Designing dementia-friendly places for people

Designing dementia-friendly places for peopleAs the number of Australians living with dementia climbs to 900,000 by 20, the retirement living sector must turn its attention to building dementia-friendly communities, says Alzheimer’s Australia ambassador Ita Buttrose AO OBE.Buttrose (pictured), who is headlining the Retirement Living Summit in November, says the sector must focus on creating communities “where people can live lives of meaning, purpose and value – and that help them remain part of the broader community.”One of the fastest-growing conditions in Australia, dementia currently effects more than 3,000 Australians.Europe is leading the way with creative design solutions for people with dementia. Hogeweyk in the Netherlands is an entire village supporting people with dementia. All of the 23 homes in the village are decorated in vastly different interior styles, reflecting the tastes of the six or seven residents. One home has an aristocratic feel, while another evokes the exotic Dutch East Indies. Everything from the table settings to music played is carefully chosen. Staff wear normal rather than clinical clothing, and the village provides a supermarket, café, hairdresser and even a theatre – all in a safe environment. In Switzerland, a dementia care facility has been deliberately designed to recreate the atmosphere of the 19s – the heyday of many of the village’s residents. Meanwhile, in one German town, an Alzheimer’s care centre erected a fake bus stop to halt wandering residents. Is this the way we should be heading in Australia? While she acknowledges the challenges, Buttrose says dementia patients need environments that are as “much like home as possible.””I recently visited a specialised dementia care home in Sydney, and was inspired by the big kitchen which was designed with safety in mind, and where people with dementia could go to cook. There was always someone there to keep an eye on them, but they were still able to engage in domestic activities they’d done their whole lives.”We need to focus on what people with dementia can do – and to design places around that idea. Spaces for painting classes, music lessons and choirs, dementia-friendly cafés and kitchens, and spaces where people can remain active” she says.”It’s about creating places to help people make best use of the skills and abilities that they have, and so they can lead lives of variety and stimulation, rather than sitting in front of a television all day.”Environmental cues such as colour, objects or a view can help people with dementia navigate their surroundings, while bland and boring rooms can simply confuse people. Creating a range of places so people can enjoy both privacy and social interaction is also important.”Dementia-friendly facilities respect the whole person – and that means supporting social interaction and respecting their privacy too,” Buttrose says.”Dementia is a huge challenge and is the second leading cause of death in Australia after heart disease – and as the number of people with dementia grows, it’s a challenge that isn’t going to go away.”The Retirement Living Summit will be held in Melbourne from 28-29 November, and will explore how the industry can promote health and wellness. Book your ticket today: http://www.retirementlivingsummit.com/