If your aging parent is staying in a center for their cognitive condition, you are well aware of how busy the unit can be. It’s often humming with bustle from visitors, team members, and residents. All of the added stimuli might raise residents’ anxiety levels and result in undesirable behavior. Read on to understand the importance of a cozy and calm environment for your aging parent with memory issues.
Why the Environment Matters
Your attentiveness and attitude are influenced by your surroundings. Consider this: When you need to focus and get things done, are you more likely to succeed in a crowded coffee shop or a quiet library? Older adults with dementia or other cognitive difficulties have more trouble processing extra input when they are in a setting that is too disorganized, too noisy, or too busy. Older adults suffering from dementia might easily become overstimulated. When this happens, you may notice the following behavior:
- Destructive behavior
- Expressed worries
- Lower activity participation
- Less fluid intake
- Decreased appetite
- Risky behavior
- Crying
- Aggression
- Excessive wandering
- Signs of anxiety
What Causes Overstimulation
All aspects of elder living are hectic. However, care centers are often crowded, which can make patients, visitors, and even staff members nervous. Your parent’s care center may feel overstimulating as a result of:
- Walkers and wheelchairs in the communal spaces
- Competing scents and smells
- Wandering residents in the corridors
- Small and big group activities are taking place in the common spaces
- Bright fluorescent lights
- Medication or hydration carts being wheeled through the corridors
- Playing loud music in the activity area, living room, or dining room
- Alarms from locked doors across the center
- Loud conversations in the corridors or communal spaces
Fix a Routine
A routine is the foundation of their surroundings. They don’t have to live in a quiet community to feel tranquil. Instead, you may help them to establish a daily rhythm that corresponds to the ups and downs of their day. Typically, a day begins slowly when they wake up, then increases in pace and vigor before slowing down again to prepare for slumber. Incorporate this rhythm into their regular routines.
Play Soothing Music
If a scheduled routine is the basis for establishing a peaceful environment in their care center, music is the next layer. Simply by choosing the proper playlist will help in establishing the tone in the room.
Here are some of the music you can consider:
- Playlists of popular music from when your aging parent was young
- Water, birds, and other natural noises
- Sounds of a crackling fireplace
- Instrumental music, such as classical piano
Our Memory Care Community Provides a Cozy and Calm Environment for Your Loved Ones
Our retirement community provides outstanding memory care that meets our residents’ needs and beyond. While living at our retirement home, you may participate in health and wellness programs, travel the region with chauffeured transportation, socialize with other residents, and enjoy delicious meals. Furthermore, our weekly concierge and housekeeping services will make life stress-free for our residents. Contact our retirement community to find out more.
