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

DESIGN FOR DEMENTIA
Physical and Visual Barriers
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To ensure that residents are safe and free to
move throughout the space without assistance
there must be no visual barriers on floor
surfaces. If a person has poor vision and depth
of perception, changes in floor colour can be
misinterpreted as a hole or a step, creating
an unnecessary obstacle. Surfaces need to
be the same colour and have no patterns.
Floors should also be completely flat and
level with no steps, even between the
interior and exterior of the building. Skirting
boards and handrails could contrast with the
colour of the floor or the wall they are fixed to
as this helps them to be located. Care must
be taken with colour selection as using
bright colours or stereotypical colours such
as beige can easily make a building look like
an institution rather than a home.
Doors to safe exterior spaces should
never be locked and should have glass
panes to invite residents to see what is on
the other side. They need to wide enough to
accommodate wheelchairs. In this sample
layout the door is a distinctive red because it
represents the back door to a kitchen which is
often painted in such colours. This also serves
to highlight the door and encourage residents
to go outside.
The room layout and furniture should
also help people with poor mobility to safely
navigate the space. Residents who have
difficulty moving will use any piece of furniture
or fitting to balance themselves as they go
through a room. Furniture should be stable
enough to give them support and layouts
should have direct lines of access. Arranging
chairs, worktops, dressers and anything else
in the space with a surface to lean on can
greatly improve safety and mobility without
making the environment look institutional.
view of the room and adjoining garden.
This enables materials and props for group
activities to be kept close at hand.
In the kitchen area there is a counter
space for activities staff to do paperwork. This
has been deliberately included so that staff
can remain vigilant and cater for any needs as
they arise. It also allows for more informal and
impromptu activities to take place between
residents and staff. The environment holds the
potential for casual, unplanned interaction
such as taking a walk in the garden or enjoying
a cup of tea together.
INTERIOR LAYOUT
Staff Work Areas
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The layout places the activity coordinator’s
office next to the kitchen area with a good
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