HOUSING AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES
THE COLOUR OF MEMORY
Donna Taylor, Principal Colour Consultant at PPG, explores how colour can be used to ease distress amongst dementia patients.
The look and feel of healthcare spaces can naturally have a huge impact on patients’ comfort and wellbeing. It’s therefore of vital importance for facilities managers to work alongside designers to choose a suitable design scheme. Colour selection is particularly important when it comes to dementia, due to the common side-effects of confusion and disorientation.
The Equalities Act 2010 was passed in order to protect people against discrimination across all parts of society. A significant part of the legislation highlights what measurements can be taken to avoid such discrimination against disabilities, one example being visual impairment. Although most commonly associated with memory loss, dementia is also greatly impacted by visual impairment and other vision-related misinterpretations.
Dementia is a term used to encompass various diseases that affect the neurological function of the brain that goes beyond difficulties with memory recollection. These degenerative diseases often lead to symptoms such as aggression, anxiety, confusion and problems with depth perception – all of which can be exacerbated through poorly chosen design schemes.
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, over 850,000 people suffer from dementia in the UK alone. As this figure is expected to rise to one million by 2025, it has never been more crucial to consider the impact of design in care homes and healthcare facilities.
Think of the bigger picture It’s important to consider the design of the building in its entirety when planning a dementia-friendly scheme. One must also note that, as colour perception is subjective, there really are no catch-all solutions. Instead, it’s the combination of colour and how it is used with other design elements that will help achieve your desired outcome. The flooring, furniture, wallpaper and soft furnishings all need to work together in order to achieve the best results.
Make a difference Confusion and issues with depth perception, faced by most dementia patients, can be accentuated through ill- conceived design. Irregular patterns and indistinguishable colours will, therefore, only heighten these symptoms.
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Opting for delicate patterns on wallpaper and curtains will help avoid any unnecessary distress. Lifelike floral patterns should be avoided as they may lead to patients picking at the design, aggravating their anxieties further. Meanwhile, wavy or geometrical patterns may cause optical illusions, instigating disorientation.
Helping people find their way Wayfinding is a useful design technique used to prevent disorientation. Using a consistent colour scheme on accent walls, doors, exits and help desks will help patients identify these focal points.
There are also scenarios where certain areas need to be avoided by patients, such as medical cabinets and store rooms. In this case, blending the door colour into its background will hide these areas and avoid dangerous situations.
Colour and dementia design Space perception is very important in dementia design as it will allow the user to understand the size and shape of the room, as well as the obstacles contained within it.
More importantly, ensuring a strong enough contrast in colour hue and tone will help dementia patients with their depth perception. Determined by a Light Reflectance Value (LRV), colour contrasting is the most fundamental part of dementia design. Each colour is then measured by its LRV and given a number between 0 and 100. Different surface elements within the design scheme will need to have an LRV difference of at least 30 points to help patients distinguish between items such as furniture, flooring, doors and walls. Striking a perfect balance will create visual perspective, whilst achieving a 3D appearance to prevent the room from feeling flat.
Ultimately, placing the end user at the centre of a design will always be imperative, whatever their needs. Although design and colour selection won’t cure dementia patients of their symptoms, it does have a very large role to play in easing discomfort and can encourage more independent living.
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