Care home introduces salt lamps and diffusers to help residents with dementia sleep

A care home in Kent has introduced a range of holistic practices, including salt lamps and oil diffusers, to boost the sleep of residents with dementia.

Dementia can disrupt people’s body cycles of day and night and their body clock can get out of sync. Even older people without dementia can find it harder to fall asleep at night and suffer from fragmented sleep.

Getting a proper night’s sleep can reduce anxiety and depression, lift a person’s mood and wellbeing, prevent falls and support the immune system to work better.

In a bid to improve the sleep of residents, Catherine Singh, manager at Lulworth House Residential Care Centre in Maidstone sought advice from Nellsar’s nutrition and wellness manager, Leni Wood.

They decided to implement a range of holistic practices to the evening to help residents who found it difficult to settle and sleep through the night.

The environment was adapted to induce melatonin

“The aim was to adapt their environment by introducing salt lamps which are known to help induce the sleep hormone melatonin. We also implemented diffusers using essential oils to diffuse relaxing scents, such as lavender. We offered drinks and foods throughout the night-time tea round known to help calm and settle.

“The trial outcomes stemmed from staff observations and whether or not they noticed changes in residents who would usually struggle to sleep through the night. We based our findings on these observations as many residents were unable to give feedback on whether they noticed a difference in their sleep quality,” revealed Leni Wood.

Other changes were:

• Decaffeinated teas and coffees made available after 6pm, which included herbal teas, such as chamomile.

• Milky drinks such as hot chocolate, Horlicks and Ovaltine were made with milk and not water. The density of the milk can help some people feel fuller for longer and can help with a settled feeling through the night.

• Protein-rich foods and snacks to ensure residents felt fuller for longer. Protein can be found in meat and fish, natural yoghurt, eggs, nuts and seeds.

• Oats high in carbs with fibre have been reported to induce drowsiness when consumed before bed.

The trial ran for six weeks and feedback was extremely positive, according to Ms Wood.

“When questioned whether the food and drink offered made a difference, staff agreed they saw a noticeable change in many residents who are known to have trouble sleeping through the night. Additionally, a small proportion showed reduced symptoms of stress and were more settled, sleeping better and for longer,” she added.

“This informal trial showed us that with a few simple adjustments, we can improve the quality of sleep for some elderly people living with dementia and, in turn, the overall quality of life.”

click here for more details or to contact Lulworth House Residential Care Centre