Designing for dementia has always been important, but demand for dementia friendly care provision is only going to increase exponentially.
Over the years we have seen how dementia care has evolved and how this has impacted on care home design.

For our friends at the Care Leaders Network we have put together some topics to consider when creating dementia friendly care homes.

1. Properly understand dementia

The first thing anyone should do before welcoming any new resident is to fully understand the conditions that they are living with. This can help you asses their wellbeing and how they will interact with your care home.

Dementia is a disease that inhibits our cognitive reasoning leading to confusion. We need to ensure our care environments are welcoming and homely. Ensuring nothing is in place that may be alarming to the resident. For example, a dark carpet on a floor could be misinterpreted as a hole or a step. This disorientation can lead to distress. We need to consider any potential hazards when designing care spaces.

2. Prioritise

You should lead your interior design with what needs to be most visible to the resident. For example, signs, doors and hand rails would be more prominent than a bin. These simple tricks allay any confusion.

This is where distinct colour differentiation comes in. By having contrasting colours next to each other you ensure that these are more noticeable and stand out. A dark sign on a dark door will simply be ignored by the resident.

This idea also helps dissuade residents from areas that shouldn’t be accessed such as staff and storage areas. Using distinct colours and visual prompts can help guide the resident to areas that they are comfortable with such as lounges or dining rooms.

3. Memory therapy and help

Reminiscence therapy helps patients communicate both with other dementia residents and with care workers. As dementia starts off by affecting short term memory, reminiscence therapy permits long term memory recall. it also helps care workers see beyond the disease and really get to know residents, reminiscence theory is tailored for each resident as it is individual to everyone.

The thoughtful use of pictures on walls and doors enhances the benefits of reminiscence therapy and appears to have had great benefits in both dementia care and general mental health. With improvements in printing technology, this imagery is not limited to signage; it can now be printed on nearly anything. Some walls incorporate local landscapes, such woodlands or sea vistas, as well as historic pictures of the neighbourhood, transporting residents to a location or era they are familiar with and promoting nostalgia.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that imagery can work as a helpful distraction for patients, with natural aspects proving particularly useful at lowering stress and fostering wellness.

4. Wayfinding

Residents with dementia frequently have the desire to wander around, but they regularly lose track of where they are going or how to get home.

In recent years, dementia facilities have increasingly been built to encourage “wandering with purpose,” giving individuals a goal or place to concentrate on. For instance, to provide inhabitants with somewhere to walk, a community area could be set up at the end of a hallway.

A library set up toward the end of a hallway or fascinating images has occasionally been added to encourage residents to walk around on their own.

And Finally

The demand for residences that offer both independent living and residential care is certain to rise with the anticipated increase in dementia sufferers. These institutions must make older people feel comfortable and safe while meeting their diverse care needs. This necessitates careful furniture selection and thoughtful interior design.

Thankfully, a variety of high-performance solutions are available on the market that may be used to design warm, cosy, and stress-free spaces without sacrificing cleanliness or resident safety, and that can lower maintenance and whole-life expenses.