How colour symbolises equality, embraces diversity, promotes communication, reduces risk, encourages safety and nurtures harmony within the built environment
Author
Pamela Topping, Human-Centred Designer, University of Ulster
B.DES(Hons), MA. Multidisciplinary Design
Abstract
The communicative value of colour is a design element that reduces risk and supports people with dementia, and includes the psychological effects and the visual ergonomics. It is important to remember that environments are tailored to people’s needs, displaying the necessary functional and emotional requirements and active in a holistic space.
Colour connects things with each other and connects things with people. The use of colour constitutes our visual perception, influencing our visual communication and interaction. In interacting with people who have memory problems, it is vital to facilitate safety and support.
A complex picture is painted when one includes age, gender and culture, however the environment can be improved, by increasing perception in elements that justify decisions. This exchange of information includes colour in way finding, geographic markers and symbols in the environment, contextual variables such as building materials, pattern and texture can dramatically reduce falls and confusion. In addition to the aesthetics and semantic value, the cumulative use of colour is important, taking advantage of opportunities to innovate within changing conditions, giving a clear definition of the therapeutic, safety and beneficial values to people with dementia in care homes, community and hospital settings.
About the Author
Pamela Topping has a unique set of skills as a designer. She began her career as a general nurse, training in the Belfast City Hospital, specialising in dementia care. Ms Topping returned to fulltime education completing a B.Des (Hons) in 3D design (Spatial design), a Postgraduate Certificate in Design and Technology, and an MA MDD (Multidisciplinary Design). Throughout her design career, drawing on the strength of her past experience, Ms Topping realised that by creating similar-looking “safe” environments bland homogeneity was promoted, totally obliterating the demographic, cultural, and social problems that have emerged in her research.
During her design career, Ms Topping has formed many collaborations with Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, University of Stirling – DSDC, Queens University and The Royal College of Art.
Reducing risk through environmental design in acute hospital wards
Author
June Delaney
Abstract
[Coming soon]
About the author
June Delaney is a Senior Nurse for Care of the Elderly, within NHS Lanarkshire. June is a “Dementia Friendly Environment” auditor, accredited by the “Iris Murdoch” centre, a National Education for Scotland (NES) Dementia Champion, and is presently seconded two days per week to Practice Development as a facilitator for Older Adult. Her remit includes involvement in the development, strategy and change management of Older Adult Services within Acute settings in NHS Lanarkshire.
The false security of handrails in residential aged care facilities
Author
Lenore de la Perelle, Manager Dementia Learning and Development Unit, ACH Group.
BS (SW), M (Pol Admin)
Abstract
In the design and building of Residential Aged Care facilities for people with dementia the starting point is often to create a home like environment that makes sense to the people who live there, an environment that allows for increasing frailty yet encourages and supports engagement in the community and the use of personal spaces in doors and outside.
Yet in the process of design and building these home like environments our focus is drawn to reducing risks, such as fire, infection, falls, escape, and to increasing security and monitoring.
In ACH Group, we made the decision in the 1970′s to omit hand rails in hall ways of our facilities, despite risking the loss of points in the building certification code. This was a stance based on creating home like environments .
This presentation explores the risks and benefits of that decision of not installing hand rails in any of our facilities, it presents data on risk of falls and the programs in place to support mobility. It concludes that a no hand rails design policy is not such risky business after all.
About the author
Lenore holds qualifications in Social Work and Public Policy and Administration and has managed human services for over 25 years. Her work in Government, in Not for profit organisations, in counselling services, for Alzheimer’s Australia and now in ACH Group for the last 5 years has enabled her to develop expertise and experience in supporting older people and people with dementia. She is passionate about developing services that respond creatively to the needs and aspirations of the consumers of services and has developed a number of publications and resources to spread the word. Her current role is to promote innovative services to support Good Lives for people living with dementia, including creating both physical and social environments that are enabling.