When Parkinson’s disease settles into daily life, it doesn’t just modify the body; it redefines our relationship with the space around us. The home, once a simple living space, becomes an environment to work with, sometimes even struggle against. Every piece of furniture, every doorway threshold, every object can transform into an obstacle. At Dynseo, we understand that living with Parkinson’s disease is a journey that requires constant adjustments. It’s a bit like learning to navigate with a new map: the destinations remain the same, but the paths to reach them must be rethought.
Adapting your home is not an admission of weakness, but an act of power. It’s taking back control, asserting your desire for autonomy and preserving your quality of life. It’s about transforming your home into an ally, a secure and functional cocoon that facilitates daily gestures rather than complicating them. In this article, we will guide you through the different steps and possibilities for arranging your living space. Our goal is to provide you with concrete leads, from simple ideas to more technological solutions, so that your home becomes a true haven of peace again.
Before moving the slightest piece of furniture, it’s essential to understand how Parkinson’s disease symptoms interact with the domestic environment. By precisely identifying the difficulties, solutions appear more clearly. It’s somewhat like establishing a diagnosis of the relationship between the person and their living space.
Tremors and rigidity: when simple gestures become complex
Dyskinesia, tremors, and muscle rigidity are often the first visible symptoms. Actions we took for granted, like buttoning a shirt, holding a coffee cup, or turning a key in a lock, suddenly require immense concentration and considerable energy. Fine motor coordination is particularly affected. It’s precisely to work on this dexterity that we developed our application La Bille Roule. Through playful and stimulating games, it allows exercising gesture precision and hand-eye coordination, essential skills for interacting with everyday objects. At home, this translates to difficulty manipulating round door handles, small switches, or hard-to-turn faucets.
Balance disorders and fall risk
Parkinson’s disease also affects posture and balance. Walking can become hesitant, with shorter and shuffling steps. The “freezing” phenomenon, or kinetic blocking, where feet seem glued to the floor, is particularly dangerous as it can occur unexpectedly, especially when crossing a doorway threshold or changing direction. These postural disorders considerably increase the risk of falling, which is one of the major concerns for affected individuals and their loved ones. A poorly secured rug, a trailing electrical cord, or a slippery floor then become potential traps.
Fatigue: a silent enemy
We talk less about fatigue, yet it’s a major and often disabling symptom of the disease. It’s not simple drowsiness, but a profound exhaustion that can make the smallest task insurmountable. This fatigue directly impacts home organization. Climbing stairs, standing for long periods while cooking, or even crossing a large room can drain energy reserves. Home adaptation must therefore aim to conserve this precious energy, by bringing useful objects closer and creating strategic rest areas.
Cognitive aspects and planning
Parkinson’s disease is not just a movement disorder. It can also be accompanied by cognitive troubles, affecting planning, organizing multiple tasks, or taking initiative. Organizing your day, preparing a multi-step meal, or even remembering where objects are located can become a challenge. It’s to support these difficulties that we designed Scarlett and Clint, our adapted brain training programs. Used by many patients, often in collaboration with their speech therapist, these programs help stimulate executive functions, memory, and attention in a personalized and engaging way. A well-organized environment, where everything has a defined and logical place, can greatly compensate for these difficulties and reduce mental load.
Safety first: preventing falls and accidents
The first priority of any adaptation must be safety. A fall can have serious consequences, both physical and psychological, by creating a fear of moving that further limits autonomy. Transforming your home into a secure fortress is the foundation on which to build the rest of your independence.
Clearing circulation paths
Imagine your home as a network of rivers. For water to flow freely, the riverbed must be clear. The same goes for your movements. The first step, simple and free, is to declutter.
- Remove unnecessary furniture that clogs passageways.
- Remove rugs that can be tripped over, or secure them firmly to the floor with double-sided tape. Prefer low-pile rugs.
- Store electrical cords along walls or use cord channels to hide them.
- Ensure that hallways and passages between rooms are sufficiently wide, ideally to allow passage of a walker or wheelchair if necessary.
Securing floors and stairs
The floor is your main point of contact with the house. It must be stable and reliable. Avoid floors that are too shiny or waxed as they can be very slippery. If you’re renovating, opt for non-slip surfaces, especially in the kitchen and bathroom.
Stairs represent a major challenge. To secure them, installing railings or handrails on both sides is essential. They must be solid and easy to grip. Contrasting non-slip strips on the edge of each step allow better visualization and reduce the risk of slipping.
Appropriate lighting to see clearly
Good visibility is crucial to avoid obstacles. Since Parkinson’s disease can affect vision, quality lighting is non-negotiable. Replace weak bulbs with more powerful models (LED type for energy savings) and ensure that all areas of the house are well lit, without shadow zones. Installing night lights or motion-detecting light paths between the bedroom and toilet is an excellent solution for securing nighttime movements. Push-button or rocker switches, wider than classic models, are easier to operate with trembling hands.
Arranging each room for greater autonomy
Once basic security is ensured, we can focus on optimizing each room to make it more functional and less energy-consuming.
