Dementia design


The importance of LRV in dementia design


Kerry Southern-Reason, managing director of Care Home Interiors, explains why seeing the light when it comes to dementia design in care facilities could be the difference between understanding light reflectance value and the positive or negative effects that can have on an interior


Light reflectance value (LRV) is a bit of a buzzword in the care sector. It is an odd one for many to fathom and apply in a considered adult interior space, especially in dementia design, but the definition is simple. LRV is not about colour, it is about tone.


The British Standard 8493 defines LRV as the proportion of visible light reflected by a surface compared to the sensitivity to light of the human eye.1 It is measured on a theoretical scale between 0 and 100, with 0 being black and 100 being white with all the tonal variations in between. For all practical purposes, black is always greater than 0 and white never equals 100.2 Materials with significantly different


tonal values - over 20 degrees of LRV - will be seen against each other. Materials of similar or less than seven degrees of LRV will not be seen, so we do not use this in our designs. LRV is especially important in an interior


where an individual’s perception may be altered or limited. Bear in mind as we get older there is a natural thickening of the eye lens, so colours are not necessarily experienced how someone with younger eyes might experience them. A University of Sterling paper, Good


practice in the design of homes and living spaces for people with dementia and sight loss states, older people may experience colours as ‘washed out’ and may increasingly find blues, greens and purples harder to differentiate’.3


This is


why having an understanding of LRV is so important and less so the colour. The LRV of an interior can either aid or


hinder how an individual interacts with that space. With regard to the visually impaired or those with dementia, LRV can be used to make an area more identifiable. The idea is to simplify an environment and limit the ‘triggers’ of frustration and confusion, thus enabling independence and improving mobility within the interior space. Unfortunately, in my experience it seems


the vast majority of dementia design understanding seems to suggest primary colours are best. This belief has little if no value in real terms of improving the mobility and independence of someone with dementia or loss of perception. Painting everything in contrasting primary colours will not help! It is about the contrast not the colour. If you want to see if an area has contrast put your phone camera on mono and this will give you a very quick appreciation!


Understanding how the use of LRV in design can make an object more accessible is especially useful in a dementia specific care home to promote the safe and comfortable use of the environment


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Guiding principles for using LRV We know LRV is important but we need to understand why and apply it in a considered way that enhances an individual’s interaction with the space they live in. There are guiding principles we should work towards and apply when designing interiors for very specific care spaces, especially those used by the elderly, those with dementia, or individuals who are visually impaired. While colours such as creams, beiges,


whites and greys are popular in modern interior design, they are particularly unhelpful to those living with dementia if used incorrectly. The primary reason is the tone and LRV are far too similar. It would present as a washed space with little to no definition. For instance, if an object does not visually represent its use it will not be seen as the object it is. Understanding this and how the use of LRV in design can make an object more accessible is especially useful in a dementia specific care home to promote the safe and comfortable use of the environment. Likewise, overly colourful and busy with


patterns becomes equally inaccessible as it can present the individual with confusion through misperceptions and hallucinations. Patterns can become confusing and


present as a moving image. For those suffering from deterioration of sight, such environments hinder movement and can cause high levels of distress and confusion. We recently applied this thinking to the


design of lounge furniture and furnishings in a dementia-specific care home. You can see from the picture we have featured contrasting piping on the seating.


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • March 2021


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