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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Episode Transcript

Lisa Skinner (00:00):
Hi everybody. Welcome back as promised. I'm

(00:03):
here with another brand newepisode of the truth lies and
Alzheimer's show, and I am LisaSkinner, your host. Did you all
know that people with dementiaare even more likely to link
visual memories and emotionsthan individuals who are not

(00:23):
experiencing cognitive decline.This has been found to be
absolutely true. Our everydayexperiences are shaped
consciously and subconsciouslyby the environment that
surrounds us, especially when itcomes to color, it's important

(00:46):
for people with Alzheimer'sdisease and other types of
dementia to reside in a spacethat promotes physical and
mental well being, certainmemory care. Paint colors and
patterns are able to evokeemotions that can reduce
agitation, combat aggression,and even stimulate memory,

(01:11):
intentional color selections candramatically change the way your
loved one interacts with theirenvironment. Isn't this amazing
information. Who'd have thoughtso? Why do colors matter to
people living with dementia?Because color has an everyday

(01:34):
impact on our psyche, and it hasthe ability to shift our mood.
This shift is especially evidentin seniors. As older adults are
most likely to form connotationsbetween emotional memories and
positive colors, and that is,according to Harvard University

(01:58):
research, why? Because, as othersenses diminish, color may be
more easily distinguishable thanother environmental cues. Not
only can color influenceemotion, but it can also enhance

(02:19):
a seniors understanding of theirenvironment, cognitive abilities
and eyesight diminish over time,objects may become more
difficult to differentiate, andthings that a person without
dementia would easily be able totell apart may become harder to

(02:42):
distinguish. This can lead todifficulty discerning a bathroom
from a bedroom, finding food ona plate or dressing in matched
colored clothing. There arethree general categories of
change in cognitive ability thatmakes it harder for people with

(03:03):
dementia to maneuver throughspaces. Number one, if people
with dementia perceive colordifferently, this has been
proven, color preferences maychange as their dementia
progresses. In other words,vibrant, hot colors like neon

(03:25):
shades, can cause confusion andstress, and this is according to
the journal frontiers inpsychology, number two, dementia
compromises a person's depthperception in the late stages of
dementia, vision may becomelimited. Individuals with memory

(03:48):
impairment often have troublejudging distances or seeing
contrast between similar colorsor properly identifying a dark
object in a dim area, and thiscan lead to increased falls and
increased wandering. Numberthree, motion blindness is a

(04:13):
common side effect of dementia.Motion blindness, for those who
aren't aware of that term is atype of visual impairment that
makes it difficult for peoplewith dementia to see where
they're going or even if they'removing at all, according to
research from the University ofRochester, when paint colors

(04:37):
shift between rooms andhallways, a senior with
cognitive decline is able toperceive spatial changes they
may not otherwise notice. Ithink that's absolutely
fascinating. As a person withdementia moves through different
spaces, the use of contrastingcolors can. Help promote

(05:01):
behaviors. For example, themuted blue of a sitting room can
induce feelings of calm andrelaxation, whereas bright
yellows and greens of a kitchenor dining area send energizing
cues to the brain, perhapsstimulating their appetite, all

(05:23):
of a sudden they feel hungry.There are so many factors that
are out of our control when itcomes to dementia, things that
we can't fix or make better, butcolor stimulation or de
stimulation is one thing we cancontrol, and we can do really

(05:45):
well. So choosing the rightpalette of paint colors can, as
been shown, can dramaticallyinfluence an environment from a
safety standpoint, as well as anemotional one. So here are some
things to keep in mind whenchoosing colors to keep people

(06:07):
living with dementia safe now toprevent what's called spatial
misperception, you want to avoiddark rugs, bath mats and other
floor coverings. And other floorcoverings dark colors, can look
like vacancies to people livingwith dementia, and they may

(06:32):
perceive these objects as holesin the floor to be avoided and
attempt to navigate around them,causing both anxiety as well as
potential falls. Keep contrastcolor contrast in mind. A person

