New opening
than a standard bathroom adaptation, but the products and guidelines regarding colour etc. need to be followed to ensure maximum safety and comfort.
Designing with dementia in mind People living with dementia are twice as likely to fall, and these falls result in significantly higher mortality rates than for others in the same age group. In the standard bathroom layout, hazards are numerous, and include trip points, slippery floors, hot water, and confusing layouts. When thinking about designing an installation for use by someone living with dementia, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind.
Think colour contrasts
There are at least ten tonal considerations within a bathroom or shower room. These include the tonal contrast of surfaces and critical planes such as walls, floors, doors, skirtings, sanitaryware, and toilet seats. Tip 1: Use contrasting colours to clearly define the showering and toilet areas. This can help the user safely and effectively locate and use them. To do this, establish the LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of the colours used – the minimum to achieve good contrast is 30 points of difference. Ensure that the shower curtain and any shower seat are a clearly contrasting colour to the wall behind them, and that the sanitary fittings, toilet seat, toilet roll holder, and grab rails are also suitably contrasting in colour to the
For those with low vision or mobility issues, the avoidance of shadows, dark areas, and glare are key to safe movement
surrounding floor and walls.
Tip 2: Ensure the floor is a single colour throughout and avoid the use of level access trays. A person living with dementia may assume that any colour change from floor to tray is a step up or down – this poses a fall risk. Also, flecked flooring and dark flooring can cause confusion, as they can potentially be mistaken for a dirty floor, or one with a hole in it, making a person living with dementia reluctant to step on it. The safest solution is a wet room that is fully tiled, or safety floored in a single colour.
Build in scald-prevention Someone living with dementia may progressively lose safety awareness, and as a result they will become more vulnerable to scalding. With this in mind, opt for thermostatic taps and showers and use low surface temperature radiators and under- floor heating if possible.
Protect against falls Avoid sharp edges where possible in a dementia-friendly bathroom. To make the
space as safe as possible think about: n Installing a wet room or level access shower area in the same colour as the floor instead of a bath.
n Including a shower seat, PET shower screens instead of glass, and shower curtains made from a breathable fabric to prevent suffocation if a person falls.
n Considering under-floor heating, so that there is no protruding radiator for a person to fall against.
Maximise retro-memory
Short-term memory loss and forgetfulness are both symptoms of dementia. To help overcome these issues in the bathroom, opt for a shower with an automatic switch off, flood-proof plugs (or no plugs at all) and choose retro-style taps and flush handles. Also ensure any mirrors have a roller blind or can be covered if needed.
Drive for energy and water saving in care homes
Not surprisingly, according to Knight Frank’s latest report, the percentage share of property costs attributed to utilities ran at approximately 34 per cent in 2022, and this is set to increase. It is no wonder, therefore, that more and more emphasis is being placed by providers on macro and micro ways to manage these bill rises, ranging from government intervention to home-specific energy and water saving adaptations. These concerns are shaping the types of sanitaryware installed in care home new builds and retrofits.
Water saving design To give an idea of the scale of water usage across care homes, if the average person in the UK uses about 142 litres of water per day, then, based on ONS statistics of care home resident occupation between 2019 and 2020 of 391,927, that equates to over 55.5 million litres of water used per day across the care sector alone. A significant amount of energy is required to collect, treat, and supply clean water, so water conservation makes both environmental and financial sense in terms of bill reduction.
To help care home operators become more
water efficient, manufacturers are adapting their sanitaryware designs. Water saving is not a new introduction for sanitaryware design – after all, most operators will be well aware of the ubiquitous dual flush toilet – but now, the same attention to water saving detail has been given to other sanitaryware, with some great results.
March 2024
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