Design for Dementia - Helen Hamlyn Centre - Royal College of Art

DESIGN FOR DEMENTIA
CARE AND EATING
DRESSER
Other bedroom furniture can benefit from
many of the innovations developed for the
wardrobe while connecting aesthetically to
create a consistent range of products within
a room. The dresser concept uses the same
colour variants so as to provide similar
benefits for those with visual impairments.
It is made with the same materials and its
drawers are given the same treatment, so all
the relevant innovations remain.
New innovations are required for
dresser design and these relate mainly to
mobility. Two types of people living with
dementia require use of a dresser: those
fully mobile sitting in a chair, and those less
mobile using a wheelchair. Residents placed
in a normal chair sit lower than wheelchair
users who must keep their feet off the
ground, so ideally the dresser should be
height adjustable. This, however, would be
prohibitively expensive if addressed through
mechanical means.
The low-tech concept here has a number
of feet (highlighted in white) that range in size
and can be affixed using friction to the dresser
in order to maximise usability for all people
with dementia.
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DRESSER
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1. Content Visible Drawers
2. Low Tech Height Adjustment
3. Colour and Material
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