(06:53):
with dementia with limitedeyesight and depth perception
may not be able to distinguish awhite toilet from a white wall,
or strawberries from a red bowl.Using contrasting paint colors
can help clearly define objectspreventing bathroom falls and or
toileting accidents. You want toidentify doorways, since people

(07:19):
with dementia may have troublewith Wayfinding. It's important
to distinguish spaces with colorand design to avoid anxiety and
confusion by differentiatingresident doorways with paint
colors, posters, memory boxesrather than just nameplates,

(07:41):
it's easier for individuals tofind their own rooms, and this
prevents the potential fear oraggression that can come from
entering another residenceapartment. Equally important to
understanding which colors touse is knowing which colors not

(08:03):
to use when designing a spacefor our elderly, especially if
they live with Alzheimer'sdisease and related dementia.
Now this is because certaincolors can inadvertently cause
fatigue or increased stress, canbring on a headache. It can

(08:27):
actually decrease a person'svisual perception, cause
eyesight damage and increaseduser interface errors. Another
important thing to realize isthe effects of aging on a
person's vision can be profound,and needs to be considered when

(08:49):
designing a space for theelderly. From about the age of
40, the lens of the eye beginsto harden and lose its
flexibility. This is a conditionthat's referred to as
presbyopia. Now, presbyopiacauses images to be focused

(09:10):
behind the retina, with aresulting loss in visual acuity.
This is a part of normal agingthat makes it increasingly
difficult to focus at shortdistances, hence, the need for
reading glasses. With age, ourpupils shrink, resulting in the
need for more light anddiminished capacity to adjust to

(09:33):
changing light levels. Forexample, a 60 year old retina
receives only 40% of the lightthat a 20 year old retina
receives, and an 80 year oldretina receives only around 15%
hence older people also havelower light sensitivity and

(09:58):
increased sensitivity.Sensitivity to glare, the older
eye is less able to make out lowcontrast patterns, and according
to the National Eye Institute inthe US, from the age of 40,
contrast sensitivity starts todecline until around the age of

(10:18):
80, it may be reduced by up to83% this can have profound
implications when designingspaces for our elderly. For
example, as certain text colorsand background color
combinations are extremelydifficult to read for older

(10:43):
people who are experiencing lowcontract sensitivity. In
addition compounding the effectsof presbyopia, visual sharpness
also worsens with decliningcontrast sensitivity. Declines
in contrast sensitivity causethe older eye to have slower

(11:04):
accommodation, transitioningbetween dark and light places,
older eyes have more difficultyseeing thin lines and focusing
on hard edges beyond affectingreading in general, this would
make it extremely difficult forseniors to distinguish between

(11:26):
similar icons, buttons and otheruser interface element shapes
where edge edges and lines arecritical visual cues. Color
confusion also increases withage. The most common form of
color blindness in the generalpopulation is difficulty in

(11:49):
distinguishing between colorscontaining red or green.
According to the National EyeInstitute, this affects
approximately one in 12 men or8% and one in 200 women in the
world, or point 0.5% thesepercentages increase with age,

(12:13):
and severity also increases withage. Although this condition is
known as red, green. Colorblindness. It does not mean
sufferers mix up red and green.What it means is they mix up all
colors that have some red orgreen as part of the entire

(12:36):
color. For example, purple ismade up of blue and red, right?
Well, because the eye does notsee the red component, to
somebody who is experiencing thered green color blindness, the
purple to them will actuallyonly look blue. Then what

(13:01):
happens after the age is thereis a thickening and yellowing of
the lens of the eye that comeswith age. The result is similar
to viewing the world through apale yellow film, approximately
the color of ginger ale. Thismakes it harder to differentiate

(13:21):
between colors in the green andblue shades, because green is
made up of blue and yellow, thisyellowing also makes things in a
green environment look much moreyellow to an older person. So
due to the effects of aging onvision, the older eye is less

(13:44):
able to make out low contrastcolor combinations and patterns.
Now this could have a profoundimplication when we are choosing
colors and background colorcombination that can be read by
seniors who suffer from lowcontrast sensitivity. In

