p48 BKU-OCT21 BMA - AKW_bku 06/10/2021 10:30 Page 48


INDUSTRY UPDATE


AKWBathroom Lighting range helps those with Dementia and Visual Impairment


T


he bathroom is one of the most challenging and dangerous places for a person with dementia or visual


impairment. Research has highlighted that people with dementia are twice as likely to fall as others in the same age bracket, with these falls resulting in significantly higher mortality rates. However, addressing something as small as the choice of a bathroom’s lighting can help reduce those falls. To meet this need, AKW, a leading provider of accessible home


solutions has recently launched its occupational therapist specified bathroom task focus lighting range into the care sector. According to Occupational Therapist Kate Sheehan, Director of The OT Service, extra task focused lighting in the bathroom can significantly increase bathroom safety for residents, particularly those with dementia or sight loss, which is why Kate first suggested and then helped design the AKW range. Stuart


Reynolds, Head of Product and Marketing at AKW explains further: “Kate and a number of other experts in dementia and visual impairment advised us that almost all the care bathrooms they see have inadequate lighting, with shadows, glare and dark areas. Although a single centrally located LED light may be fine for someone who only has reduced mobility, it very rarely provides enough light for those with dementia and/or sight loss.” AKW’s Task Focused Lighting can be bought as single lights or as a kit,


containing five narrow beam (30°) ceiling LED task lights and accessories including a blue pull cord switch. AKWs task lighting kit has been designed to give just the right type and quantity of lights to illuminate an 8ft by 6ft bathroom space. Additional lights can be purchased for larger bathroom spaces. The ideal layout for the task lighting, as advised by Sheehan, is to have the 5 task lights placed directly over the shower area, the toilet and washbasin. This helps residents to locate shower controls and toilet flushes easily, as well as to make grooming tasks easier to perform. For care home managers wanting to find out more, AKW has produced


a ‘Lighting Guide for Accessible Bathrooms’ that includes expert OT advice and guidance from Kate Sheehan & her colleague Adam Ferry. This guide is available to download from www.akw-ltd.co.uk/lighting and explains how to light accessible bathrooms to promote independence and help reduce accidents.


u01905 823299 uwww.akw-ltd.co.uk


48 BKU OCTOBER 2021 THE BMA COLUMN


BMA – There’s a secret about greening homes


C


hief Executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, Tom Reynolds, delivers a direct message to


legislators Repairs, maintenance and


home improvement is not the glamorous side of construction. It does not have the gloss


of the show homes or the buzz of buying off-plan, but if this country is going to get real about its green ambitions, an RMI army needs to take centre stage. At a recent House of


Lords lunch debate, organised by The National Home Improvement Council - the umbrella organisation for repair, maintenance and home improvement sector in the UK - the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, had the pleasure of addressing Government policymakers directly. I used this opportunity to give an unapologetic outline of what lies


BMA board member, Craig Baker, from Kohler Mira, and BMA Chief Executive, Tom Reynolds


ahead. The extent of climate change upgrades needed in the UK’s 27m homes


is vast. Water efficiency is often overlooked, but this cannot continue. Water scarcity is one of the earliest indicators of climate change, we need to reduce personal consumption in the UK to ensure supply. Beyond that, let’s not forget heating water is a large contributor to


household energy use. Net zero homes need to be water efficient and to do this, bathroom measures must be part of the picture. All too often green housing policies have been developed in an


uncoordinated way, with no succession plan. Climate action is a long game, and that creates a challenge for the


comparatively short political terms of office. It has the capacity to alienate the public, as our lives are increasingly impacted by ‘greening measures’. The idea of change within our own four walls is unlikely to curry favour with all the generations. At that stage, mass retrofitting will not look attractive to anyone. Legislators must plan far beyond their years in office, driving forward a


joined-up approach to green retrofitting. Done properly, it has the capacity to reduce carbon emissions, safeguard


water supplies, create jobs and improve building safety. But done in a piecemeal fashion, it will fail. Experts from all sides of home improvement sector agreed it’s time for


a revolution in our approach to addressing the climate. We have some of the most energy inefficient housing in Europe, and to


achieve net zero we must address this. It will be complicated and controversial, but action by individual departments, or separate parts of the home improvement sector, simply will not cut it. We must join up our thoughts and actions to make a real difference.


u For more information visit www.GetLavvySavvy.co.uk or contact BMA on 01782 631619 or email info@bathroom-association.org.uk


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