Like most people, individuals coping with Alzheimer’s or dementia tend to experience elevated levels and stress when introduced to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar environment. As you assist your loved one in the transition from his her house to a new home—such as your own house, the house of a relative or friend, or an assisted-living facility—you may want to begin considering some ways to make him or her feel safe, secure, and generally unthreatened by the major life change. While professional services such as therapy or counseling serve as good ways to assist both you and your loved-one in making the transition to a safe and comfortable new surrounding, you may want to simply consider the actual surroundings of the new environment itself. By paying attention to details in your loved one’s environment—both new and old—you can increase his or her level contentment and substantially decrease the likelihood of intense agitation that could lead to a potentially dangerous outburst.
That said, as you make the transition from your loved one’s old living space to the new one, you may want to take inventory of any stimuli that contribute to feelings of comfort and security and any stimuli that contribute to feelings of stress or anxiety. By taking time to inventory this type of info, you can ensure that your loved one’s new living space does not serve as an agent of stress.
Possible Environmental Stressors
-Temperature: too hot or too cold
-Lighting: too bright or too dim
-Walkways/hallways: too cluttered
-Noise: too loud, too much
-People: whether comfortable with those who are around
Activities that May Reduce or Relieve Stress
-Burn a fragrant candle or incense stick using an electric infuser
-Play a favorite kind of music or video
-Sit in front of the fireplace
-Identify a source of white noise, such as a fan
-Get fresh air outside
-Observe birds or other wildlife from the porch
-Or anything else that will decrease agitation for your loved one.
With you and your loved one both facing an array of emotional and financial stresses (as a result of his or her diagnosis or symptoms), the last thing you would want to do is inadvertently invite an additional source of agitation into your lives. Truly, an overlooked environmental factor, such as noisy road, excessive light, or even other residents at assisted-living facilities can result in feelings of agitation for your loved one that could have tremendous consequences. You might think it goes without saying the last thing you could possibly want on your plate is an outburst from your loved one that puts his or her health at risk (e.g., a fall or a heart-attack), many people often downplay the detrimental effects of a stressful environment, and consequently, these people wind-up with even more stress on their hands that causes them to lose valuable time with their loved-one.
While you should certainly make every attempt to root-out any potential sources of stress before they lead to an unwanted confrontation or other health-related event, the stresses associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia can weigh greatly on your shoulder—which might cause you to accidentally overlook a small (but important) detail. If for any reason, you or your loved one have been involved in a confrontation—or if you suspect that an assisted-living facility’s negligence might have put his or her health at risk—then you should get in-touch with an elder law attorney immediately.
