Specific Aims: 1. obtain preliminary information on the effects of the warm lavender oil towel bath on total nocturnal sleep time and sleep latency; 2. obtain preliminary information on the effects of the warm lavender oil towel bath on the skin of older adults.; and 3. obtain information from caregivers and persons with dementia about individualizing the warm lavender oil towel bath.

Background: Caring for a person with dementia experiencing sleep disturbances may be challenging for family caregivers and may result in nursing home placement of the person with dementia. Lavender oil is claimed to have sedative effects without the side effects of hypnotics. Furthermore, warm baths before bedtime are known to promote sleep, therefore combining the two may promote sleep in persons with dementia experiencing sleep disturbances. Objectives The specific aims of the study are to: 1) obtain preliminary information about the clinical effect of the warm lavender oil towel bath on total sleep time and sleep latency; 2) obtain preliminary information about the clinical effect of the warm lavender oil towel bath on the skin of older adults; and 3) obtain information from caregivers and persons with dementia about individualizing the warm lavender oil towel bath. Design/Methods This pilot study will use a pre-test/post-test design with two groups: a warm lavender oil towel bath intervention group and an attention control group. A convenience sample of 50 persons with moderate to severe dementia experiencing sleep disturbances and their family caregivers will be recruited from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Memory Research Center. Each dyad will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Participants assigned to the intervention group a nurse will administer a warm lavender oil towel bath to persons with dementia on three consecutive nights. Also, these family caregivers will participate in focus groups to evaluate the intervention. Participants assigned to the attention control group, prior to the person with dementia’s bedtime and for three consecutive nights a nurse will talk with the persons with dementia for 15 minutes on any topic they want to discuss. The outcome variables total nocturnal sleep, sleep latency and daytime napping will be measured by an actigraph. Persons with dementia in both groups will wear the actigraph for six consecutive 24 hour periods. A nurse will use the Skin Assessment Form to assess the skin condition of persons with dementia before and after each bath or visit. A repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to examine the pre/post change in total nocturnal sleep during sleep latency and skin to compare the differences between the intervention and the attention control groups. Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing Search and Theory Building (QSR NUD*IST) or INVIVO software programs for text-based data will be utilized to code and analyze focus group transcripts. Focus group data will allow us to design the warm lavender oil towel bath to better meet the individual needs of this dyad. Conclusions The goal of this project is develop, implement and evaluate a non-pharmacological treatment for sleep disturbances in community dwelling persons with dementia. The project will provide preliminary information to determine if the treatment is feasible and should be evaluated in larger comparative studies.