Long-term care facilities across the country have been taking a close look at ­p; and making changes in ­p; the way they set up the environment for people with dementia.

They're finding that colour, view, sound, space and other factors that make up the environment can help reduce confusion, anxiety and the need for mood-altering medications in their residents.

"At the University of Waterloo's Alzheimer Research and Education project nursing homes swap information about environmental features and other successful ways to manage behaviour in residents with dementia," writes Dorothy Lipovenko in The Globe and Mail, Sept. 3, 1996.

Consider the effect of the following on calming an agitated and confused person:

• Carpeting to absorb noise
• Sitting rooms with tranquil views
• Small special care rooms where residents can share a private meal or celebration with visiting family
• Wider hallways so residents can have plenty of room to move without bumping into each other
• Toilet lids painted black to give contrast and lessen confusion
• Walls hung with pastoral scenes; images of wild animals avoided, to reduce confusion between an image and the real thing
• Caffeine-free beverages
• Hot porridge at night when a resident is having trouble sleeping
• Plush toys for comfort and touching
• Soothing colours in rooms with gentle background music
• Oval or figure eight paths in gardens with only safely edible plants to give residents who pace an easy route to follow
• Foods served separately to those who find too many food choices confusing