Design Solutions for Supportive Dementia Care Environments

Description

Design Solutions for Supportive Dementia Care Environments
Royal Institute of British Architects, London Wednesday 18th September 2024


The UK’s population is ageing rapidly, and an estimated 2 million people will be living with dementia by 2051; double the current number. There are opportunities for designers and design teams to positively affect a huge range of people in new build and refurbished care environments. But with dementia presenting a range of debilitating issues, how can supportive design help ameliorate the effects, what is good practice, and how do designers engage stakeholders to achieve it?


Chair:
James Parker Editor, Architects’ Datafile

Attendees:
Paul Rodgers Professor of Design, University of Strathclyde
Greg Walsh Managing Director, DDS (Dementia Design Specialist) Architects
Clare Cameron Architect & Director PRP Architects
Julie Smyth Director, Corstorphine + Wright (architects)
Robert MacDonald Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture & Independent Consultant
Eef Hogervorst Professor of Psychology, Loughborough University
Lesley Palmer Architect & Professor, Dementia Services Development Centre at Stirling University

Sponsors’ Attendees:
Sophia Wise Head Of Regional Commercial UK & Ireland, Amtico International
Donna Taylor Colour Design Manager, Johnstones Trade Paints
Attendee TBC WMS Underfloor Heating
 
9.30am - 11am
Session One: Easing the burdens of Dementia with Design
NB: Please think about your ‘recommendations for industry’ to capture at the end of event. Please also note all contributions to the discussion are ‘on the record’ unless clearly stated otherwise during the session.

1. How does design support person-centred care - and is it important to establish what design can’t do to manage expectations?

2. What are the key priorities for designers for supportive dementia environments?
● Learning the general principles (contrasts, dead-ends, prevention of wandering into wrong spaces).
● Need to take different approaches for private care homes/NHS wards to Ageing in Place?
● Avoiding distress and possible aggression from patients
(An aim potentially at odds with…)
● Avoiding overly bland, contrast-free interiors?
● Working to combat loneliness, without forcing people to interact?
● Carers: Ensuring they’re not afterthought - e.g. breakout areas?

3. Why does design for dementia need to be collaborative (including staff and users), what is current policy around this and how can ‘co-design’ approaches help, including bringing equality of provision, culturally as well as physically?

4. The merits of applying design standards vs customisation

5. The current barriers to good design:
● Is the model of healthcare largely in the private sector a challenge for creating industry-wide systems and guidance?
● How do we put the focus on holistic and wellbeing aspects and not on pathology of dementia?
● What are gaps in knowledge for designers?

6. What are the current design standards (beyond Building Regs) - such as Living Well With Dementia (Design Council), and Strathclyde Uni’s dementia design standard, and are they fit for purpose for all designers/carers to use?

7. Any hard post-occupancy evidence that good design can actually counteract the effects of dementia?

8. What are the key challenges in refurbishments for supportive dementia care?
 
11.15am - 12.30pm
Session Two: Proven Approaches & Practical Innovations
NB: Please think about industry recommendations to capture at the end of this event

1. Submitted Sponsor Questions: To be Submitted

2. General ‘good design’ factors to discuss:
● Layout: Dangers of taking guidance too literally - bland facilities, indistinguishable from each other?
● Key measures for avoiding disorientation and distress, beyond avoiding dead ends?
● Ameliorating ‘sundowning’ problems, including for carers: How can design help (e.g. lighting etc)?
● Can we really ‘care for each individual’s needs’ or does there need to be some standardisation?
● How much can we make facilities feel like ‘home’ - and are there dangers here?
● Triggering memories - design pros and cons?
● Using five senses (particularly smell to enhance memory and trigger appetite)

3. Visual Perception, Colour & Pattern:
● Are there standard approaches to abide by in every case, or is it a case of ‘horses for courses’ and applying expert knowledge?
● Equalities Act 2010/Approved Document M: Where do you definitely need high contrast (e.g. door frames), where low?
● Do we need more ‘prescription’ on how to achieve the balance between too little and too much contrast?
● Do you agree with the ‘30% LRV difference between different surfaces’ rule - that doesn’t equate to hue?
● Tone and saturation: Are ‘dynamic’ wall patterns a complete no-no?
● Level changes: How to deal with these without contrast?
● Where is the dividing line for contrast/no contrast - are there dangers to minimal contrast?

4. The challenge of designing layouts without dead ends - where have you found innovative solutions to this - including in refurbs?

5. Lessons from Exemplars:
● Gloucester Smart Home Prototype
● ‘Chris and Sally’s’ Adapted House at BRE Innovation Park (Loughborough Uni Research Study)
● Changing the paradigm: Dementia Villages (Hogeweyk, Netherlands)

6. Co-design, use of ‘personas’ and how to achieve tailored results while maximising adaptability?

7. Products: What are the key products - e.g. furniture (inc. shelves for memories etc), heating, bathrooms? Benefits/Challenges

8. Exterior spaces, especially wandering loops - bringing exercise and natural biophilic benefits

12.20pm: Recommendations for Industry

12.30pm: End of Session

Period	18 Sept 2024
Event title	Design Solutions for Supportive Dementia Care Environments
Event type	Workshop
Location	London , United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International