Ref Fall prevention using olfactory stimulation with lavender odor in elderly nursing home residents

[John W]

I think this article provides more evidence for how important environmental factors can be in creating a therapeutic context:

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 Jun;60(6):1005-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.03977.x.
Epub 2012 May 30.

Fall prevention using olfactory stimulation with lavender odor in elderly nursing
home residents: a randomized controlled trial.

Sakamoto Y, Ebihara S, Ebihara T, Tomita N, Toba K, Freeman S, Arai H, Kohzuki M.

Department of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation Science, Tohoku University,
Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Department of Nursing, Fukusima
Medical University, Fukusima, Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of lavender olfactory stimulation
intervention on fall incidence in elderly nursing home residents.
DESIGN: Randomized placebo-controlled trial.
SETTING: Three randomly selected nursing homes in northern Japan.
PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and forty-five nursing home residents aged 65 and
older.
INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to the lavender (n*=*73) or
placebo group (n*=*72) for a 360-day study period. The lavender group received
continuous olfactory stimulation from a lavender patch. The placebo group
received an unscented patch.
MEASUREMENT: The primary outcome measure was resident falls. Other measurements
taken at baseline and 12*months included functional ability (assessed using the
Barthel Index), cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)), and
behavioral and psychological problems associated with dementia (Cohen-Mansfield
Agitation Inventory (CMAI)).
RESULTS: There were fewer fallers in the lavender group (n*=*26) than in the
placebo group (n*=*36) (hazard ratio (HR)=0.57, 95% confidence interval
(CI)*=*0.34-0.95) and a lower incidence rate in the lavender group (1.04 per
person-year) than in the placebo group (1.40 per person-year) (incidence rate
ratio*=*0.51, 95% CI*=*0.30-0.88). The lavender group also had a significant
decrease in CMAI score (P*=*.04) from baseline to follow-up in a per protocol
analysis.
CONCLUSION: Lavender olfactory stimulation may reduce falls and agitation in
elderly nursing home residents; further research is necessary to confirm these
findings.

© 2012, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2012, The American Geriatrics
Society.

PMID: 22646853 [PubMed - in process]

The full text is available at Medscape for free if you're registered.

[ste5e]

I am amazed that Lavender is so cross cultural. It is the smell that defines the elderly. Japan is as alien a culture as any of the planet to me and the thought that Japanese Grannies would smell like my Grandma has just given me such a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Ah.