Nursing homes across the country are discovering some basics that seem to alleviate the agitation and aggression that dementia sufferers exhibit without resorting to anti-psychotic medication. Designs are becoming less institutional and offer such things as small private dining rooms for family dinners and comfortable sitting rooms. Many of these things can be implemented in any private home.

These basics include:

• Hot instant porridge with lots of brown sugar for breakfast or at bedtime to help induce sleep

• Picture books

• Cookie jars

• Soothing background music (Mozart)

• Carpeting to absorb noise

• Sitting rooms with real views...of water, mountains, trees

• Wider hallways for pacers and wanderers

• Black toilet lids to reduce confusion

• Soothing pastoral pictures (wild animal pictures are not good; a resident may not be able to tell if the animal is real or not)

• Soft fuzzy toys to satisfy the need to touch and hug; the last sense to deteriorate is that of touch

• Outdoor walkways that loop back to the main entrance

• Sponges to squeeze while being bathed to cut down on staff scratches by residents

• At mealtime each food item is served separately to avoid confusion

Some of the homes instituting these changes:

• Goudie Home-Waterloo, Ont.

• Glen Stor Dun Lodge-Cornwall, Ont.

• McConnell Place North-Edmonton, Alberta

• Winston Park-Kitchener, Ont.
  

At the University of Waterloo's Alzheimer Research and Education Project, nursing homes can swap information about environmental features and other successful ways to manage behavior in residents with dementia.