How to Create a Calm Home for People with ADHD

By Carlos Trejo

If someone in your home has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, they may have trouble staying focused on tasks, feel fidgety or restless, or have an abundance of energy. While you can’t control the environment outside your home, a few simple changes in each room can create an environment that promotes focus, productivity, and feelings of calm. Especially for households where members are working and attending school online, making your home as comfortable as possible for someone with ADHD will help everyone succeed.

What is ADHD?

A neurobehavioral disorder, ADHD causes inattention, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviors. It’s considered the most common childhood mental health disorder, affecting between five and 11 percent of children, and around two to five percent of adults also have ADHD. Symptoms of ADHD can interfere with your quality of life, including causing problems at work, home, and school. 

Causes and Types of ADHD

The causes of ADHD are largely unknown, although genetics and the environment are likely to play a role. The three major types of ADHD are identified by their prominent symptoms.

Impulsive/hyperactive ADHD. This is the least common type of ADHD. It’s characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behaviors, without attention difficulty.

Inattentive/distractible ADHD. This type of ADHD is characterized by attention difficulties and distractibility, without hyperactivity.

Combined ADHD. This is the most common type and is characterized by impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractibility, and attention difficulty.

Treating ADHD

A combination of behavioral therapy and medication is the best way to treat ADHD. Therapy helps children and adults with ADHD train their attention, manage impulsiveness, and create structures that help them focus and stay productive. 

Stimulant medications are effective for treating ADHD, and they’re safe when taken as directed. Stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin reduce hyperactive and impulsive behaviors while boosting brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is associated with attention and memory.

In addition to behavioral therapy and medication, keeping your home organized and making it easier to maintain regular routines can help you or someone else with ADHD manage symptoms and maintain productivity and focus.

How to make your home more comfortable for people with ADHD

Each room in your home has a different purpose, and you can improve the functionality of each of them with these helpful tips.

In the bedroom

Good sleep hygiene and a bedtime routine are beneficial to everyone. For someone with ADHD, sleep is especially important. Creating a calming space and creating a predictable, organized routine can make going to sleep and waking up less stressful and set the right tone for the day.

Use soothing colors and designs. The color of a room sets a mood and even evokes an emotional response. People with ADHD are often over-stimulated by colors, patterns, and even temperature. Choose neutral, soft, and calming hues of blue, green, and brown to encourage more restful sleep.

Keep it simple. Eliminate clutter in your bedroom to help reduce that cluttered feeling in your brain before bed and when you wake up. Only keep the essentials, and keep them where they belong.

Make your room a no-electronics zone. Electronic devices are notorious for preventing a good night’s sleep. The light from devices interferes with your natural sleep rhythms, and it’s easy to get sucked into social media or a game, which stimulates your brain when you need it to be quiet. Fixation with screens is a common behavior in people with ADHD, so putting some boundaries around when and where you use electronics can help you stay focused on other important tasks throughout the day.

Establish a bedtime and wake-up routine. Routines are important for people with ADHD since these frameworks and habits help them stay on task and switch tasks more easily. Work out a routine that works for you. Your bedtime routine should include changing into pajamas, putting your clothes away and tidying up, and making sure the door is locked and the thermostat turned down. Include a period of winding down before bed, such as with a bath or a book. Your wake up routine should include opening the shades, making the bed, and putting your pajamas away.

In the bathroom

Getting through daily hygiene routines without a hitch requires organization in the bathroom. Keep your daily items in baskets or bins where you can easily find them, and put items away when you’re done with them. If you tend to procrastinate about getting out of the shower or bath, set a timer. If you’re lingering in the tub on purpose to help you relax, add some soothing essential oils, like lavender or tea tree.

In the kitchen

What you eat—and when you eat it—impacts the severity of irritability and lack of concentration. A European study found that 70 percent of children with ADHD showed reduced symptoms as the result of an elimination diet high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates and common irritating food like dairy and eggs. Consuming a healthy diet at home can be tough for people with ADHD, who may find it hard to stay motivated and focused in the kitchen. These kitchen tips will help you stay calm and focused while you’re cooking.

Get organized. Keep your pots and pans, utensils, and dishes organized so you’re not rummaging through drawers and cupboards looking for the thing you need. A weekly menu and grocery list helps you stay organized so that you know what you’re going to cook each day and you have what you need on hand to make it.

Create stations. To avoid kitchen chaos and make cooking a relaxing endeavor instead of a stressful one, divide your kitchen into areas like food prep, serving, and a place for dirty dishes. If your kitchen doubles as the home admin area—where you pay bills, leave notes and keep the calendar—organize that space, and don’t let it encroach into the other areas. Optimize each area for its purpose: Assemble spices and knives near the food prep area, and keep the serving space clear of clutter and the plates and bowls nearby.

