Aromatherapy In Alzheimer's Care

Fragrance is an essence of long-term memories. One whiff of a childhood aroma can set the memory in motion, bringing back thoughts, faces, and feelings long forgotten. Fragrance consists of volatile molecules that float in the air. Millions of olfactory receptor cells line the nose, and aroma causes these nerves to fire and send messages to the limbic area of the brain. 

Learn about some great essential oils and the effect they can have to combat sundowning without resorting to anti-anxiety drugs (benzodiazapines) which can destabilize people and make them vulnerable to falls.

Revered for centuries for their restorative properties to the body, mind and spirit, essential oils have been used by healers to treat a multitude of symptoms. It has been proven that the sense of scent combined with the sense of touch will reach the inner most parts of the person through the fog of Alzheimer’s disease. When fear, agitation, restlessness, or anxiety mounts, the use of aromatherapy can often help to control or ease the effects of these common behavioral issues in a natural, harmless, holistic approach. For people suffering with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia and their families, that just makes good “scents.”