The home environment modification program in the care of demented elderly: Some examples

Summary m of the study was to assess and adapt home environment to the needs of demented patients, before their discharge from our special care unit (SCU) for Alzheimer disease and related disorders. The project is a part of a larger study named “Technology, Ethics and Dementia” (TED), supported by the European Community. The research will evaluate the ethical issues involved in adopting technological solutions in the care of demented elderly. The program of the home environment evaluation and modification is described. Results pertaining to 26 demented patients and to their households, concerning the more frequently occurring specific problems, are presented. The data highlight the association between executive skills and functioning in basic activities of daily living. Practical examples are illustrated as a demonstration of what was achieved within the home environment modification program. The work plan related to these examples is set in terms of intervention, aim and goal and generalized solution. The interventions are always the product of a negotiation between the different needs expressed by the actors involved in the so-called social triangle of care, namely the patient, the informal carer and the formal carer.