Next week is Dementia Awareness / Action week
- huw174
- May 16
- 2 min read
Next week is Dementia Awareness / Action week
This topic is very close to our hearts with HPW family members struggling with Alzheimers and other Dementia related diseases.
As the average lifespan continues to rise, it becomes increasingly important for design to accommodate individuals with age-related diseases and physical disabilities.
We have recently completed a Dementia design RIBA CPD* to further understand how Dementia requirements impact the built environment, and we thought we would share this learning with our community. We will continue to pursue this expertise to ensure that spaces we design for ageing persons (not just those with dementia), will give the individual(s) the most comfortable space possible with the aim to enhance and not hinder their wellbeing.
Some key learning points include:
Light Reflective Values - Ensuring materials depicting changes of levels / surfaces meet the necessary LVR contrasts.
Lighting - Those suffering with Dementia often suffer with visual impairment and require higher than normal levels of light - both natural light and brighter bulbs.
Wayfinding - Clear signage with simple icons to indicate relevant functions, with no way finding for staff facilities.
Familiarity & Recognisable functions - ensure that every space is instantly recognisable as the function it serves e.g a kitchen looks like a kitchen.
Avoiding long corridors - visually impaired people will struggle with long corridors as they cause disorientation and confusion
It is important we work as hard as we can to design inclusive environments, and where purpose-built facilities are required, we focus on every detail of the space to ensure maximum wellbeing for the users and for the amazing carers.
Every person with dementia needs and deserves personalised care, we as designers have the responsibility and privilege to craft functional and compliant environments where this personalised care can be given.
* CPD details: introduction to Intersections of Dementia + Design by University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre
