Episode 126

Find Out What a Remarkable Difference Certain Colors Can Make for People Living with Dementia!

In today’s fascinating episode, Lisa goes deep into discussing how and why certain colors are more likely to enhance memories and emotions in people experiencing cognitive decline vs. people who are not. She explains in detail why it’s important for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia to be exposed to an environment that promotes physical and mental well-being and how certain paint colors and patterns are able to evoke emotions that can reduce agitation, combat aggression, and even stimulate memory. In this episode, you will learn why color matters to cognitively impaired people; what specific colors actually impact people living with dementia the most; why certain paint colors affect the behaviors and emotions of people living with dementia; how certain colors may increase their safety, and much, much more! Find out how you, as family members and caregivers, can uplevel a person’s quality of life just by implementing what Lisa shares with you today.

Don’t miss this one!

About the Host:

Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.

Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Lisa’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and through her workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.

So many people today are heavily impacted by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association and the World Health Organization have projected that the number of people who will develop Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 worldwide will triple if a treatment or cure is not found. Society is not prepared to care for the projected increase of people who will develop this devastating disease. In her 30 years of working with family members and caregivers who suffer from dementia, Lisa has recognized how little people really understand the complexities of what living with this disease is really like. For Lisa, it starts with knowledge, education, and training.

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Transcript
Lisa Skinner:

Hi everybody. Welcome back as promised. I'm

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here with another brand new episode of the truth lies and

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Alzheimer's show, and I am Lisa Skinner, your host. Did you all

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know that people with dementia are even more likely to link

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visual memories and emotions than individuals who are not

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experiencing cognitive decline. This has been found to be

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absolutely true. Our everyday experiences are shaped

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consciously and subconsciously by the environment that

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surrounds us, especially when it comes to color, it's important

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for people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of

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dementia to reside in a space that promotes physical and

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mental well being, certain memory care. Paint colors and

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patterns are able to evoke emotions that can reduce

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agitation, combat aggression, and even stimulate memory,

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intentional color selections can dramatically change the way your

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loved one interacts with their environment. Isn't this amazing

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information. Who'd have thought so? Why do colors matter to

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people living with dementia? Because color has an everyday

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impact on our psyche, and it has the ability to shift our mood.

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This shift is especially evident in seniors. As older adults are

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most likely to form connotations between emotional memories and

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positive colors, and that is, according to Harvard University

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research, why? Because, as other senses diminish, color may be

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more easily distinguishable than other environmental cues. Not

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only can color influence emotion, but it can also enhance

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a seniors understanding of their environment, cognitive abilities

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and eyesight diminish over time, objects may become more

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difficult to differentiate, and things that a person without

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dementia would easily be able to tell apart may become harder to

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distinguish. This can lead to difficulty discerning a bathroom

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from a bedroom, finding food on a plate or dressing in matched

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colored clothing. There are three general categories of

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change in cognitive ability that makes it harder for people with

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dementia to maneuver through spaces. Number one, if people

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with dementia perceive color differently, this has been

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proven, color preferences may change as their dementia

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progresses. In other words, vibrant, hot colors like neon

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shades, can cause confusion and stress, and this is according to

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the journal frontiers in psychology, number two, dementia

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compromises a person's depth perception in the late stages of

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dementia, vision may become limited. Individuals with memory

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impairment often have trouble judging distances or seeing

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contrast between similar colors or properly identifying a dark

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object in a dim area, and this can lead to increased falls and

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increased wandering. Number three, motion blindness is a

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common side effect of dementia. Motion blindness, for those who

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aren't aware of that term is a type of visual impairment that

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makes it difficult for people with dementia to see where

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they're going or even if they're moving at all, according to

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research from the University of Rochester, when paint colors

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shift between rooms and hallways, a senior with

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cognitive decline is able to perceive spatial changes they

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may not otherwise notice. I think that's absolutely

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fascinating. As a person with dementia moves through different

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spaces, the use of contrasting colors can. Help promote

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behaviors. For example, the muted blue of a sitting room can

