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Once we've identified behaviors that warrant change and define what we want the outcome to be, we set about making what we call "interventions." For instance, we use an alarm system to prevent wanderers from leaving the premises. We can post signs so that there's a constant reminder of where certain rooms are. And we encourage every family to personalize their loved one's room with familiar objects and some of the comforts of home to provide an area of calm and privacy.
Some facilities have separate units for residents with Alzheimer's disease or other severe forms of progressive dementia. These units are set up to meet the particular challenges associated with the disease. For example, exit doors may be located away from the wandering path, instead of at the end of the hallway. Rather than eating in a traditional facility dining room, residents may eat in a kitchen set up to resemble a kitchen in a private home. Nonbreakable dishes with suction holders may be used to keep the dishes on the table. And mirrors may be removed from walls so that residents are not confronted with what they perceive to be threatening strangers when they pass by. All of this is done because we want to provide residents with an environment that is as comfortable, calm, and nonthreatening as possible.
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