Family caregivers often feel heartbroken when their loved ones with dementia repeatedly ask to “go home.” These requests rarely mean they want to leave their current location. Deep feelings of insecurity, anxiety or discomfort usually trigger such behavior.
The disease affects short-term memory and your loved one seeks comfort in familiar places tied to long-term memories. Finding a memory care facility in Menomonee Falls for dementia patients requires you to understand these mechanisms. Our community understands that this yearning for “home” signals unmet emotional or physical needs that demand attention and empathy.
Understanding the Meaning Behind ‘Home’
People living with dementia see “home” as much more than just a physical place. At the time your loved one asks to go home, they’re really looking for security and comfort that surpasses physical walls.
The brain’s hippocampal region helps us track our life timeline and know where we are in space. This area goes through major changes as dementia progresses. On top of that, it affects their knowing how to recognize familiar places and faces. This makes their current surroundings feel strange, even in places they’ve lived for many years.
Your loved one’s plea to “go home” shows their wish to return to times and places where they felt safe and understood. These emotional ties usually connect to their most secure moments – maybe their childhood house or the place where they raised their family.
Dementia changes the brain. It mainly affects recent memories while keeping old ones fairly intact. This explains why your loved one might ask to go home while sitting in their own house – they want the emotional comfort from their memories of “home” rather than an actual place. Knowing this difference helps you respond better to these requests. You’ll see them as needs for comfort and security rather than actual wishes to move somewhere else.
Creating a Comforting Environment
A supportive environment does more than just provide safety measures. The space should focus on comfort and familiarity to help reduce your loved one’s anxiety and confusion with dementia.
Light plays a key role in creating a calming atmosphere. Research shows that bright light therapy can regulate sleep patterns and reduce disruptive behavior. Good lighting helps prevent shadows and glare that might cause fear or confusion. You can install motion-sensor lights in hallways and bathrooms to help with nighttime movement while letting your loved one stay independent.
You should not ignore the impact of sensory stimulation. A well-planned environment should include:
- Soothing colors and simple patterns to avoid overwhelming feelings
- Soft textures in furniture and furnishings that provide comfort
- Quiet surroundings to minimize distractions
- Natural elements like plants or flowers create peace
Personal items in the space help maintain connections to precious memories. Family photos, artwork or treasured belongings provide emotional comfort and improve the feeling of security.
Keeping furniture in the same place reduces confusion and helps with daily routines. Each room should have clear paths with enough space to move around. Make sure you keep commonly used items where they can be easily seen.
Research shows that sound and light therapy at specific frequencies can improve cognitive function. These therapeutic elements merge naturally into the living space to support both physical and emotional health.
Effective Communication Strategies
Communicating with a loved one who has dementia needs patience, understanding and specific techniques. Validation therapy, a proven communication approach, emphasizes empathy and understanding rather than logical reasoning or correction.
We focused on accepting your loved one’s reality and emotions to help them process their underlying feelings. Your acknowledgment of painful emotions helps them diminish, while ignored feelings tend to intensify. This approach works especially when you have to deal with strong emotions.
These validated communication techniques can help if your loved one wants to go home:
- Ask open-ended questions about their childhood home
- Share memories about family traditions
- Echo their emotions with phrases like “You must miss home right now.”
- Use a respectful, adult-to-adult vocal tone
- Maintain gentle eye contact and appropriate physical distance
Rushing to distract your loved one might seem tempting, but it can overlook their emotional needs. Take a deep breath before you respond – it helps you center yourself and respond with greater empathy. This pause lets you understand the feelings behind their words.
Building trust and reducing anxiety becomes more manageable when your body language and tone match your loved one’s emotional state. Simple gestures are powerful – sit at eye level or offer a gentle touch on the arm to show care and understanding without words. Challenging behaviors often stem from unmet needs or feelings of insecurity. Your empathetic response and validation create a foundation of trust that supports better communication.
Navigating this Path Together
Taking care of a loved one with dementia needs understanding and patience. When they ask to “go home,” they’re actually seeking comfort and security. Understanding this helps you respond better to their needs.
A supportive environment makes everything easier. Familiar items, proper lighting and sensory elements create better care conditions. These strategies work well with validation therapy and empathetic communication to address your loved one’s emotional needs.
Each person’s experience with dementia is different, so individual-specific care becomes vital. Professional guidance can help both you and your loved one navigate this path better. Our experienced team at Heritage Court Menomonee Falls, our memory care community, is ready to help. Contact us at (262) 781-6930 to schedule a tour.
Your understanding of what “home” really means to them can improve your loved one’s quality of life substantially. You can create meaningful moments of comfort and connection by paying attention to their environment and emotional needs.