(14:07):
addition to text, color contrastmay also play an important role
in differentiating graphicalshapes. This is particularly
important when such shapes areused as user interface targets,
for example, if they're usingbuttons, arrows, data entry

(14:30):
boxes, etc, and insinuatingcognitive function, these
principles have been used byinterior designers for many,
many years to create living andgathering spaces for elderly
people. They can also be usedwhen designing spaces for
seniors. So in general, olderpeople have been found to be

(14:57):
drawn to soft pastels. Yes, butthese may not have the vitality
of colors needed to stimulatethe mind and mood bear that in
mind, visual problems,particularly the yellowing of
the lens, can also impair howsoft pastels are perceived by

(15:19):
elderly people. And here aresome examples. Blue happens to
be the number one preferredcolor by all age groups and all
genders and ethnicities. Navyblue, sky. Blue and aquamarine
are particular favorites forseniors, blue is a restful color

(15:44):
with a calming effect. Blues canalso instill trust and
confidence. Soft blues connectto the spiritual or reflective
mood. Blue can reduce mentalexcitability and help with
concentration. Research suggeststhat the use of blue in the

(16:08):
physical environment actuallylowers. Can lower blood
pressure. Blue is interesting inthat people tend to choose it as
a favorite color, even thoughit's often associated with
sadness and depression. So becareful using too much blue,
because that can createmelancholia. You know, they're

(16:32):
just become melancholy. Now,green reduces the central
nervous system activity, and isalso a calming and restful
color. Green gives a sense oflife and new beginnings. It can
be stabilizing, nurturing,healing and revitalizing. Pale

(16:56):
Greens have been found to besoothing colors. Dark greens can
enhance concentration. However,as examined further, green is
the preference of younger agegroups, and this preference
drops off with age, particularlywith after the age of 70. That's

(17:18):
interesting. So in this 70 plusage group, the preference for
red actually increasesdramatically. No empirical data
could be found on why thishappens. Perhaps we appreciate
the positive attributes andeffects of red more as we get

(17:41):
older, red is a stimulatingcolor, commonly associated with
warmth, strength, competition,excitement, energy, speed,
power, importance and youth. Andstudies have shown that red can

(18:02):
cause increased heartrespiration and metabolism
rates. Red can inhibitrelaxation and increase
alertness. Lighter shadesemphasize the energetic aspects
of red. The darker shades of redemphasize power. So it sounds

(18:23):
like somebody tells you theirfavorite color is red and
they're considered part of theelderly population. That might
not be the best choice of color.Purple inspires people and is
thought to be thought provoking.It is often described as

(18:44):
exciting and intriguing. Mauvecolors, which are a mix of
violet and red, are nurturing.They promote intuition. They're
meditative, and induceinsightful thinking. Lighter
shades of purple bring to mindspring and romance. The darker

(19:08):
shades of purple add mystery,which can symbolize creativity.
But purple can be polarizing.It's either loved or hated, more
than any other primary orsecondary color. So some of the
other effects of colors I'mgoing to go over with you real

(19:33):
quickly. These are reallyinteresting reds.
The effect of reds have beenshown to arouse stimulation. It
increases heart respiration andmetabolic rates and will inhibit
relaxation. The lighter shadesof red emphasize the energetic

(19:56):
aspects of red, and the darkershades emphasize power. More
orange, actually orange. This isreally intriguing. It triggers
alertness. It's stimulating, butless so than red and deeper.
Oranges are warming. Yellow isalso warming, cheering and

(20:20):
stimulating, and it triggersalertness, but it can cause
anxiety, agitation and anger.Bright, sharp yellows can be
tiring and trigger headaches.Lighter shades play on the
happiness aspects, remindingpeople of the summertime and the

(20:41):
sun, and then our darker shades,including gold, add more weight
and give a sense of antiquity.Green also is considered
stabilizing, nurturing, healingand revitalizing. The Pale
greens are soothing, where thedark greens can enhance our

