Relative just moved to nursing home

[Mentallydrained2022]

My relative has moved to a nursing home this week after a short stay in hospital. Prior to hospital she was weak but able to stay home with her husband with carers. She’s now bedbound and even weaker.
Her room is bare so I’m after tips on how to make it more cheerful for her. She has some photos but she can’t see them because she has very poor eyesight, she has a tv but can’t follow it or use a remote and there’s a CD player.
it was depressing visiting this morning. She doesn’t want to exist like this and her Alzheimer’s is such that it has affected her mobility and eating more than her mind so she’s still very aware most of the time that she’s only streets away from home. She can’t support herself to sit in a chair but still wants to talk. She has visitors twice a day.

As her eyesight is poor, maybe concentrate on other senses. For example, scented things, like drawer liners. Things that are lovely to touch or stroke, like fluffy cushions, cuddly toys, lovely fleecy blanket. Artificial flowers in really bright colours, where the overall effect is more important than the details. (I used to have a set of huge plastic sunflowers that were lovely. ) You can also get radios with big yellow controls, specially designed for people with poor vision.

A fleece blanket. My MIL asked for a blanket when she moved to one.
How about a nice bed jacket and hand cream.

I made a cd for my DDad when he had to move into care. Although it was ridiculously hard to- as it's seen as 'old' technology!
Made a playlist of his favourite music, and burnt it to a CD which was kept in his room.
We also put loads of things from home- pictures/ photos/ ornaments. Even though he couldn't see everything, it was there, and hopefully made it feel more homely to him. (He was unable to tell us at this stage of the illness). It did make it easier to visit him in a room that felt more like 'his' IYSWIM

Thank you, all really helpful ideas that I’m sure will make a difference. I’ll pop to homesense in the morning and focus on the sensory things like you suggested and some big, bright artificial flowers.
i need to ask if we can buy her different bedding too as that will make a difference seeing her in something she’d have chosen herself. A bed jacket is also a really good idea and she doesn’t have one.

My kids send my mum massive Moonpig/Funky Pigeon cards with their photos on and we stick them up on her walls. The cards are large and the faces are life size.

She has this lamp and everyone loves it:

www.amazon.co.uk/Playlearn-Mini-Jellyfish-Aquarium/dp/B06XCTXDLM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2OVT4TFQYSTHX&keywords=fish+tank+lamp+light+for+kids&qid=1659821891&sprefix=fishtank+lamp%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-6

The other thing that mum really liked was a mermaid cushion - the sequin cushion that changes colour as you brush the sequins in different directions. Although her eyesight is poor the contrast was visible.

Mum has her own bedding and we have bought her personalised blankets to make it cosy.