Designing for Dementia

With my Career in Social Housing as a Head of Service in Communities, Support and Care, I was always looking for ways to maximalise our budgets. The expenditure was coming out of tenants rent after all. 

As well as having sheltered schemes under my remit.  I was also responsible for the Extracare Unit, this was for our more vulnerable tenants and early onset dementia care was one of the services, the team strived to deliver in sometimes challenging situations. 

Spring forward to the present day and now I'm running my own interior design venture, I've chosen to offer what I believe is a unique ID service: Designing for Dementia. 

What does this entail?

Before I delve into this in more detail, I think it's worth establishing the enormity of the challenges around Dementia. 

* An estimated 982,000 people are living with dementia in the UK

* Nearly one in five people in the UK are aged 65 or over, representing a major demographic shift.

Dementia risk rises sharply with age, doubling roughly every five years after age 65. For those over 80, the chance is about 1 in 6, rising to 1 in 3 for those over 90. Experts estimate that managing lifestyle and health factors could help prevent or delay nearly half of all dementia cases.

The key words here is about Prevention and delaying the likelihood of Dementia.

Our homes are where we spend the majority of our time and as we get older.

While the average adult across all age groups spends roughly 18 hours a day at home, this number rises drastically in later life due to retirement, changing social circles, and mobility shifts.

It shows evidentally then, that by designing our homes in a more suitable way as well as aesthetically, it could help to reduce or prevent symptoms of Dementia. 

The other factor to consider is that many schemes and units have guest rooms available for family members to stay in, if they want to visit their parents and yet they lay dormant for days at a time. They are a valuable resource that could have dual purpose. Giving an illusion of a boutique hotel room and as a space to hold Dementia workshops or a place like a treatment memory room.  

Let's explore what you could consider in order for your Organisation to convert some of your guest rooms or communal areas to be more Dementia friendly. 

Practicality 

There are different aspects of interior design that you need to consider from a practicality perspective when designing for Dementia clients due to their individual vulnerability. 

*Safety and Security 

Designing interiors that are calming and free from excessive furniture & furnishings helps to prevent trips and falls, spacial design & zoning can help to identify different functions of a room and aid as visual cues.  An example of this is in a bathroom, changing the colour of a toilet seat from white to a more visible colour against a white wall, can act as a visual cue.

In terms of safety, decorating using one colour across doorways can prevent dementia patients from accessing rooms, that could be hazardous. 

Motion sensors and dreadlocks can keep residents safe.  

*Lighting plans

Encourage natural light into a room.  This helps to orintate residents on the time of day it is. Avoid shiny flooring to reduce glare and trip hazards. 

Motion sensored lighting can help night time wandering and encourage independence. 

* Styling

Using visual cues to aid memory retention is a great approach to styling a home for someone with Dementia. 

Creating familiarity for people with dementia can help and enhance quality of life. 

Dedicating a memory zone in a room, be it pictures, hobby items or ornaments that trigger happy hormones; D.O.S.E: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins. You can create a place of belonging and improve cognitive function.  

When it comes to Furniture choices, select items with rounded edges, handles that are easy to grip and avoid high shelving and cupboards.  This removes temptation to over reach or climb up on chairs or ladders this preventing falls. 

When it comes to decor, avoid highly patterned wall coverings and select colour palettes that encourage a calming atmosphere, especially when it comes to bedrooms.  However kitchens and bathrooms can have injections of colour, to boost energy levels, stimulate appetite and increase social interaction. 

Take a look at our Thursday's social media posts for more information about colour psychology and on the link below Dulux. 

For further reading on this topic here are some useful links. 

British Institute of Interior Design https://biid.org.uk/resources/designing-dementia

https://shop.dementia.stir.ac.uk/products/designing-interiors-for-people-with-dementia

NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/living-with-dementia/home-environment/

https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-uk/inspiration-references/archive-making-spaces-into-places-blog/do-s-and-don-ts-a-helpful-guide-for-designing-dementia-inclusive-interiors/p0e7xj

Interior Design for Dementia Care Homes: Creating a safe, comfortable, and nurturing space for dementia residents. — StyleSmith Interiors.

https://www.stylesmithinteriors.com/blog/interior-design-for-dementia-care-homes

https://www.dulux.co.uk/en/designing-dementia