Clear the countertops. If your countertops are packed with appliances, cookbooks, fruit bowls, and other stuff, it’s hard to keep them clean, and it’s easy to lose your motivation and efficiency in the clutter if you have ADHD. Evaluate everything on your countertops, and stow away items that you don’t use frequently. See if there’s a way to rearrange your kitchen to optimize counter space, such as by moving the coffee pot to another spot, making room in the cupboards for cookbooks, and having a basket handy to catch the flotsam and jetsam that tends to clutter up the counters.

Organize the cupboards. If you have ADHD, you’ve probably got five cans of chicken broth in the back of your cupboard that you didn’t know you had. Commit to spending 15 minutes a week arranging the cupboards. Get rid of expired or stale food, take stock of what you have, and make sure everything is easy to find.

Exercise room

Restlessness and fidgety behavior associated with ADHD can be reduced by taking exercise breaks. Walking and running, and activities like yoga or meditation that incorporate deep breathing and mindfulness can be beneficial and induce relaxation and calm. Create a space in your home that’s dedicated to working out. Paint it a soothing color, outfit it with equipment like weights or bands, a treadmill, a yoga mat, a jump rope, or whatever you enjoy. A large mirror can help you focus on your movements and make the space look bigger.

The office

A few simple adjustments to your home office can make a big difference in your ability to focus and stay motivated during the workday.

Keep things in their place. Pick up the clutter, and find a place for everything you need on a daily basis. Store these things out in the open as much as possible so they’re right at hand and you don’t need to go on a hunt for them. Make a tidy-up routine the last thing you do at the end of your workday.

Install a whiteboard, bulletin board, or wall calendar. Keep all of your work and personal tasks in sight at all times with a board you can hang on the wall and see at a glance. If it helps, color code items on the schedule, calendar, or list so you can differentiate quickly between home and work.

Minimize distractions. Turn off unnecessary notifications, and use noise-canceling headphones or a white noise machine to help eliminate distractions. Ask family members to minimize interrupting you while you’re working, since it can be very difficult for people with ADHD to switch gears quickly and easily. Check your email daily, and delete items you don’t need clogging up your inbox and adding to your stress.

A stress-free environment for ADHD is self-care

Self-care is a very important aspect of daily life for someone with ADHD. Knowing when to take breaks, redirect attention, or remove unexpected distractions can make the whole household calmer. Making your home a haven for your or someone else with ADHD is an act of self-care with far-reaching effects.

Originally posted on Porch.com

Living Through COVID-19 with a Neurological Condition: 6 Ways People Are Making it Happen

Image via Pexels

Article by Jennifer Scott

Staying healthy is on everyone's minds right now, but for people with neurological issues, that's easier said than done. Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges to taking care of yourself, but with neurological symptoms cropping up in COVID-19 patients, avoiding infection is high priority for those with existing neurological conditions.

To adapt, people with neurological disorders have made a variety of changes to everyday life. From staying home to going out, as well as resources and support from The Plus One Foundation, here's how people with neurological conditions are adjusting to life during COVID-19.

They're attending appointments virtually

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the entire healthcare system, and people with disabilities and chronic health conditions are bearing the brunt of it. But while it might be too risky to see a doctor in-person, virtual appointments make it possible to keep appointments during the pandemic.

They're asking the right questions

When they do need to see the doctor face-to-face, people with underlying health conditions are self-advocating by asking health providers about the precautions they're taking to keep patients safe. 

That also goes for people who rely on a caregiver. Since a caregiver may be a high-risk person's primary point of exposure to COVID-19, it's important to feel comfortable asking caregivers to wear masks and gloves, wash hands, and not come to work while sick.

They're ordering in

Seeing the doctor isn't the only thing we're doing online these days. People with and without disabilities are ordering their groceries, take-out, and household essentials online rather than venturing to busy brick-and-mortar stores.

There's no shortage of options when it comes to door-to-door delivery. In addition to online grocery stores and meal kit services, people with neurological conditions can sign up for Plus One's FulFILLment Program to receive a care package of nutritious, shelf-stable food through the mail.

They're finding companionship in new places

Meeting up with friends is risky during the pandemic. As a result, people are finding new ways to beat social isolation. Not only are folks socializing virtually using video calling, online games, social media, and even virtual ukulele lessons, they're also turning to four-legged friends for company during the pandemic.

While pet adoptions are up, adding a dog or cat to the family adds a new logistical challenge for high-risk households: stocking up on pet supplies. Luckily, online ordering saves the day again with stores like Chewy and Amazon Pets getting treats, food, and toys to your door in two days or less. Prefer to feed your pet fresh food? No problem! Fresh dog food delivery services can get high-quality flash-frozen, freeze-dried, and fresh meals delivered straight to your door.

