My first experience with essential oils was with Patchouli. My second experience was with Sandalwood (Santalum album) when my mom came to live with us. She had been getting very forgetful and very paranoid. After fighting with her doctor who diagnosed her with “a little dementia” I decided that it was no longer safe for her to live alone.

If you have cared for someone with any of the dementias, chances are you are familiar with Sundowning. If you are blessed to have never experienced this, it is a “phenomenon” that happens from the mid-afternoon into evening.

As daylight fades, people with dementia become restless. Often their eyesight is diminished which worsens with the waning sunlight. This causes anxiety, fear, and agitation. They get more confused which leads to more fear and agitation. It is very scary for people whose brains are not processing information correctly. It is scary for caregivers who don’t know how to make things right.

In our house, this scary time of day was compounded by my coming in the door from work. There was an abrupt change in the dynamics with my sudden appearance. It exacerbated the situation. It made my mom very anxious when there were any changes to her surroundings.

Adding more lights, playing some favorite music, and reassuring my mom that all was ok were strategies that worked, for a little while, but they weren’t enough.

A massage therapy friend suggested diffusing Sandalwood (Santalum album) and Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis). She let me borrow a small plug-in diffuser and some oils. We put a few drops of Sandalwood and Lemon (Citrus limon), the scent of orange bothers me, on the cotton strip and plugged it in behind my mom’s chair where she couldn’t see it. The results were amazing. The scent of these oils together literally diffused the tension. I was blown away. Something as simple and noninvasive as aromatherapy worked.

Why weren’t doctors suggesting this? They kept telling me that there was nothing more to do.

It wasn’t and isn’t all their fault. They aren’t taught these strategies in school or while in practice. They know how to prescribe pharmaceuticals.

There are many pharmaceuticals on the market that are pushed on people for anxiety and to reduce stress. These medications come with a long list of side effects, including suicidal thoughts. They are not suited for people with dementia, who are already at high risk because of the diminishing capacity to understand risk.

Thankfully some medical professionals are now willing to work with aromatherapists. Some are becoming trained in aromatherapy so they can better guide their patients. There is still hope that we are moving in the right direction.

Sundown Blend

For personal inhaler (15 drops)

9 drops Sandalwood
6 drops Lemon

You can change the drop count if more or less of either oil has the aroma that suits you. Experiment by using the drop-by-drop method.

There are about 100 drops in a 5 ml bottle. Multiply up to create a stock blend that you can use to refill your personal inhaler or diffuse in a room diffuser.

Stock Sundown Blend

60 drops Sandalwood
40 drops Lemon

Try the blend out and let me know how it works for you. Feel free to substitute the lemon in my blend with the sweet orange, grapefruit, or any other favorite citrus. There is no real equal to Sandalwood, but you can try substituting an oil like Vetiver ( Chrysopogon zizanioides/Vetiveria zizanioides), which is grounding and has sedative and anxiolytic properties.

I have been looking for a new diffuser that will not attract the attention of little ones. I saw the Lava Rock Passive Diffuser on Rocky Mountain Oils. It’s small and can be placed anywhere. Bonus* No electricity needed. I am going to grab one and test it out.