The Challenges of Mirrors for Someone with Alzheimer’s
Donna Nichols • September 8, 2022
Did you know that for someone with Alzheimer’s, seeing their reflection in a mirror can cause anxiety, anger, and sometimes even terror?
If your loved one starts acting irrational, look around the room to see if there are any mirrors. If so, remove them and see if their behavior improves.
Why would mirrors agitate someone with Alzheimer’s you ask?
You have to remember that the Alzheimer’s brain doesn’t work like a normal brain anymore; they no longer recognize the person in that mirror. It frightens them because they think a stranger has suddenly come upon them and is standing right in front of them. This can really confuse them and upset them to where they can become hysterical, thus making it difficult to calm them down.
So, what are you supposed to do? Remove all the mirrors in the house? Well yes, some of them anyway.
Any mirrors that are not necessary should be removed from the walls and remove any decorative mirrors you may have on counters or shelves.
Creative Ways To Cover Up The Mirrors
- If you can’t remove them from the walls, cover them with a towel or a large piece of cloth. For full-length mirrors, please turn them over
so the backside shows and turn them around when you need to look in them. But, remember to turn them back over when you are finished.
- If you have mirrors on your closet doors, you can disguise them by adding decorative paper
to them. Please make sure to use calming patterns and colors; bright colors will disrupt the person with Alzheimer’s as it’s too busy and noisy for them.
- Another thing you can do is i nstall blinds over a mirror
to make it look like a window, just make sure they can’t open the blinds. If they do open the blinds and see their reflection, they will think there is a stranger standing there and it will cause them to lash out and it could become an extremely serious situation.
- You could put a nature scene poster over the mirror.
You can also decorate the mirror with stained glass; not only will it cover the mirror, but it will also be a beautiful addition to the room. Install a curtain rod over mirrors and hang curtains so you can open the curtains when you need to use the mirror. Just remember, close the curtains when you are finished.
- And please remove the mirrors from the bathrooms . The mirrors in the bathrooms are probably the ones that are the worst for Alzheimer’s patients. Try putting yourself in their place, they have no idea where they are, who they are, or who you are. They are in the bathroom (a private place) and they see their reflection in the mirror! HELP!!! There’s a stranger here!! You may possibly hear things crashing and breaking because they are trashing the bathroom.
Hopefully, some of the suggestions above can help improve the life and well-being of the Alzheimer’s client. Always remember that they do NOT think like they used to; their brain does NOT function like it used to, it does NOT remember.
Should you require additional guidance, Assisted Living Made Simple holds five (5) Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Groups a month. PLEASE find one that fits into your schedule!! You are not alone; we will be with you every step of the way!!
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