09/06/2026
💜 World Alzheimer's Month 💜
When caring for someone with dementia, your clothing becomes a prominent part of their visual environment.
Dementia alters how the brain processes vision, contrast, and depth; the wrong clothing choices can unintentionally cause confusion, agitation, or safety hazards.
Here are some tips on things you should avoid wearing when interacting with or providing care for individuals with dementia:
1. PROBLEMATIC COLORS
* All White: Avoid white tops or uniforms if you are in a white-walled room because of decreased contrast sensitivity. Caregivers wearing white can completely blend into the background, which may startle the patient when you suddenly "appear" near them.
* Solid Black: Black clothing is often associated with negative emotions or mourning, but it also causes severe spatial confusion. Particularly for those with Lewy Body Dementia, dark clothing below the knee (like black pants) can be frightening. To a brain struggling with depth perception, a dark patch of fabric or a black floor mat can look like a bottomless hole or void. Wearing all black can make you look like a floating head, which may frighten someone with dementia.
2. BUSY & HIGH-CONTRAST PATTERNS
* Florals, Animal Prints, and Geometrics: It is always best to stick to solid colors if possible. Visual processing issues can make busy, high-contrast patterns appear to shift or move. A highly speckled or floral shirt might look to the patient like it is covered in crawling bugs, leading to distress, an attempt to swat at the bugs, or agitation.
* Avoid graphic tees with complex phrases or abstract images that a patient might try (and struggle) to decipher, which can cause unnecessary frustration, agitation, and/or challenging behaviors. 🧠👕
