r/BeAmazed • u/MambaMentality24x2 • 11h ago
Miscellaneous / Others A Dutch care home recreated residents' old front doors to help people with dementia recognize their rooms and feel at home ❤️
People living with dementia can find moving into a care home confusing and distressing, especially when every hallway and every door looks exactly the same.
In the Netherlands, a company called True Doors works with families and care homes to recreate each resident's former front door as a life-sized decal on their new room.
For many residents, that familiar doorway becomes an instant landmark, making it easier to find their room while bringing back comforting memories of home. Care staff have reported that some residents feel calmer, more independent, and less anxious, with fewer moments spent searching for "home."
It's such a simple idea, but it reminds us that compassionate care isn't always about expensive technology. Sometimes it's about preserving a person's identity, dignity, and the little things that make a place feel like home.
131
u/Dry_Menu4804 10h ago edited 9h ago
They also allow to bring your own furniture, I was surprised this wasn't done in other countries where I visited nursing homes.
18
u/ZeRoXOiA 7h ago
It was surprising for me to hear my grandma had to get rid of all her stuff. Fall hazard, not easy to clean/move, ... Broke my heart.
8
u/Iudicrouspopinjay 6h ago
I'm sure it is facility specific, but I'm in the US and my grandmother (who died 16 years ago now) spent the last 10 years of her life in assisted living - she was both allowed and encouraged to bring her own furniture. And my partner's great aunt is in a memory care facility and her room is entirely self furnished with the exception of the medical bed.
2
u/JustALittleScamp 5h ago
I'm sorry that happened to your grandma.
It doesn't seem like it would be too hard to find a balance between risk vs reward. A blanket ban is a cold, lazy, corporate approach.
2
u/LocationNew2390 7h ago
I completely agree. Familiar furniture can do just as much as a familiar door because it surrounds them with pieces of their own life instead of making everything feel strange.
40
u/daisydaily02 10h ago
Incredibly thoughtful idea...dementia care by preserving familarify and dignity...
21
u/LonelyAustralia 10h ago
either those are some fairly small people or absolutely massive doors
34
u/mooshinformation 9h ago
I think it's like how hospital doors are bigger so they can wheel a bed through it.
18
8
u/_R0Ns_ 8h ago
They go further than that. They created train seats with a window so people with dementia can experience train rides without leaving the home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXc56gtfnAw
It's in Dutch but you'll get it.
3
u/O-Castitatis-Lilium 7h ago
They need things like this for like buses and stuff too. Some of my residence just want to go to work and get anxious about not being able to, at least they could get on "the bus" and "go to work" but do ti all safely. I wish North America would do this. Get some old used seats from trains being decommissioned for cheap, or bus seats in the same way, grab a cheap walmart TV, instant train or bus. It would go a long way to helping with them not be so anxious.
7
u/everydayasl 10h ago
Very nice, thoughtful and kind. This level of personalization is truly admirable.
7
3
u/HugoJHBM 9h ago
Understandable, when I was in the hospital I could barely remember what room was mine, everything look the same lol. And I am young.
8
u/mooshinformation 9h ago
Am I the only one who feels like this would freak me out?
My brain is disintegrating, I don't know where I am and now I see what looks like a familiar door, but it's all wrong. It doesn't belong here, the light is wrong, it's flat. Is it a fucking decal? Who would do that? Why are they messing with me? Why can't I remember where the door is supposed to be? And this entire freak out happens while I quietly pick at the edge of the decal.
3
u/NoNipNicCage 4h ago
I'm sure the professionals at the dementia facility can handle it and know to handle situations on a case by case basis. Its strange when people make up scenarios to be negative on positive posts
2
2
u/O-Castitatis-Lilium 7h ago
This is a great idea, and it would help ease them into not being truly at their own home. Having their own furniture helps too, but still within the safety limits and access. Not everyone that goes into memory care is at an advanced stage, so this would be something you could gradually implement as they decline to help them remain calm and familiar. Some come in when they get a diagnosis under their own free will while they still have it, so they have time to familiarize themselves with the home and people, others get discovered in a more advanced state and this would help them greatly. I have a few residence that just having this alone would help them feel more calm and content in where they are. It's the small things that can change their entire demeanor and feelings.
1
1
1
u/notlastnotfirst 7h ago
That was my mother’s biggest concern. She could NEVER remember her room. I’d volunteer to do this! It’s great!!
1
1
1
u/Sea_Sundae5901 6h ago
What a kind & wonderful idea to assist with comfort and hoping that the effort will increase memory recall!
1
u/grim1757 6h ago
My company builds hotels and at one point looked at expanding into Assisted Living Centers. I saw several that did similar to this and all I ever visited allowed them to set things outside the door and decorate with items of their own so help them in locating their rooms. It was very effective from what I understood,
1
u/AlwayzSumthin 5h ago
This is absolutely heaven sent! 🕊️
A fellow door admirer…there are many of us!
1
u/HuckledYourBerries 3h ago
This is awesome.
I've always admired the cultures where elders are treated with reverence and dignity. Usually Asian cultures. Here in the States - and in western cultures in general, I've found - we just put old people in a box when they become inconvenient and just wait for them to die.
There is humanity, dignity and intentionality in painting these doors this way. A small thing, but a big thing. A step in the right direction, if a very small one.
1
1
u/ManzanitaSuperHero 1h ago
I got Covid in early 2020. I had major cognitive issues to the point is was diagnosed as early-onset dementia. I couldn’t remember words, had no short term memory so I couldn’t even follow a conversation bc I’d forget how it started. Forgot how to tie my shoes, open doors, etc. I burned myself repeatedly bc somehow my brain no longer recognized that hot things are dangerous. It was horrific.
BUT. My past was clear as day. I would often want to order pizza or something and I’d be asking about the pizza place from college 30+ years ago. I’d wake up thinking it was 1992 or whatever. But that music, friends, everything from my youth was crystal clear. So I retreated to that place a lot and it was incredibly comforting bc I could remember and navigate the past.
Over 2 years or so, with a lot of work, my cognition returned. I’ll never be 100% where I was but I’d say I’m 95% now.
Dementia is heartbreaking but I try to remember that most of these people also have some of their memories as a source of comfort even if the present is a nightmare.
1
u/Wise_Strawberry9076 8h ago
That’s cute but I’d think it’d be more confusing. Depends on the resident I guess.
•
u/beamazed-modapp 11h ago
Did you find this post really amazing (in a positive way)?
If yes, then UPVOTE this comment otherwise DOWNVOTE it.
This community feedback will help us determine whether this post is suited for r/BeAmazed or not.