Some say she would have died eventually, anyway, but doesn’t everyone?

Materials for encouraging reorientation and relearning are easy to find and need not be expensive. Of basic importance is the structuring of the patient’s primary living space (e.g., the bedroom or the sitting room). Furniture and accessories should be kept neat and tidy, and in the same basic order. Ideally, the room should have a window, whereby the patient can tell the time of day and the weather. A large clock (preferably with a lighted dial) and a calendar should be visible. The patient should be encouraged to wear and use a watch that contains a date feature. Stimulating materials should be readily available for the patient, such as current newspapers, magazines, a radio, and a television. A daily schedule of the patient’s hourly activities should be posted. Familiar accessories should surround the patient (e.g., family photos, mementos, favorite pieces of furniture, knickknacks, and the like), and around major holidays the room may be decorated. To help keep the patient oriented to place, signs, directional arrows, night lights, or color-coding of doors may be helpful.

In addition to the ongoing orienting that should occur in every inter

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