Design and build


Design approach for residents with dementia at Heathlands


Maarit Heinonen-Smith, associate director and senior care and retirement living lead at IBI Group, discusses the principles that guided the design of an innovative dementia facility in Berkshire


The design of a new care home is often driven by very real and pressing practical concerns. There are many practical considerations in terms of layouts, facilities to be provided, and deciding on the appearance of the home. With the advantages of access to our own global research, IBI Group opts for a more holistic approach to care home design – beginning the process from ‘salutogenic’ design principles.


A salutogenic approach is one that focuses on factors that support health and wellbeing beyond a more traditional ‘pathogenic’ focus on risk and problems. Working with clients to inform them of our design ambitions, we create a design that supports the health and wellbeing of residents and staff to solve practical concerns. Applying these principles helps us achieve a design that goes beyond appearances and creates a ‘silently supportive’ environment which delivers care for complex needs and dementia. A holistic process begins with an analysis of the needs of the residents as well as developing initial layouts that follow best practice designs for dementia. Research by Alzheimer’s Society1


which means that any design process, including refurbishment, should be based on best practice design principles set by the global authority in designing for dementia, Stirling University Dementia Services Design Centre. Research also shows that many care home residents have complex needs in addition to dementia which can affect their independence and ability to care for themselves. This is often combined with medication and natural deterioration of senses as part of the aging process, resulting in less sensory stimulation and information. Dementia often presents as confusion and difficulties in communication, which can lead to a loss of confidence; unmanaged, this can exacerbate feelings of helplessness and sometimes end in suicide.


Designing Heathlands shows


that 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems,


The vision for the interior, building, and landscape design at Heathlands, an innovative building in Berkshire that incorporates a 46-bed dementia care home


Working with clients to inform them of our design ambitions, we create a design that supports the health and wellbeing of the residents and staff to solve practical concerns


September 2022 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


run by a private care operator as well as an innovative 20-bed step-down unit (SDU) run by the NHS, is to create an environment that helps people with dementia feel calm and at home.


While the care home provides a permanent home for people with dementia, the SDU provides physiotherapy and assessments for people who have been discharged from hospital, preventing a prolonged stay in hospital due to a lack of suitable care arrangements. The SDU has been a resounding success since opening, with 65 people having been discharged from the hospital and been able to return to their homes or a place providing suitable long- term care.


A salutogenic approach to design has


been applied to all parts of the building, aiming to provide an environment that supports a person’s independence by providing sensory information – not just for the eye, but for touch, hearing, smell, and taste. The design process begins with the creation of a clear and legible layout - wayfinding is often misunderstood as signage, but it starts much earlier than that - with the identification and creation of a clear internal layout and an arrival area within the existing building fabric.


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All images in this article are © Alex Antitch for IBI Group


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