They're getting mindful

Pets are good for more than companionship. Our canine and feline friends also relieve anxiety, stress, and depression. That's important right now when stress is at an all-time high and mental health problems are spiking.

That's doubly true for people with neurological conditions, for whom stress may trigger flare-ups. To manage stress, people are turning to mindfulness practices like meditation, mindfulness yoga, breathing exercises, and artistic expression. Getting more exercise is also a good way to combat stress.

They're staying safe

A neurological condition may or may not put a person at high risk of severe illness due to the coronavirus. However, it's imperative for everyone with neurological disorders to protect themselves in order to avoid potential complications related to COVID-19. That includes: 

• Staying home when possible.

• Practicing social distancing by keeping at least six feet distance between yourself and others.

• Staying away from people who are sick.

• Wearing a cloth mask in public, especially when social distancing isn't possible. However, as Ochsner Health explains, “a cloth mask is not a substitute for proper social distancing.”

• Avoiding touching your face.

• Washing your hands frequently using soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time.

• Using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when hand washing isn't available.

• Frequently disinfecting high-touch surfaces in the home.

When you live with a neurological disorder, you know better than to take good health for granted. You also understand that getting by requires adapting to the situation at hand. While the pandemic hasn't been easy on anyone, especially those with neurological conditions, these strategies empower people to live safely ‑ and fully ‑ until it ends.

Visit The Plus One Foundation blog for more valuable resources on navigating neurological challenges.

Tips for Covering the Costs of Long-Term Care

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Article by Hazel Bridges

Many seniors need long-term care at some point in their life. This is especially true for individuals who are battling neurological conditions like dementia and Parkinson’s disease. While paying for long-term care is a common concern for seniors, you have several different funding options. For example, The Plus One Foundation can help seniors access financial support for activities, classes, and workshops that can improve the lives of people with neurological disorders.

If you anticipate that you or a loved one will require long-term care one day, plan how you’re going to cover the costs as soon as possible. Here are some things to keep in mind as you start thinking about your future care needs.

Understand What Medicare Does and Doesn’t Cover

Unfortunately, you cannot rely on Medicare to cover your long-term care costs. According to AARP, Medicare will not pay for you to stay in a long-term care facility like a nursing home or assisted living community. Likewise, the federal health insurance program won’t cover the cost of custodial care to help with the daily activities of living. Of course, Medicare will still help you pay for medical services and hospital visits, and may even provide coverage for short-term stays in skilled nursing facilities. When it comes to long-term care, you will have to look elsewhere for funding.

Use Your Assets

One way to pay for long-term care is with your own assets. It’s not uncommon for seniors to sell their homes to cover their stay in assisted living. If you have a spouse that will remain in your home—or you wish to keep your property in the family—taking out a reverse mortgage may be a realistic option as well. To help you decide whether or not this is the right move, use websites like Redfin for an estimation of how much your home is worth.

Rely on Medicaid

If you have few or no assets and low income, Medicaid might help you pay for your long-term care. If you qualify for Medicaid, your state must pay for your stay in a nursing facility or your use of home health care services. However, it’s important to note that Medicaid will only pay for long-term care that is considered medically necessary. You should also keep in mind that your overall eligibility for Medicaid may vary depending on your state.

Consider Your Insurance Options

People who are planning their future well in advance have another option—insurance. Long-term care insurance is designed specifically to help cover the costs of long-term care, so it may be a worthwhile option if you have a neurological disorder and anticipate needing more intensive care in your future. Just keep in mind that long-term care insurance can be incredibly expensive and there’s a chance that you end up paying more in premiums than you would for care.

Another option is to add a long-term care rider to your life insurance policy. The benefit of this is that your premiums won’t go to waste if you don’t wind up needing long-term care. On the other hand, adding this rider will make your policy more expensive. Consider your insurance options carefully so you can make the best decision for your situation.

Non-Profit Funding and Assistance

You may also be able to find funding help through non-profit organizations. For example, some organizations assemble volunteers to make home accessibility modifications for seniors who need help aging-in-place. Other non-profits, like The Plus One Foundation, offer grants to help reduce the economic burden on people with disabilities. Do some searching around online for local and country-wide assistance programs that you may be eligible for. Take advantage of all the great resources that are out there!

No one likes thinking about a time when they may longer be able to care for themselves. but it’s important to be prepared for this possibility. Long-term care can be very expensive, and you don’t want to be left scrambling to cover the costs while you navigate the tough transition. Take the time to secure your funding now so you can rest easy.

Turn to The Plus One Foundation for more information, support, events, and other life changing opportunities.