Agitation and anxiety in a loved one with dementia can feel like a sudden storm, confusing, distressing, and difficult to navigate. Often, these behaviors are not acts of defiance but desperate attempts to communicate in a world that has become overwhelming. The environment itself can be a powerful trigger or a source of profound comfort.
By thoughtfully shaping their surroundings, we can create a harbor of calm. Discover five transformative yet straightforward tips to design a peaceful space that soothes confusion and fosters a sense of safety and well-being.
Seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia are often susceptible to their environment. Creating a soothing place to live helps minimize agitation, reduce challenging behaviors, and improve quality of life. Relish shares 5 helpful tips to easily transform a home into a relaxing haven for someone with dementia.
For people living with dementia, creating a relaxing environment is incredibly important to help minimize confusion and agitation, helping them feel calm and able to concentrate.
There are several factors you should consider when creating the perfect environment for a person living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The Top 5 Ways to Create a Calm Environment when Dealing with Dementia
1. Reduce Noise Distractions
Sound, including background noise, can cause undue stress on a person living with dementia. If sound reverberates too much, it can create an effect that agitates and disorients.
Introducing noise-absorbing materials and soft furnishings, like carpets and curtains, to reduce the sound works well.
Similarly, if outdoor noise becomes too much for a person living with dementia, keep windows shut. If possible, double glazing should be installed to reduce outside noise further.
However, silence can also be disorienting to people with dementia. Therefore, gentle and soft background noise can be calming. Perhaps try a familiar radio station with low music and gentle chatter.
2. Decorate Carefully
Home furnishings can unwittingly cause distress for people living with dementia.
For example, they may mistake their own reflection in a mirror for that of a stranger watching them, which is a very frightening experience. Either remove all mirrors or cover them with a roller blind that can be pulled down when the mirror is not in use.
Mirror-like effects can also be caused by street lights at night shining through the window, creating reflections. These can easily be interpreted by a person living with dementia as a stranger looking through the window, causing them to feel frightened and agitated.
As soon as it gets dark, make sure all curtains are drawn to avoid this.
And when choosing colors for a room, try to ensure that the walls and floors contrast. The distinction between the two colors will help a person with dementia avoid getting lost or falling.
3. Improve Lighting
Lighting is essential for people living with dementia.
People with dementia are often older and so may be struggling with their sight. It is integral to ensure that items are easily visible.
Keep all rooms well-lit. Use natural light as much as possible, but when electrical lights are needed, make sure the bulbs are high-wattage.
Also, pay attention to the positioning of lamps, overhead lights, etc, as pools of light and dark may agitate or frighten a person with dementia.
Shadows can be misinterpreted as something or someone threatening, leading a person with dementia to feel distressed and scared.
4. Create a Calming Retreat
Whether a person with dementia is living in a care home or with the family, they must have a place to retreat to when they are feeling stressed or anxious.
This doesn’t need to be a large area; it can be as simple as a comfy chair and a small table.
But it is a calming place, separate from the hubbub of the rest of the house, where they can relax and perhaps do soothing activities, like painting or dementia jigsaw puzzles.
5. Make Things Easy to Find
For someone who is living with dementia, losing items can be incredibly stressful.
Therefore, it is a good idea to ensure that items are easy to find and within reach.
You can place stickers on the cupboards, listing what can be found within them. Or replace the cupboard doors with glass doors so all the items inside are visible.
This will encourage a person with dementia to be independent where possible and help eliminate any stress they may feel when looking for something.
Final Thoughts on Creating a Calm Environment for People with Dementia
Crafting a calm environment is an ongoing act of love. When you reduce noise, soften lighting, and create predictable spaces, you’re not just decorating – you’re building a bridge to your loved one’s sense of peace. These changes speak directly to their heightened senses, offering comfort when words fail.
Remember, each minor adjustment you make is a powerful message that says, “You are safe here.” This thoughtful approach can significantly reduce agitation, making days easier and more joyful for both of you.
Recommended for you:
- Dementia Friendly Home: 4 Ways to Make Things Easier to See
- How to Talk to Someone With Dementia: Calm, Positive Body Language
- Weighted Blankets in Dementia Care Reduce Anxiety and Improve Sleep
Guest contributor Ben Atkinson-Willes was inspired to create Relish (formerly Active Minds), a successful business that supplies activity kits for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Ben’s drive was born out of caring for his Grandfather, who lived with dementia for 16 years. Ben and his family noticed that as time progressed, the challenge was finding things to keep his Grandfather occupied. With Ben’s wealth of experience and passion, he understands the positive impact tailored resources can have on a person with dementia’s day-to-day well-being.
