CHEERING UP THE HOME CARE SETTING

Does color matter to someone who is ill? Can a warm, friendly environment make a difference to someone dealing with a serious illness like cancer?

I'm a firm believer in shaking things up when they aren't working right. I'm also someone who thinks that it's really not that hard to look around a room and see ways to inexpensively change things to make them better. But can it make a difference for someone who is ill?

In order to understand this concept, you have to put yourself in the shoes of your loved one. How limiting is the illness? Does he or she have trouble getting around the house? Are stairs just too daunting to navigate? Are things that could be utilized now out of sight and reach because your loved one just doesn't have the energy to cover the territory?

When you view the home setting from the perspective of your loved one, you begin to understand the personal losses. For example, in the last six months of her life, my mother never had the chance to sleep in her own bed because she couldn't climb the stairs. That meant her whole world had changed. The room she had slept in for the last fifty years was no longer accessible for her. Her world became the home care room, and she spent almost all of her time in it as her health declined.

Even cancer patients who are temporarily limited in their mobility can feel cut off from their normal lives. It's important for caregivers to understand how this can affect the human psyche. Not only do you have this terrible, unpredictable disease and an uncertain future, you don't have your "stuff" to make you feel like yourself.

When you look at the main living space for your loved one with cancer, think about ways you can change things up to make it better. Could the walls use a new coat of paint? Don't hesitate to tackle this kind of project. Benjamin Moore offers a great paint that has virtually no odor, so it won't negatively impact your loved one. Other paint companies have similar products. The paint dries quickly, cleans up with a damp sponge, and the color you add to the walls can add a sense of new life to an old space.

If your loved one is sleeping more, especially during the day, you can add color with blinds, fabric shades, or even new drapes as a way to enliven the home care setting.

Does your loved one spend the bulk of time in the family room, dozing on and off while watching TV, especially after chemotherapy? Do you have a big, soft, comfy recliner in the room? That can be a great addition to the home care setting. The opportunity to relax in a chair that reclines gives your loved one the chance to feel normal, while still taking into account the limitations that cancer treatment puts on him or her.

But you can also do other things to improve the home care environment. Ask your loved one what you can bring into the room. If he or she has a favorite piece of furniture, why not move it into the space where your loved one spends the most time? If there are favorite photos or paintings or prints, why not adorn the walls with these?

Give yourself and your loved one permission to change things for the better. Why keep things the way they used to be, when your loved one has new needs? Accept the change and adapt to it. It's not a sign of defeat to acknowledge your loved one can no longer do certain things or use certain rooms because of a lack of mobility or energy. When you change the environment for your loved one, you're actually saying that life goes on and you're going to make the best of it. You take the home decorating bull by the horns and you add new energy to the room. Whether your loved one is a child, a teenager, an adult, or a senior citizen, redecorating the home care setting to fit his or her needs makes sense. It creates a sense of belonging in the family, even with cancer creating problems. What you're telling your loved one is that this space is for healing -- this space is for feeling better.

What colors should you put on the walls? What colors can make a difference? Well, why not take advantage of the techniques used in healthcare facilities by professionals? This article by Kim Baughan-Young in Managed Care Magazine, explains how color can help stimulate healing for patients.Kim is an interior designer AND a licensed therapist, a great combination in health care design:
http://www.managedcaremag.com/archives/0111/0111.colors.html

Always adapt your ideas to fit your loved one's needs when changing your loved one's home care setting. Make the space as user-friendly as possible.

If you're feeling overwhelmed at the thought of redecorating a whole room, stop a moment, take a deep breath, and think. What little changes can you do here and there? Start small. Work towards a bigger goal. I understand how limited a caregiver's energy can be. But sometimes these changes don't just improve the mood of a patient. They can also help a caregiver to feel more optimistic and cheerful. Whether it's adding a soft, attractive blanket for napping or changing a lamp to better suit your loved one's needs while reading in a recliner, little touches mean a lot. Make them practical, positive, and pleasant. That's how you can make a difference at home.