FURNITURE & INTERIORS
For example, in many cases older generations look to retirement communities to downsize – not just their homes, but to also concentrate their lives around a reassuring, relaxing and recognisable hub, tailored to their needs.
One of the greatest deterrents to people opting for the retirement village model is the fear of isolation, making new friends and the quality of their social life within the new community. This needs to be considered within the design and engineering of the site, ensuring that there are plenty of communal spaces and public areas where residents can congregate and socialise.
Furthermore, a number of those who will occupy the finished building(s) will have highly specific needs such as dementia, physical disabilities and frailty. These need to be accounted for within the planning stages.
When working on Retirement Villages’ award-winning project, Charters Village in East Grinstead, we were acutely aware of the audience and the specific criteria which needed to be considered. In this instance, the site needed to be wheelchair- friendly so that all residents could move around freely with minimal constraints.
DESIGNING FOR DEMENTIA According to the Alzheimer’s Society, there are currently 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over one million by 2025 and soar to two million by 2051. Furthermore, the society highlights that 70% of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems. This has a massive influence on how the infrastructure of care homes and retirement villages are designed and engineered.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) offers useful guidance on the design of care homes for people with dementia. The
key takeaways for me are both ensuring the design improves residents’ quality of life but that it is also attractive to the purchasers and relatives of the occupants.
Architects and engineers need to adopt an empathetic approach, maximising independence and enhancing self- esteem and confidence. Maintaining the personal dignity of residents is crucial.
Of course, there are a number of straightforward methods specific to the care home model, which can be incorporated into the concept, such as curated signage to prompt memory and carefully mapped pathways which minimise the potential of confusion and distress amongst residents with dementia.
Additionally, creating a familiar environment which includes plenty of nostalgic elements relevant to the occupant’s past can help increase comfort. For example, memory boxes which residents can fill with personal items allow them to reminiscence and help navigate their room. Designers can also create a link to the past through familiar imagery, such as black and white photographs of the local area in days gone by and vintage objects like antique radios and record players.
Lighting, positioning of windows and intuitive placement of fixtures and fittings also need to be addressed. For instance, incorporating assistive technology within the build, including emergency assistance alarms, gas monitors in kitchens and water overflow sensors will have the dual benefit of providing piece of mind to both residents and staff.
Essentially, the goal is to provide as much comfort as possible with the least amount of anxiety. This can be achieved with careful planning which always remains acutely aware of the needs of dementia patients.
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