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induce feelings of calm and relaxation, whereas bright

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yellows and greens of a kitchen or dining area send energizing

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cues to the brain, perhaps stimulating their appetite, all

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of a sudden they feel hungry. There are so many factors that

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are out of our control when it comes to dementia, things that

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we can't fix or make better, but color stimulation or de

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stimulation is one thing we can control, and we can do really

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well. So choosing the right palette of paint colors can, as

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been shown, can dramatically influence an environment from a

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safety standpoint, as well as an emotional one. So here are some

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things to keep in mind when choosing colors to keep people

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living with dementia safe now to prevent what's called spatial

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misperception, you want to avoid dark rugs, bath mats and other

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floor coverings. And other floor coverings dark colors, can look

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like vacancies to people living with dementia, and they may

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perceive these objects as holes in the floor to be avoided and

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attempt to navigate around them, causing both anxiety as well as

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potential falls. Keep contrast color contrast in mind. A person

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with dementia with limited eyesight and depth perception

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may not be able to distinguish a white toilet from a white wall,

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or strawberries from a red bowl. Using contrasting paint colors

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can help clearly define objects preventing bathroom falls and or

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toileting accidents. You want to identify doorways, since people

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with dementia may have trouble with Wayfinding. It's important

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to distinguish spaces with color and design to avoid anxiety and

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confusion by differentiating resident doorways with paint

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colors, posters, memory boxes rather than just nameplates,

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it's easier for individuals to find their own rooms, and this

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prevents the potential fear or aggression that can come from

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entering another residence apartment. Equally important to

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understanding which colors to use is knowing which colors not

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to use when designing a space for our elderly, especially if

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they live with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.

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Now this is because certain colors can inadvertently cause

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fatigue or increased stress, can bring on a headache. It can

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actually decrease a person's visual perception, cause

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eyesight damage and increased user interface errors. Another

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important thing to realize is the effects of aging on a

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person's vision can be profound, and needs to be considered when

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designing a space for the elderly. From about the age of

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40, the lens of the eye begins to harden and lose its

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flexibility. This is a condition that's referred to as

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presbyopia. Now, presbyopia causes images to be focused

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behind the retina, with a resulting loss in visual acuity.

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This is a part of normal aging that makes it increasingly

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difficult to focus at short distances, hence, the need for

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reading glasses. With age, our pupils shrink, resulting in the

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need for more light and diminished capacity to adjust to

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changing light levels. For example, a 60 year old retina

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receives only 40% of the light that a 20 year old retina

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receives, and an 80 year old retina receives only around 15%

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hence older people also have lower light sensitivity and

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increased sensitivity. Sensitivity to glare, the older

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eye is less able to make out low contrast patterns, and according

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to the National Eye Institute in the US, from the age of 40,

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contrast sensitivity starts to decline until around the age of

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80, it may be reduced by up to 83% this can have profound

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implications when designing spaces for our elderly. For

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example, as certain text colors and background color

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combinations are extremely difficult to read for older

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people who are experiencing low contract sensitivity. In

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addition compounding the effects of presbyopia, visual sharpness

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also worsens with declining contrast sensitivity. Declines

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in contrast sensitivity cause the older eye to have slower

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accommodation, transitioning between dark and light places,

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older eyes have more difficulty seeing thin lines and focusing

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on hard edges beyond affecting reading in general, this would

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make it extremely difficult for seniors to distinguish between

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similar icons, buttons and other user interface element shapes

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where edge edges and lines are critical visual cues. Color

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confusion also increases with age. The most common form of

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color blindness in the general population is difficulty in

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distinguishing between colors containing red or green.

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According to the National Eye Institute, this affects

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approximately one in 12 men or 8% and one in 200 women in the

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world, or point 0.5% these percentages increase with age,

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and severity also increases with age. Although this condition is

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known as red, green. Color blindness. It does not mean

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sufferers mix up red and green. What it means is they mix up all

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colors that have some red or green as part of the entire

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color. For example, purple is made up of blue and red, right?

