SEEING THROUGH THEIR EYES
With ever-growing numbers of people affected by dementia, there is expanding evidence showing the impact of the physical environment on
their wellbeing. Whilst legislation sets out design principles; in reality, seeing as others see and designing with empathy are key to effective design, says Mark Johnstone, head of commercial – UK, Middle East and Ireland, Altro.
There are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is set to rise to more than one million by 2025. It’s clear that dementia affects a huge number of lives – all those who live with it and also their families, friends and carers.
The term ‘dementia’ describes a host of conditions associated with the gradual deterioration of the brain’s functions. It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language and judgement. Its causes are various brain diseases, the most well-known being Alzheimer's, which affects nearly two thirds of cases.
With the introduction of legislation and expert guidance for designing for dementia over the past few years, care homes and healthcare environments are becoming more aware and applying best practice principles more often – after all, 70% of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems so this is extremely relevant for them. However, when you consider that two thirds of people with dementia live in the community, and not in care homes, it’s clear that better understanding of these issues throughout the whole design sector is needed to change the way people with dementia are engaged with in the environments they live.
For many years, Altro has worked to develop products to offer those designing for dementia a choice of suitable, practical and effective solutions. Altro works with several partners, all directly involved in improving the lives of those living with dementia. One of these is the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling, who Altro worked with when developing new shades of Altro Aquarius to ensure carers and those with dementia can be safer in wet environments, and when developing the colour palette for Altro Suprema – solid, non-sparkle colours to avoid confusion.
The DSDC is the world leader on the design of services and environments for people with dementia, and believes that “Design is about more than shaping the physical environment to counter the impairments which come
36 | SAFETY FLOORING & HEALTHCARE
with dementia.” And that “Understanding such impairments is the first step towards creating living environments which support the needs of older people and those with dementia, keeping them safe from dangers such as falls, which can have a devastating effect on an older person; allowing the freedom and confidence to use their abilities to the fullest extent, in all things from the mundane to the creative; aiding memory in day-to-day living; and reinforcing personal identity.”
Altro’s latest CPD on designing for dementia shares learnings and recommendations developed through this work, and focuses on empathetic design: understanding how dementia affects those living with it, what that looks like to them and why and how you can make improvements through design choices, and meet the legislation and guidance for dementia design.
The Department of Health’s Health Building Note 08-02 – Dementia-friendly Health and Social Care Environments,
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