The bedroom: a sanctuary of rest and security
The bedroom should be a soothing place. Bed height is important: feet should be able to touch the floor when sitting on the edge, to get up more easily. If the bed is too low, bed risers can be installed. A bed rail can also provide solid support for getting in and out of bed. Place a stable bedside table within reach with an easy-to-turn-on lamp, a phone, and a glass of water. A solid chair or armchair in the bedroom is very useful for dressing and undressing in a seated position, which requires less effort and balance.
The bathroom: a high-risk area to transform into a haven of peace
With its wet and slippery surfaces, the bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house. Fortunately, many solutions exist.
- Replace the bathtub with a walk-in shower (level entry) to eliminate the need to step over an edge.
- Install solid grab bars in the shower, near the toilet and sink. They must be fixed to a solid wall.
- Use a shower seat or stool to be able to wash while seated, which reduces fatigue and fall risk.
- A toilet seat riser and toilet armrests greatly facilitate transfers.
- Choose a mixer tap with a long lever, easier to manipulate than a turn faucet.
The kitchen: optimizing space to preserve the pleasure of cooking
The kitchen is often the heart of the home, and it’s important to be able to continue enjoying it. Smart reorganization can make all the difference. Store the most used objects (plates, glasses, pots) at an accessible height, between hips and shoulders, to avoid having to bend down or climb on a step stool. Lower cabinets can be equipped with pull-out drawers for easier access. Replace round cabinet handles with “D”-shaped handles or “push-release” systems. A high kitchen stool allows you to sit while preparing vegetables or monitoring cooking, thus saving precious energy.
Technical aids and technology serving daily life
Beyond structural layout, a multitude of tools and technologies can simplify daily life. These are small changes that, put together, have a considerable impact on autonomy.
Objects that change life
The assistive device market is vast and offers ingenious solutions for many problems. Here are some examples:
- For meals: Weighted cutlery or thick-handled utensils to counter tremors, rimmed plates to prevent food from falling out, and glasses with nasal cutouts to drink without tilting the head back.
- For dressing: Button hooks, zipper pulls, long-handled shoehorns, and elastic laces transform the chore of dressing into a simpler task.
- For gripping: Long-handled reachers allow you to grab objects on the ground or at height without bending down or stretching.
Home automation: a smart house for more serenity
Home technology, or home automation, is no longer a science fiction gadget. It has become accessible and can greatly improve comfort and safety. Voice assistants (like Google Home or Amazon Alexa) allow you to control lights, heating, music, or even make calls with a simple voice command.
This is precious help when mobility is reduced or when manipulating switches is difficult.
Electric roller shutters, connected locks, or video intercoms allow you to manage your environment without physical effort.
Our applications: tools to maintain your abilities
Home adaptation is material, but it’s equally crucial to maintain your own abilities. This is our conviction and the reason for being of our digital tools. Continuing to stimulate fine motor skills with playful exercises like those in La Bille Roule can help preserve the ability to manipulate everyday objects for longer. Similarly, keeping cognitive functions active with Scarlett and Clint programs, independently or with the help of a professional like a speech therapist, helps better plan actions, stay organized, and face the mental challenges that the disease may impose. These tools don’t replace adaptations, but they complement them by acting directly on the person’s abilities.
Beyond the walls: procedures and financial assistance
Adapting your home can represent a cost. Fortunately, there are professionals to advise you and assistance programs to finance part of the work.
Who to consult for an adaptation assessment?
The preferred contact for evaluating your needs and proposing tailor-made solutions is the occupational therapist. This health professional visits your home to analyze your difficulties in your real environment and recommend the most relevant adaptations. Patient associations, like France Parkinson, are also a precious source of information and advice.
Available financial assistance
Several organizations can participate in financing adaptation work. The Departmental House for Disabled Persons (MDPH) can grant the Disability Compensation Benefit (PCH), which can cover part of the costs. The National Housing Agency (ANAH) offers assistance for home improvement work for people with loss of autonomy. Your retirement fund, your mutual insurance, or even local authorities may also offer specific assistance. It’s important to inquire beforehand, as applications can take time.
Conclusion
Adapting your home is a proactive and positive process. It’s an investment for your well-being, safety, and independence. Each adaptation, from the simplest to the most complex, is a brick added to the edifice of your autonomy. There is no single solution, but a multitude of possibilities to combine to create an environment that resembles you and supports you. It’s a journey that requires reflection and anticipation, but whose benefits are felt every day. We are by your side to accompany you in this approach, by offering you tools to maintain your abilities and information to guide you in your choices. Because your home must remain what it has always been: a place of life, comfort, and freedom.
Adapting your home for an easier life with Parkinson’s disease is a crucial topic for improving the quality of life of people with this disease. A relevant article that could complement this discussion is the one on autobiographical memory. This article explores how personal memory and memories can be affected by neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. By better understanding these impacts, it’s possible to adapt not only the physical environment, but also cognitive approaches to support people living with this condition. Our guide for supporting people with Parkinson’s .
