Disabling environments make life with dementia harder than it needs to be, but problem solving and designing with people with dementia can help eliminate most of those problems, says Dr Julie Christie, service manager (international) for HammondCare
The importance of design in residential environments for people living with dementia is increasingly recognised as an essential component of care. There are some wonderful examples of good design, but there are also many examples of design that does not work for people with the condition.
Design is an integral part of our lives. When it works well, it is an intuitive thing and on the whole we are unaware of it. The opposite is true of poor design. When design is thoughtless, it becomes disabling and even frightening, resulting in stress and distress, anxiety, frustration and unnecessary dependence.
Design experts working with people with dementia know about dementia ‘the condition’ and there are many design schools to inform on the impact of light, noise, signage and so on. However, when you speak to people with dementia you begin to see the human cost of getting design advice wrong.
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