Experts at Dulux Trade are continuing their work in design for people living with dementia, using Dementia Action Week to help provide additional support to healthcare and design professionals with the launch of the Dementia Friendly Colour Palette and Design Guide.
After being awarded the prestigious Exceptional Contribution to Dementia Care Award at the Dementia, Care and Nursing Home Expo Awards earlier this year, the market leading brand has continued its work in the healthcare sector, with a focus on dementia.
The win highlighted Dulux Trade as being among the very best in the world in innovation and cutting edge products, services and expertise that are currently helping care, nursing and residential homes. The award was given in recognition of the ground-breaking work undertaken by Dulux Trade to support the design of the optimal environments for dementia care.
The judges commended the Dulux Trade Dementia Friendly Colour Palette and Design Guide, a set of evidence based design principles to help professionals design environments that optimise occupant wellbeing, sharing knowledge from decades of experience in designing supportive environments within the private and public healthcare field.
Dulux Trade is also part of an ongoing initiative in collaboration with partners including BRE Trust, BRE, Loughborough University and Halsall Lloyd Partnerships, to build a dementia demonstration home.
Located within the BRE Innovation Park in Watford, Chris and Sally’s House is a project to develop and test design solutions that are supportive of an ageing population staying in their own homes.
The 100 square metre Victorian house has been adapted to cater for different types and stages of dementia, with Dulux Trade adding its extensive knowledge about supportive and inclusive colour and design to enable both functional and wellbeing occupant outcomes.
As part of Dementia Action Week 2019, BRE will host an open day at the Innovation Park in Watford, at which guests can visit and learn more about the dementia friendly home.
Synnita Cunningham at Dulux Trade, says: “Every three minutes in the UK a person is diagnosed with dementia, while one in four patients is currently in an acute hospital living with dementia. At Dulux Trade, we recognised that this growing global health trend required a radical change in thinking.
“For a number of years, we have been committed to supporting inclusive design within care environments, to develop beautiful and accessible spaces that improve quality of life for dementia patients and reduce feelings of stress or anxiety.
“Dementia Action Week is an important awareness week for the healthcare sector and we hope we can highlight potential solutions to make a real difference to dementia care. The launch of the Dulux Trade Dementia Friendly Colour Palette and Design Guide is one of the ways we’re supporting and encouraging healthcare and design professionals to think differently about the development of care spaces - something that will notably improve care in the industry.”