(21:04):
concentration. Green can makereading easier. Meetings in
green rooms are perceived asbeing shorter. Blues are
considered to be calming, trustinspiring and cleansing. It

(21:25):
reduces mental excitability, andtherefore helps one to
concentrate. Pale blue iscooling and encourages rest, but
cannot be used indiscriminately,as too much of it, again,
produces melancholia. Indigoblue is used where fear is

(21:47):
hindering activity. Purple orviolet also is thought to be
inspiring and thought provoking.Moths are nurturing meditative
and insightful and promoteintuition. The lighter shades of

(22:09):
purple bring to mind spring andromance. Darker shades of purple
add more mystery and cansymbolize creativity. We haven't
talked about pink, yet pink issubduing and flattering,
depending on use. Pink can beeither stimulating or calming.

(22:32):
The connotations with childhoodand with sugary treats gives it
a sweet, sometimes innocentappeal, traditionally used with
love and romantic themes,alongside red and light purple.
Brown, we haven't heard anythingabout Brown, and surprisingly,

(22:55):
Brown is considered to becomforting, soothing and
friendly. It denotesdependability. Can make a space
feel secure and stable and butit can also be depressing,
unless used with other colors.Black is considered empowering,

(23:18):
rest mind and body, but too muchblack can be frightening and
depressing unless used withother colors. Gray is reassuring
cool and rational thinking, buttoo much gray can be dulling and
demotivating, and then white,good old white, our vanilla ice

(23:41):
cream. White's considered to beattention getting helps the mind
to be open, clear and receptive.Cheering when used with red,
yellow or orange, too muchbright white can produce eye
strain and headaches. Now,colors can also be used to

(24:09):
stimulate memory and othercognitive functions. For
example, the color ofmedications this is important,
can help elderly people rememberto take them. Researchers are
studying the effect of linkingpill color to the condition
being treated. For example,calming blue pills for pain

(24:33):
medication, similar colorlinkages can be used for
seniors. Now, once again,because red increases brainwave
activity and can stimulate theproduction of adrenaline into
the bloodstream, red and yelloware sometimes used in dining

(24:55):
rooms to stimulate people livingwith dementia. To remember to
eat note, however, that dark andsevere reds do have the ability
to over stimulate and agitatepeople. Purple does not appear
to have consistent effects onour nervous systems. Now, a few

(25:18):
articles have been published oncolor perception in people with
dementia. These conclude thatpeople with dementia do
significantly worse on tests ofcontrast, sensitivity, visual
attention and color namingcompared with people who don't

(25:38):
live with dementia, butotherwise basic visual
functioning, acuity and motiondirection discrimination is
similar for people with andwithout dementia. Color
preferences, for example, howmuch we like or dislike color
are also similar for people withand without dementia, blue and

(26:01):
green being the most preferredcolors. Wow, that's really
fascinating, fascinatinginformation, and certainly
information that can beimplemented into the everyday
lives of our loved ones and thepeople that we care for who are

(26:22):
living with Alzheimer's diseaseand related dementia to up level
their quality of life and tostimulate things in them that we
probably would never have givena second thought to. And as it
turns out, many studies havebeen conducted on color and
light with many contrastingresults. However, for the most

(26:47):
part, the use of various colors,particularly in the environment
for living for those living withdementia, can be helpful in
providing quality of life andquality of care. Color
preferences for individuals withdementia are red, blue and

(27:08):
green. For instance, blue,again, is considered a very
restful color with a calmingeffect. Research has shown that
using blue in the physicalenvironment can actually lower
somebody's blood pressure who isliving with dementia, and that

(27:29):
blue rooms are seemingly coolerto them than rooms painted in
shades of red or even orange.Blue also appears to increase
the size of the room, and blueis a good choice for dinner
plates and utensils, as it doesproduce a contrast to the food.

