Dementia environment in a care home

This video shows how simple changes to create a more dementia friendly care home environment can have a positive impact on a person living with dementia's emotional well being and independence.

Messages for practice

1. The environment can have a huge impact on the person living with dementia.
2. Sometimes people with dementia see the world differently, everyday things (a rug for example can look like a hole) can be confusing for people with dementia.
   
3. The use of colour and contrast can be really helpful for people with dementia but heavily patterned wallpaper and fabric should be avoided.
4. Some people relate better to pictures than words; these can be an excellent way of helping people with dementia to communicate and to orientate themselves.
   
5. Simple changes to create a more dementia friendly care home environment can have a positive impact on a person living with dementia's emotional well being and independence.

• Useful links Open

  Dementia-friendly health and social care environments
  This 2015 resource from the Department of Health presents design guidance in relation to new buildings as well as the adaption or extension of existing facilities, and includes case studies drawn from projects funded by the Dementia Capital Programme.

  Design Resource Centre
  The University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) has always been a leader in the area of dementia and design. The DSDC website includes the Design Resource Centre. This section includes links to a substantial range of publications and resources in the area of dementia-friendly design including information on the importance of lighting, colour and contrast, getting outside, and orientation and signage. The site also includes the DSDC Virtual Care Home and the DSDC Virtual Hospital. Both these resources allow users to navigate around the various areas within a care home or hospital (such as bedroom, ward, ensuite, kitchens, lounges and so on), and read advice about things to consider and ways to improve the care environment for people with dementia.

  Developing supportive design for people with dementia
  This is the final report of The King’s Fund’s Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) Programme, which ran from 2009 until 2012. The well-illustrated report includes descriptions of the 26 EHE projects completed in NHS Trusts to improvement the environment of care for people with dementia, and also includes the EHE assessment tool and overarching design principles.

  Home environment and dementia
  This NHS Choices web page sets out good introductory information on how to improve the environment for a person living with dementia. It covers topics such as lighting, flooring, colours, noise and outside spaces.

  Making your home dementia-friendly
  This 2015 Alzheimer’s Society booklet is aimed at people living at home. It covers a wide range of topics such as lighting, flooring, furniture and furnishings, knowing where things are, and enjoying the outside. 

• Related pages from this section Open

  • Dementia-friendly environments
    • Environment at home (video)
    • Environment in a care home (video)
    • Kitchen and dining areas
    • Bedrooms
    • Toilets and bathrooms
    • Gardens
    • Lighting
    • Assistive technology
    • Creating a relaxing environment
    • Noise levels