Decorations for Dad

mpang123

My dad, 89, VD, is finally in assisted living. He is completely bed bound due to multiple fractures and has severe cognitive decline. The walls in his room is bare and only has 2 family pictures on his bedside table. What kind of things could I decorate his room with?

SusanB-dil

Perhaps a picture or small poster of a generic place that he likes. Did he like the ocean or the mountains? Then perhaps just a generic beach scene or a mountain view? I would say probably not a specific place where he could not go any longer, though, but that would depend on your dad.

A specific place would probably bother my mom, as she could still get wistful, but MIL wouldn't care any more.

mpang123

Thank you. My dad likes scenic pictures and flowers. I guess I can look for some to put on the walls.

harshedbuzz

With severe cognitive decline, I probably wouldn't decorate for him. Visual processing is impacted in late-stage dementia, so it's hard to know if he would even notice you hung pictures.

Two things I would avoid.
Larger portraits; dad misinterpreted the one I hung as strangers threatening him. It was a 30 x 36" photograph of my sister and I as young adults.
Reflective glass which could trigger a similar reaction.

mpang123

Thanks. I worry about the news he watches that is in his room. Although he can't hear anything or follow the story, some scenes can be disturbing. So far he hasn't shown any anxiety over the news, but I think I will tell the staff to change the channel to something more pleasant. Like nature shows or animals.

harshedbuzz

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/234867#Comment_234867

I put parental controls on my parents' TV when dad was still at home. He thought any horrific news/weather story was happening in his front yard and that he was the victim in mom's crime procedurals.

When he went to MC, we didn't provide a TV on the recommendation of staff. They had 5 TVs— one in each "neighborhood" and a big one in the main activity room. They were always tuned to old sit coms, nature, TCM, game shows and sports.

HB

mpang123

My dad is in a private room with a TV. I'll tell the staff to not turn on the news but to another channel.

ALCB

When my grandmother first started displaying signs of Dementia/MCI, I did some research and read an article about how looking through photos from the time they seem to feel most comfortable with has been shown to make the PWD more comfortable. Not sure how credible the article was, but worth a shot. Worked for us. My grandmother (I think) believes that I am her niece or some other family member my mom's age, as she keeps telling me stories about her old house that she moved out of in the 70s as if I'd been there. I put up some photos of my mom/uncles when they were kids and made a photo album before she visited for new year's, and she seemed to have enjoyed it. Highly recommend some old photos of him/loved ones.

LadyGray

Don't know if it's the type of decor you're thinking of, but for my Mom, I found a pretty wallpaper border on Amazon, about 5-6 inches high, that brightened the room. I asked the AL Manager permission, and placed it around the walls in her room, just above wheelchair height so she could see it. It was subtle but made a nice spark of color to the walls. It also amused her to watch me try and affix it to the walls LOL The AL manager liked the outcome too and used it for a few other resident rooms.