19 August 2025 Tags:

Helping residents feel at peace – and stay safe – starts at the door. In memory care, dementia friendly door wraps are a wonderful tool to help both residents and staff…but keep reading to find out:

  • Why some decals can actually be dangerous to residents and staff.
  • What the bad designs are (they can be very upsetting to residents).
  • What to look for in a good (non-dangerous) type.
  • How other memory care facilities have decorated their doors (so many ideas!).
  • The two ways to install dementia friendly door wraps.

But first…

What are door coverings for dementia patients?

There are two types of door coverings for dementia patients. They are both wallpaper decals that are placed over flat doors that either help residents find their bedroom easier or to disguise exit doors, discouraging exit-seeking behaviour in a dignified manner.

Here is more information on the two types of door decals – both printed on our commercial grade wallpaper:

1. Dementia Friendly Door Wraps for Bedroom Doors

Dementia friendly door wraps on bedroom doors of a memory care facility from About Murals

These memory care door decals look like a real front door. When installed on all the bedroom doors of a facility, they turn a cold, clinical corridor into a warm, cozy and welcoming space – almost like a neighbourhood.

How do dementia friendly door wraps work for bedroom doors? Placing a uniquely coloured dementia friendly door wrap on each bedroom door helps residents visually recognize their room more easily. This reduces frustration and agitation in residents, because they’re not getting lost or disoriented. It also reduces workload for staff of memory care units, because they don’t need to help residents find their rooms as often.

As one staff member of a Toronto-based memory care stated in one of our product reviews:

“It’s a great help for them to recognize their room.” Atiqa Ilmas, WoodGreen

2. Camouflage Doors for Dementia Residents

Camouflage doors for dementia residents with a bookcase design full of colourful books, in a memory care facility from About Murals.

Camouflage doors for dementia residents are specially designed door wraps that disguise exit doors with wallpaper patterns like bookshelves, rock walls or foliage walls. These designs reduce exit-seeking behaviours in a dignified way. Instead of seeing exit doors – perfect for wandering through – dementia residents will see a bookshelf against a wall. Or a brick wall covered in lush ivy. Or a very boring (but effective) rock wall.

The benefits of camouflage doors for dementia residents:

  • Less agitation – residents are not tempted to use the exit doors, which reduces the occurrences causing agitation in the first place. Sage Journals
  • More safety – wandering outside of their memory care unit unsupervised can be a safety hazard. Residents can get lost, be affected by extreme weather, fall or unknowingly wander into traffic.
  • Secured environments – wandering inside restricted areas of their unit can also pose a safety hazard. Rooms that store medications, poisonous cleaning supplies or sharp objects can pose a risk and keeping residents away from these areas is important.
  • More feelings of well-being – bringing images of nature indoors has been scientifically shown to increase engagement and reduce disordered behaviors in Alzheimer’s disease. PubMed Exit diversion door wraps featuring foliage, such as ivy on brick walls or morning glory flowers on a tall fence, is the perfect harmonious design to improve mood.
  • Less cold, clinical atmosphere – residents don’t want to feel like they’re living in a hospital. Adding a hidden door wallpaper with a bookshelf design makes a facility feel more like a home.
  • Reduced workload for staff – staff won’t need to redirect residents away from exit doors as often, lightening their workload and allowing them to focus on other tasks. PubMed

Are dementia unit door decals dangerous?

While dementia unit door decals have many benefits for residents and staff, they can be dangerous to health if they’re made from vinyl, PVC or peel and stick. These products can off-gas toxic chemicals and VOCs, which may create more cognitive issues in residents AND staff. Alzheimer’s Association 

Many of these wallpapers contain vinyl chloride, which is a known carcinogen linked to cancer of the lung, brain, liver and other rare cancers. International Agency for Research on Cancer 

Long term exposure to these products have been shown to create long list of adverse health conditions – and that’s NOT what we want for our residents or staff.

Read more about toxic vinyl wallpaper in our downloadable PDF.

What dementia door murals are bad?

A design guide for exit diversion door wraps and memory care door wraps from About Murals.

For exit diversion door wraps, avoid designs that:

If poorly designed, dementia door covers can have adverse effects. Stick to these rules to make the most impact!

  • Have a path, garden gate, road or tunnel – as this suggests an exit and may encourage wandering.
  • Feature a picture of mirror or reflective glass, as it can confuse residents who can’t see a reflection back.
  • Have diagonal lines, which may create the perception of movement – causing disorientation.

For dementia bedroom door wraps, avoid designs that:

  • Blend the colour of the door with the walls. For example, a light yellow door decal and beige walls will blend together in the eyes of a dementia resident. This lack of colour contrast makes it more difficult for residents to navigate to their bedroom.

What wallpaper is good for care homes?

The best wallpaper for care homes is expertly designed with science in mind, durable, washable, fire rated and doesn’t include dangerous PVC or vinyl chloride (found in many vinyl peel and stick products) as they can cause cognitive issues or even cancer.

Where can you buy dementia safe wallpaper? About Murals is proud to sell in-stock and customizable wallpaper murals and door wraps that help dementia residents in memory care facilities.

