This is a very broad question since ALZ and related dementias are progressive diseases and needs change according to where the individual is both cognitively and physically. My advice is to make plans according to your long term goals, for example there is no point in extensive renovations if your plans include Assisted Living. One thing I would have done differently would be to think long term when buying any assistive devise rather than having to upgrade every few years to meet Mom's new levels of disability. Also planning a fully accessible bathroom/wet room and investigating and including Universal Design concepts can benefit everyone in any home.
Cwillie is right. Wetrooms make life a lot easier for everyone to be fair. But it does depend on the mobility of the individual. Example we have a shower that was great for Mum for 6 months - now she cannot bear the feeling of a shower on her skin. The only things that have been an absolute godsend are the following:
A riser recliner chair oh and a wonderful riser recliner thingy (yeah not helpful but it sits on an ordinary chair and aids rising) that actually helps mum up from any chair An electric bed (which I got supercheap second hand and put a new mattress on it) A steamable mattress for those days when there are accidents be it coffee or something a little more erm pungent! An over the bed tray which acts as an over the anything table and tilts so mum could read or draw if she wanted An electronic clock that tells the day date and time and AM or PM A water boiler that will just heat the water as it is poured for one cup of tea and that only requires the button to be turned on and off (although that is more for me than for Mum to be fair) A phone with pictures of us all so if mum wants us she picks up the phone and presses the picture Oh and lots of handrails, plus sanitiser container for incontinence stuff if that ever becomes a problem - because that is one thing that just gets to me - I have to be sure the flat doesnt smell of pee or poop
Thinking on what I have just written you may actually find that it isn't choosing the best for your loved one; it is, in the early stages, getting them to agree to the items you want to buy. Starting from one decorative walking stick to 2 functional walking sticks to tri wheeled walker to frame to wheelchair - I faced huuuuge opposition to all of them as I introduced them. Had I insisted Mum use a frame or a tri wheeler from the get go then she wouldn't have had as many falls and the issues that emerged wouldn't have perhaps evolved the way they did. But who knows? There may have been no difference in outcome.
But don't just assume you can introduce something without there being issues or you may just find you suddenly hit a brick wall
A riser recliner chair oh and a wonderful riser recliner thingy (yeah not helpful but it sits on an ordinary chair and aids rising) that actually helps mum up from any chair
An electric bed (which I got supercheap second hand and put a new mattress on it)
A steamable mattress for those days when there are accidents be it coffee or something a little more erm pungent!
An over the bed tray which acts as an over the anything table and tilts so mum could read or draw if she wanted
An electronic clock that tells the day date and time and AM or PM
A water boiler that will just heat the water as it is poured for one cup of tea and that only requires the button to be turned on and off (although that is more for me than for Mum to be fair)
A phone with pictures of us all so if mum wants us she picks up the phone and presses the picture
Oh and lots of handrails, plus sanitiser container for incontinence stuff if that ever becomes a problem - because that is one thing that just gets to me - I have to be sure the flat doesnt smell of pee or poop
But don't just assume you can introduce something without there being issues or you may just find you suddenly hit a brick wall