it.  I also wrote in black sharpie on the underside of it just incase someone feels the need to take the other labels off.  I did this when I worked in a nursing home as a therapist so that I always had a table to use with my patients and was able to hold all of my items.

Jane Smith

Hello DDNYC. This is never a fun job (I’ve done this more than once, I’m afraid) and I wanted to say, hang in there, and don’t feel like you have to have it PERFECT up front. You can always make changes!

My suggestions first echo what others have said:  don’t take anything you cannot afford to lose, whether that’s monetary and/or sentimental value. No original photos, no heirloom jewelry, not great-grand aunt’s beloved Hummel figurine collection. 

Label everything.  Everything, everything, everything. Items I find handy for this are Sharpie or other markers (especially the ones that work well on plastic), sticky labels, a fabric marker, and fabric labels. Some of these things might be marketed for kids’ clothes. I find them on Amazon, at Target, and so on. 

Then:

Minimize things that can break. I learned the hard way to put photos in open frames or with plastic/plexiglass, not real glass. 

Overall, take less stuff than you think she needs, even clothes.  I had to reduce both the amount of stuff and items of furniture for my mother, because it was overwhelming for her.

If she wears socks, buy all ones that match.  (Socks are the only thing I don’t label.  My mother would only wear black ones and I never figured out how to mark them and just bought them ten pairs at a time anyway.)

At least one photo of family members that is labeled. As much for the staff as for your mother, to be honest. Bonus points for labels that say the relationship as well as the name!

Any vital information you want to be sure all the staff know, in large lettering, laminated or in a plastic page protector, taped to the wall over the bed.  

Nothing that is a trip hazard, although the facility will probably tell you about this. No throw rugs! 

No furniture placed that will block the pathway to the bed, bathroom, or similar. 

Again, don’t feel like it has to be perfect up front. You can make changes. You can ask the staff to let you know if she needs anything.  It will be okay!!

aod326

One thing I did for DH was make up several photo collages, using Shutterfly. Each had a different theme, like traveling, kids, family etc. Before I put them in the frames I'd bought, I labeled them all with the names or locations and dates. The staff looked at them with him regularly.

I agree to take less than you think you need. I tried to totally recreate our bedroom, but soon realized he didn't need or use the bookcase, Alexa, or TV. Or the armchair and footstool.

Also, regarding the previous comments about valuables, bear in mind that other residents may "shop" in other rooms. You will find other residents' items in your mom's room, and vice versa. At daily window visits with DH, I often saw him in other people's clothes. The way I looked at it is that as long as he was clean and appropriately dressed, that was fine.

Good luck with the move!

Abuela

Agree with the suggestions here.  Also, the guiding principal... less is better.  And yes, label everything... including her sheets/bedding/pillows.... Seems nuts, but it does help.