Imperial College Healthcare Charity Impact report 2015/2016

Creating a more
dementia-friendly
space
“This is a fantastic ward,
I like it very much”
85-year-old Witherow
Ward patient Cyril Alfille
Hospitals can
be particularly
disorientating and
frightening places for
people with dementia.
But the charity has
helped to reduce the
confusion for patients at
St Mary’s by awarding a
grant for specially designed
renovations to Witherow
Ward, which cares for
people with dementia.
Jo James, specialist
dementia lead at Imperial
College Healthcare NHS
Trust, said: “We know that
being admitted to hospital,
especially through a busy
A&E department, can be
really distressing for people
with dementia and for their
carers and families. With
increasing numbers of
patients with dementia, it’s
vital that we rethink how
we organise and design
hospital spaces. And
making our spaces clearer
and more relaxing will bring
benefits to all patients.
“We are grateful to the
charity for their support
which has enabled us to make
these important changes.”
A Trust audit, completed
in 2015, found more than
a quarter of Trust patients
being treated within its
medicine division had a
diagnosis of dementia
and nearly half had some
evidence of cognitive
impairment including
dementia, delirium or
learning difficulties.
Key improvements on the
ward include:
• specialist lighting
which mimics changes
in natural light to help
prevent patients from
being confused about
the time of day through
artificial lighting
• a social area where
patients can eat their
meals together, which
is painted orange to
help stimulate appetite,
as many patients with
dementia do not eat
enough
• pictures chosen by the
patients themselves and
hung over their bed to
help them find it
• doors painted in
contrasting colours to
help patients easily find
the showers and toilets
• matt wooden flooring,
which replaces the old
shiny blue coloured
flooring that could
be confused by some
elderly patients as
water
• clocks from the
Alzheimer’s Society that
tell the time and date,
which are known to help
orientate patients with
dementia
• a specialist cubicle
has also been
developed within the
A&E department at
St Mary’s Hospital to
support patients with
dementia. A specialist
heated trolley and
activity packs help to
create a more calm and
secure environment for
patients with dementia
6 IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTHCARE CHARITY IMPACT REPORT 2015/2016 IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTHCARE CHARITY IMPACT REPORT 2015/2016 7