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“Protected” rather than “closed” units in nursing homes for those with cognitive disorders may have substantial benefits for subjects, reassuring them through the presence of caregivers, reducing anxiety, and preserving their voices through social links. But substantial teamwork, involving the patients’ families, is required to erase the possibly negative representation of feelings of confinement and a loss of intimacy. Orally or through their actions, some residents may also express a desire to leave a closed, secure space. Teams then offer individualized support outside. Whether it is done physically or medicinally, those in nursing homes are only restrained following a medical prescription, with consideration from authorities about the risks and benefits of restraint for the subject. Finally, some may experience institutionalization as “confinement,” as a loss of their earlier life. This is illustrated by a clinical vignette.