Moving into a residential care home is a huge step, particularly if your loved one has dementia and may find it difficult to adjust and feel settled in a new environment.
One of the most difficult questions you and the care team may get asked, however, is simply when they can go home, rather than how they can make their room into a new home.
There are quite a few reasons why this happens, but it is particularly common for people with dementia to time-shift, or feel like they are living in an earlier part of their life.
However, there are many reasons why a loved one may want to return home, but here are some practical steps you can take to help your loved one.
Why Should You Avoid Arguing About Home?
The easy temptation is to say that your loved one is already home and potentially get frustrated that they keep asking. It is important to remember that “home” is not always a place but a feeling.
When someone is looking for home, they may want memories, security, comfort, the company of people long passed, perhaps something that does not and has never existed.
Try to understand these feelings and talk about why home makes them happy, as it can help you find ways to ensure they feel more comfortable.
Can You Divert The Conversation?
Having a memory aid such as a photobook or memory box to hand can help you and your loved one reminisce and soothe the anxiety that can inspire the need to want to return home.
Chatting about your memories and prompting responses, or simply going for a walk or chatting about something else can help considerably.
Why Should You Keep Track Of When They Ask To Go Home?
Note down when your loved one asks to go home. If it is a regular occurrence, there could be a particular factor which triggers discomfort or a desire for the comforts of home.
It could be caused by sundowning, fluctuating energy levels near meal times, when the home gets noisier or due to many other factors.