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Well, because the eye does not see the red component, to

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somebody who is experiencing the red green color blindness, the

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purple to them will actually only look blue. Then what

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happens after the age is there is a thickening and yellowing of

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the lens of the eye that comes with age. The result is similar

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to viewing the world through a pale yellow film, approximately

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the color of ginger ale. This makes it harder to differentiate

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between colors in the green and blue shades, because green is

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made up of blue and yellow, this yellowing also makes things in a

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green environment look much more yellow to an older person. So

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due to the effects of aging on vision, the older eye is less

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able to make out low contrast color combinations and patterns.

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Now this could have a profound implication when we are choosing

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colors and background color combination that can be read by

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seniors who suffer from low contrast sensitivity. In

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addition to text, color contrast may also play an important role

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in differentiating graphical shapes. This is particularly

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important when such shapes are used as user interface targets,

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for example, if they're using buttons, arrows, data entry

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boxes, etc, and insinuating cognitive function, these

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principles have been used by interior designers for many,

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many years to create living and gathering spaces for elderly

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people. They can also be used when designing spaces for

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seniors. So in general, older people have been found to be

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drawn to soft pastels. Yes, but these may not have the vitality

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of colors needed to stimulate the mind and mood bear that in

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mind, visual problems, particularly the yellowing of

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the lens, can also impair how soft pastels are perceived by

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elderly people. And here are some examples. Blue happens to

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be the number one preferred color by all age groups and all

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genders and ethnicities. Navy blue, sky. Blue and aquamarine

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are particular favorites for seniors, blue is a restful color

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with a calming effect. Blues can also instill trust and

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confidence. Soft blues connect to the spiritual or reflective

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mood. Blue can reduce mental excitability and help with

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concentration. Research suggests that the use of blue in the

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physical environment actually lowers. Can lower blood

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pressure. Blue is interesting in that people tend to choose it as

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a favorite color, even though it's often associated with

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sadness and depression. So be careful using too much blue,

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because that can create melancholia. You know, they're

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just become melancholy. Now, green reduces the central

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nervous system activity, and is also a calming and restful

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color. Green gives a sense of life and new beginnings. It can

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be stabilizing, nurturing, healing and revitalizing. Pale

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Greens have been found to be soothing colors. Dark greens can

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enhance concentration. However, as examined further, green is

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the preference of younger age groups, and this preference

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drops off with age, particularly with after the age of 70. That's

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interesting. So in this 70 plus age group, the preference for

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red actually increases dramatically. No empirical data

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could be found on why this happens. Perhaps we appreciate

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the positive attributes and effects of red more as we get

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older, red is a stimulating color, commonly associated with

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warmth, strength, competition, excitement, energy, speed,

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power, importance and youth. And studies have shown that red can

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cause increased heart respiration and metabolism

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rates. Red can inhibit relaxation and increase

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alertness. Lighter shades emphasize the energetic aspects

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of red. The darker shades of red emphasize power. So it sounds

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like somebody tells you their favorite color is red and

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they're considered part of the elderly population. That might

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not be the best choice of color. Purple inspires people and is

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thought to be thought provoking. It is often described as

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exciting and intriguing. Mauve colors, which are a mix of

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violet and red, are nurturing. They promote intuition. They're

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meditative, and induce insightful thinking. Lighter

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shades of purple bring to mind spring and romance. The darker

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shades of purple add mystery, which can symbolize creativity.

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But purple can be polarizing. It's either loved or hated, more

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than any other primary or secondary color. So some of the

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other effects of colors I'm going to go over with you real

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quickly. These are really interesting reds.

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The effect of reds have been shown to arouse stimulation. It

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increases heart respiration and metabolic rates and will inhibit

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relaxation. The lighter shades of red emphasize the energetic

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aspects of red, and the darker shades emphasize power. More

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orange, actually orange. This is really intriguing. It triggers

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alertness. It's stimulating, but less so than red and deeper.

