This help sheet provides ideas on how the environment and some items of assistive technology may be used in the bedroom of the family home to support the independence and safety of a person living with dementia.

Bedroom photo

To maintain independence and safety in the bedroom, it is important to ensure a comfortable environment, prevent falls, make it easier to find the toilet at night, enable safe wandering/ walking about at night, as well as support healthy sleep for others living in the same home.

Person Centred Response

Sleep disturbances can occur frequently for people living with dementia. There can be many reasons why a person with dementia is experiencing difficulty with sleeping. Also see the Help Sheet on Sleep Disturbances.

A person living with dementia will experience changes in their ability to interact with other people and their environment over time. It is critical that any decision to change the environment or use technology follows a person-centred assessment, where the perspectives, needs and choices of the person with dementia are understood and respected. It is important to continue to provide ongoing evaluation to ensure that any technology or strategies used for supporting independence and safety in the home remain meaningful to the person and match their needs and abilities.