The key features of our wallpaper include:

  • Durable – made from renewable wood-fibre and printed with a coating of UV Gel Ink, which adds a layer of protection making this wallpaper durable and scuff-proof – perfect for high traffic areas.
  • Washable – exceeds Category Five Type II commercial serviceability, so you can wash germs, food, splatters and dirt with dish soap and water OR hydrogen peroxide.
  • Fire Rated – Class A Fire Rated to keep people safe and fire marshals happy.
  • Non-Toxic – Made with indoor air quality compliant materials, to keep your residents and staff safe and healthy. It is certified USGBC LEED for Healthcare, Green Guide for Healthcare and ANSI Green Building Assessment Protocol.

You can find all the information on these features by downloading a PDF of our Architectural Specs and our Smoke Test. You can share these PDFs with local by-law officers and/or fire marshals. Remember to check your local building code and fire regulations to see if it’s okay to add wallpaper onto your facility doors.

Here is our downloadable Dementia Door Wrap Wallpaper Brochure or you can browse our online shop!

Memory care door wrap ideas from real care homes!

Get your Pinterest boards ready! Here are some memory care door wrap ideas from real care homes featuring our expertly designed, safe, non-toxic, durable, washable, fire rated wallpaper.

Dementia unit door decals, in medium and light blue colours, on two doors of a long term care facility from About Murals.
A close-up view of a dementia unit door decal showing the detail in the pane of glass, mail box and aluminum finish of the door from About Murals.
A door wallpaper for Alzheimer patients in a yellow colour, surrounded by brick wallpaper that looks like the front of a house, in a nursing home from About Murals Canada.
An Alzheimer's door camouflage, in a grey stone wall pattern, installed over a double exit door in a care home from About Murals.
A diversion door wallpaper, featuring old brown books on a bookshelf, installed over a single exit door and surrounding walls of a memory care facility from About Murals.
A dementia door mural that looks like a wooden front door with views to a forest next to a peaceful forest mural in a nursing care home in the USA from About Murals.
A memory care door wrap that looks like a real orange front door, complete with frosted glass and a mailbox slot, on a resident bedroom door in a dementia care facility from About Murals.
An interior door decal for dementia patients that looks like a real brown front door, surrounded by brick wallpaper that looks like the front of a house, in an assisted living care home from About Murals.
Door murals for dementia units, in a grey brick design, covering all walls, two double exit doors and one single door, in order to reduce exit-seeking behaviour in residents of a memory care center from About Murals.
Two memory care door decals that look like a pink and purple front door in an Alzheimer's care facility from About Murals.
A door decal for dementia patients that looks like a real green front door, surrounded by brick wallpaper that looks like the front of a house, in a long term care center from About Murals.
Two door covers for dementia patients, that look like yellow and red front doors, in a nursing facility from About Murals.
A custom door decal for dementia patients that looks like a real blue front door, surrounded by wallpaper that looks like the front of a house, in a memory care residence from About Murals.

Shop Our Dementia Friendly Door Wraps

A dementia friendly door wrap review for About Murals
Memory care door decal review for About Murals

How to install memory care door decals?

If you’re tight on your budget and have a staff member who is a DIY enthusiast, our memory care door decals are easy to hang! Here are some instructions:

  1. Remove the door knob/push device, kick plates (if possible), room numbers and/or fire tags from your door.
  2. Scrape off any loose paint.
  3. Clean your door to remove any food, debris, old tape or dirt.
  4. *Optional for high traffic doors: roll one coat of Roman Pro 880 Wallpaper Adhesive onto your flat door and allow it to dry for one hour.  This adds an extra layer of durability.
  5. Wet the back of your prepasted wallpaper (by dunking in water or spraying the back) and apply it to your door.  It arrives in one panel per door, pre-cut to fit perfectly!
  6. Smooth air bubbles with a sponge smoother.
  7. Trim the excess from the doorknob hole using an exacto knife.
  8. Use the tips from our How to Hang Tutorial if needed.
  9. Reinstall the door knob.

Please note the wallpaper doesn’t stick well to kick plates at the bottom of the door.  We recommend:

  1. Install above your kick plate and trim away the excess, or
  2. Remove the kick plate, install wallpaper on the wall and re-install the kick plate over top.

Professional Installation Services

The second option is to hire a professional wallpaper hanger.

We offer professional installation services in the Greater Toronto area of Ontario, Canada. The price for installation is $150.00 +HST per door. If you require wallpaper to also be installed on the surrounding wall, please contact us for a quote.

We kindly ask your maintenance staff to remove the door knobs and wash the doors before we arrive.

We service cities such as Hamilton, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Milton, Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener and surrounding areas.

About the Author: 

Adrienne is the owner and lead installer at About Murals, a Canadian wallpaper mural company specializing in commercial and residential spaces. Her work has been featured on Cityline, HGTV, The DIY Network, CTV and The Toronto Sun. She enjoys sharing design advice, real wallpaper examples, and practical installation tips based on hands-on project experience.

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