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Oranges are warming. Yellow is also warming, cheering and

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stimulating, and it triggers alertness, but it can cause

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anxiety, agitation and anger. Bright, sharp yellows can be

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tiring and trigger headaches. Lighter shades play on the

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happiness aspects, reminding people of the summertime and the

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sun, and then our darker shades, including gold, add more weight

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and give a sense of antiquity. Green also is considered

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stabilizing, nurturing, healing and revitalizing. The Pale

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greens are soothing, where the dark greens can enhance our

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concentration. Green can make reading easier. Meetings in

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green rooms are perceived as being shorter. Blues are

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considered to be calming, trust inspiring and cleansing. It

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reduces mental excitability, and therefore helps one to

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concentrate. Pale blue is cooling and encourages rest, but

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cannot be used indiscriminately, as too much of it, again,

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produces melancholia. Indigo blue is used where fear is

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hindering activity. Purple or violet also is thought to be

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inspiring and thought provoking. Moths are nurturing meditative

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and insightful and promote intuition. The lighter shades of

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purple bring to mind spring and romance. Darker shades of purple

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add more mystery and can symbolize creativity. We haven't

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talked about pink, yet pink is subduing and flattering,

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depending on use. Pink can be either stimulating or calming.

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The connotations with childhood and with sugary treats gives it

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a sweet, sometimes innocent appeal, traditionally used with

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love and romantic themes, alongside red and light purple.

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Brown, we haven't heard anything about Brown, and surprisingly,

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Brown is considered to be comforting, soothing and

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friendly. It denotes dependability. Can make a space

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feel secure and stable and but it can also be depressing,

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unless used with other colors. Black is considered empowering,

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rest mind and body, but too much black can be frightening and

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depressing unless used with other colors. Gray is reassuring

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cool and rational thinking, but too much gray can be dulling and

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demotivating, and then white, good old white, our vanilla ice

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cream. White's considered to be attention getting helps the mind

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to be open, clear and receptive. Cheering when used with red,

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yellow or orange, too much bright white can produce eye

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strain and headaches. Now, colors can also be used to

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stimulate memory and other cognitive functions. For

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example, the color of medications this is important,

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can help elderly people remember to take them. Researchers are

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studying the effect of linking pill color to the condition

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being treated. For example, calming blue pills for pain

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medication, similar color linkages can be used for

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seniors. Now, once again, because red increases brainwave

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activity and can stimulate the production of adrenaline into

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the bloodstream, red and yellow are sometimes used in dining

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rooms to stimulate people living with dementia. To remember to

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eat note, however, that dark and severe reds do have the ability

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to over stimulate and agitate people. Purple does not appear

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to have consistent effects on our nervous systems. Now, a few

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articles have been published on color perception in people with

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dementia. These conclude that people with dementia do

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significantly worse on tests of contrast, sensitivity, visual

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attention and color naming compared with people who don't

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live with dementia, but otherwise basic visual

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functioning, acuity and motion direction discrimination is

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similar for people with and without dementia. Color

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preferences, for example, how much we like or dislike color

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are also similar for people with and without dementia, blue and

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green being the most preferred colors. Wow, that's really

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fascinating, fascinating information, and certainly

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information that can be implemented into the everyday

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lives of our loved ones and the people that we care for who are

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living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia to up level

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their quality of life and to stimulate things in them that we

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probably would never have given a second thought to. And as it

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turns out, many studies have been conducted on color and

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light with many contrasting results. However, for the most

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part, the use of various colors, particularly in the environment

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for living for those living with dementia, can be helpful in

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providing quality of life and quality of care. Color

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preferences for individuals with dementia are red, blue and

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green. For instance, blue, again, is considered a very

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restful color with a calming effect. Research has shown that

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using blue in the physical environment can actually lower

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somebody's blood pressure who is living with dementia, and that

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blue rooms are seemingly cooler to them than rooms painted in

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shades of red or even orange. Blue also appears to increase

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the size of the room, and blue is a good choice for dinner

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plates and utensils, as it does produce a contrast to the food.

