WARM WELCOME why should carpet be the first choice? Catherine Helliker at danfloor UK explores.
Not working within these guidelines can cause stress and confusion for someone who is partially sighted and can lead to behavioural difficulties, stress and anxiety. Manufacturers who supply materials to the care sector should clearly provide product LRV’s to assist with the design process.
Shiny surfaces should also be avoided when it comes to dementia care because they can appear wet or slippery to someone living with visual perceptual difficulties. A combination of these problems can make a person afraid of falling and lead to them slowing down their movements while they try to walk safely. It can also restrict their independence and increase a feeling of isolation if they are not able to move freely”
COLOUR CHOICE Considered use of colour can significantly improve a visually impaired person’s way-finding ability. It can create pathways, identify obstacles and define volume and space helping to make the physical environment safer and easier to use. In addition, correct colour selection can also assist with the visual effects of soiling and a home’s cleaning and maintenance schedule. It is strongly recommended that care be taken in choosing colours to suit particular locations; medium to dark coloured carpets disguise soiling more effectively than plain, light shades and should therefore be considered for high-traffic areas such as corridors.
ACOUSTICS Care facilities can be busy places both during the day and night. As rest and relaxation are essential for a resident’s health and wellbeing, creating an acoustically sound environment is an important consideration of the design process.
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Some homes have misconceptions about the use of carpet within healthcare environments and have replaced their carpets with hard flooring alternatives including linoleum and luxury vinyl tiles (LVT). Such flooring solutions can create noisy and echoey interiors which can make it difficult for some residents to filter out unwanted sounds and noise resulting in stress and confusion.
However, carpet is naturally an outstanding sound absorptive material. No other acoustical material performs the dual role of a floorcovering and a versatile acoustical aid. A carpet which is manufactured for such a demanding environment can absorb airborne noise as efficiently as many specialised acoustical materials.
Furthermore, UK building regulations state that floorcoverings should have a weighted reduction of not less than 17dB. There are many flooring options that fall well below the 17dB required, some achieving as little as 2 or 3dB. A danfloor carpet generally exceeds the British Standard and achieves in excess of 28dB.
At danfloor we keep abreast of the recommendations when it comes to colour and design for dementia and have created a selection of carpets which have been reviewed by the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling.
The DSDC have undertaken a review of our Equinox, Tones, Evolve and Economix ranges and have rated their design in relation to their dementia design principles and have confirmed that all colours are suitable for use within dementia-inclusive environments.
www.danfloor.co.uk CARE FACILITIES | 31
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