(27:53):
Red, again, increases brainwaveactivity, seems to decrease the
size of a room and increases theperceived temperature of the
room. And don't forget theelderly population, their skin
is much thinner than youngerpopulations, and they feel cold

(28:17):
easily. So if you want to getthe attention of an individual
with Alzheimer's or dementia,use red. It is also a good color
for dinner plates and utensils,as it offers good contrast with
food and stimulates theappetite. Finally, green, again,
is symbolic of growth and lifeand is the most restful of

(28:42):
colors. It reduces the centralnervous system activity and
helps individuals remain calm.Using green makes rooms also
appear larger, particularly limegreen is effective with
individuals with Alzheimer's ordementia for visual attention.

(29:04):
Let me give you an example. Usethem as visual cues for
bathrooms, bedrooms, walkers,etc, for the affected individual
who may have aggressivetendencies, using pink in their
personal space
is is great because it tends toease aggressive behaviors. The

(29:28):
use of contrast is extremelyimportant for marking edges of
things, drawing attention tofurniture or other tripping
hazards, and making it easier tolocate food on a plate or find a
toilet seat in a white on whitebathroom contrast can be used to
help define objects moreclearly. This is something that

(29:50):
we know and use on a regularbasis, using a color that
contrasts with the backgrounddraws attention to the. Key
features, for example, using acontrasting wall color so that
it can be easier to locateswitches and sockets, railings

(30:11):
and handrails, doors of thebathroom can be painted a
different color than other roomsin the house for easier
identification and also, byusing a contrasting color in the
kitchen, you can highlight edgesof the cabinets, helping
affected individuals locatethemselves within their

(30:33):
surroundings and reduceaccidental injuries from those
edges. In addition to theenvironment. Look at other ways
of using color for the affectedindividual. You want to
incorporate color in theindividual's wardrobe, using his
or her favorite colors. Reportsactually show that individuals

(30:56):
feel happier when wearing colorssuch as corals peach and
variations of orange. Bear inmind that, due to the natural
thickening of the lens of theeye with age, as I talked about
earlier, older people mayexperience colors as being more

(31:18):
washed out and find blues,greens and purples harder to
differentiate. Additionally,people's color preferences can
change, and the person withdementia experiencing increased
sensitivity to all things canalso create, help create a

(31:43):
balance throughout the journeyof their disease. So why is it
that some colors have theability to either make us feel
better or more depressed? Is ittrue that different cues have
the potential to make us feeldifferent in completely

(32:04):
different ways? The answeractually is yes, in many
different senses, due to thefact that our brains perceive
colors and hues in a variety ofways, with some having a
significant influence on how wefeel at any given instant, while

(32:25):
others have a more subtleinfluence. Researchers have
spent a tremendous amount oftime and effort over the years
looking into impact thatdifferent colors have on the
human brain and the behaviorsthe environment tremendously
influences how a person withAlzheimer's disease and related

(32:49):
dementia interact with it, howthey respond to it, and how much
enjoyment they actually get outof Life. It is common practice
for caregivers to look forhelpful hints and strategies for
behavioral management. These aresome great ideas. However, what

(33:13):
if I said that the use of colorcould change and even help
decrease behaviors connectedwith dementia. Well, let me
clarify that for you thefindings of the numerous
research that has been done onlight and color. Well, it
actually has been somewhatvaried, but the majority of

(33:36):
specialists, however, agree thatthe use of colors, particularly
for a person with dementia, mayactually assist in enhancing
their quality of life, andthat's what our goal is for
everybody. And that sums it upfor this episode of the truth

(34:02):
lies and Alzheimer's. I hopeyou've enjoyed this episode on
how colors actually influence usas people, especially if we are
living with Alzheimer's diseaseor dementia. I found this to be
absolutely fascinating, andbecause it has such a

(34:24):
significance in how it impactspeople with dementia, I think
this is really, really importantinformation to be aware of so
you can implement Some of thesetips into the daily lives of
your loved ones or people you'recaring for living with dementia.

(34:48):
So that wraps it up for today'sepisode of the truth, lies and
Alzheimer's show. I'm LisaSkinner, your host, as always, I
will be back next week withanother new episode, four. You
and hope you'll join me Have agreat rest of your week and stay
healthy and safe. Bye, bye.