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Red, again, increases brainwave activity, seems to decrease the

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size of a room and increases the perceived temperature of the

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room. And don't forget the elderly population, their skin

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is much thinner than younger populations, and they feel cold

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easily. So if you want to get the attention of an individual

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with Alzheimer's or dementia, use red. It is also a good color

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for dinner plates and utensils, as it offers good contrast with

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food and stimulates the appetite. Finally, green, again,

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is symbolic of growth and life and is the most restful of

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colors. It reduces the central nervous system activity and

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helps individuals remain calm. Using green makes rooms also

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appear larger, particularly lime green is effective with

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individuals with Alzheimer's or dementia for visual attention.

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Let me give you an example. Use them as visual cues for

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bathrooms, bedrooms, walkers, etc, for the affected individual

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who may have aggressive tendencies, using pink in their

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personal space

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is is great because it tends to ease aggressive behaviors. The

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use of contrast is extremely important for marking edges of

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things, drawing attention to furniture or other tripping

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hazards, and making it easier to locate food on a plate or find a

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toilet seat in a white on white bathroom contrast can be used to

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help define objects more clearly. This is something that

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we know and use on a regular basis, using a color that

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contrasts with the background draws attention to the. Key

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features, for example, using a contrasting wall color so that

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it can be easier to locate switches and sockets, railings

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and handrails, doors of the bathroom can be painted a

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different color than other rooms in the house for easier

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identification and also, by using a contrasting color in the

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kitchen, you can highlight edges of the cabinets, helping

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affected individuals locate themselves within their

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surroundings and reduce accidental injuries from those

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edges. In addition to the environment. Look at other ways

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of using color for the affected individual. You want to

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incorporate color in the individual's wardrobe, using his

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or her favorite colors. Reports actually show that individuals

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feel happier when wearing colors such as corals peach and

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variations of orange. Bear in mind that, due to the natural

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thickening of the lens of the eye with age, as I talked about

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earlier, older people may experience colors as being more

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washed out and find blues, greens and purples harder to

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differentiate. Additionally, people's color preferences can

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change, and the person with dementia experiencing increased

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sensitivity to all things can also create, help create a

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balance throughout the journey of their disease. So why is it

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that some colors have the ability to either make us feel

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better or more depressed? Is it true that different cues have

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the potential to make us feel different in completely

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different ways? The answer actually is yes, in many

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different senses, due to the fact that our brains perceive

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colors and hues in a variety of ways, with some having a

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significant influence on how we feel at any given instant, while

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others have a more subtle influence. Researchers have

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spent a tremendous amount of time and effort over the years

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looking into impact that different colors have on the

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human brain and the behaviors the environment tremendously

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influences how a person with Alzheimer's disease and related

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dementia interact with it, how they respond to it, and how much

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enjoyment they actually get out of Life. It is common practice

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for caregivers to look for helpful hints and strategies for

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behavioral management. These are some great ideas. However, what

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if I said that the use of color could change and even help

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decrease behaviors connected with dementia. Well, let me

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clarify that for you the findings of the numerous

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research that has been done on light and color. Well, it

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actually has been somewhat varied, but the majority of

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specialists, however, agree that the use of colors, particularly

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for a person with dementia, may actually assist in enhancing

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their quality of life, and that's what our goal is for

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everybody. And that sums it up for this episode of the truth

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lies and Alzheimer's. I hope you've enjoyed this episode on

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how colors actually influence us as people, especially if we are

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living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. I found this to be

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absolutely fascinating, and because it has such a

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significance in how it impacts people with dementia, I think

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this is really, really important information to be aware of so

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you can implement Some of these tips into the daily lives of

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your loved ones or people you're caring for living with dementia.

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So that wraps it up for today's episode of the truth, lies and

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Alzheimer's show. I'm Lisa Skinner, your host, as always, I

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will be back next week with another new episode, four. You

Lisa Skinner:

and hope you'll join me Have a great rest of your week and stay

Lisa Skinner:

healthy and safe. Bye, bye.

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About the Podcast

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Truth, Lies & Alzheimer's

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About your host

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Lisa Skinner, CDP, CDT

Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.
Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Skinner’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and offering workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.