Creating a positive environment, conducive to a senior’s comfort and needs, can help reinforce well-being for those suffering from Alzheimer’s. Alzheimers.net provides some ways to help.

Alzheimer’s disease changes how seniors interpret their environment. Names, places and people they know become unfamiliar, leading to disorientation, stress and isolation.

But creating a positive environment, conducive to a senior’s comforts and needs, can help reinforce well-being.

Creating a Positive Environment for Seniors with Alzheimer’s

As the Victorian Department of Health explains, Alzheimer’s makes seniors feel more anxiety and stress, become more sensitive to their physical and social environments, and rely more on their senses for cues about what is going on around them.

If what seniors with Alzheimer’s see is familiar and routine as opposed to chaotic and disorganized, however, they are more likely to enjoy life and feel like they belong at home.

Here are some ways residences might be equipped to help seniors with Alzheimer’s live well:

At home:

Have decorations in the home incorporate soothing colors
Have the phone near the senior at all times
Have the temperature suit the senior’s sensitivities
Keep visitors coming, because family and friends can help stimulate laughs and memories
Make kitchen utensils easy to locate and meals easy to prepare at the house
Make rooms easy to navigate
Remove decorations like throw rugs, if necessary
Use an in-home caregiver to help with cooking and shopping
Use music to lift and relax the spirit
Use simple decor to minimize distractions

In a memory care facility:

Have caregivers provide for the senior’s familiar routine
Have furnishings and spaces resemble a community instead of a hospital
Have meals served in smaller dining rooms and at smaller tables to encourage conversation and minimize distraction
Look for distinct spaces, such as an activity, art and music therapy area, or a family visiting area, which can help cue specific behaviors
Make sure outdoor areas are easily accessible and safe
Make sure residents are asked for their ideas about the design of new indoor and outdoor features
Make sure residents’ rooms allow for private areas
Make sure that medical support is offered discreetly, and that support areas are spread throughout the building

How a Positive Environment Changes Alzheimer’s Outcomes

Although it is not a cure, offering person-centered care and a positive environment can help lift seniors with Alzheimer’s.

If they can live in a positive, dementia-friendly environment, one that supports their health, independence and safety, seniors with Alzheimer’s will experience more personal control.

They are more likely to remain active and engage in activities familiar to them, which will help them live well for as long as possible.

For this article and other related articles, please check out Alzheimers.net.