Tölvumál - 01.10.2013, Page 22

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Dementia has been described as the biggest health crisis facing the
world today. Right now, there are thought to be 36.6m people affected
globally, and by the year 2050 that number is predicted to rise to
115.4m.
On top of the personal impact for each person with dementia, and their
carers, there are national implications: it has been estimated that if
dementia care were a country, it would currently be the world’s 18th
largest economy (ranking between Turkey and Indonesia); if it were a
company, it would be the world’s largest by annual revenue. Providing
cost-efficient and effective caring for people with dementia has to be
everyone’s top priority.
The incidence of dementia – the umbrella term for a range of
degenerative brain conditions that are associated with ageing, including
Alzheimer’s disease – is testament to improved healthcare, leading to
greater-than-ever longevity. But it poses huge challenges for health and
care providers.
In the absence of a cure for dementia, there has to be greater focus on
improving the care that people receive. That is what the Dementia
Services Development Centre (DSDC), based at the University of
Stirling in Scotland, is all about.
The DSDC’s team of academics, multi-disciplinary care practitioners,
researchers, trainers and educators is dedicated to developing and
disseminating dementia care improvements, and the Centre is
recognised as a world leader in the field. It pioneered the exploration
and application of dementia-friendly design, and continues to stretch
the boundaries of understanding, for the benefit of all.
Until recently, one of the limiters on spreading best practice was ‘reach’
– how to inform all those who need to know about what they can do to
improve the experience of people with dementia that they care for.
Thanks to the internet, that particular problem has now been overcome.
Last year, the DSDC launched an online ‘Virtual Care Home’ (http://
www.dementia.stir.ac.uk/design/virtual-care-home) that showcases
key design improvements that can be made to enhance the experience
of people with dementia who are living in community-based care
settings, or who are cared for at home.
Using computer-generated room settings, evidence-based design
points are highlighted, and information presented in ‘tip’ form by
scrolling across information points on the screen.
Many of these tips are deceptively simple – maximise light levels,
employ colour contrast to aid navigation, create clear sightlines to
facilities such as toilets, use familiar fitments such as old-fashioned
taps, sink plugs and kettles, and position signage at an accessible
height. But it is surprising how many care settings are in fact dementia-
unfriendly environments, and make things worse for people.
The DSDC team has an expert understanding of the physiological
impacts of dementia and the impairments that it can bring, and looks at
surroundings through the eyes of people living with the condition.
Under the leadership of dementia design ‘guru’, Professor Mary
Marshall, the Stirling-based team started developing design audit for
care settings in 1998, and has been inspecting such environments ever
since. The guidance presented within the Virtual Care Home (and its
soon-to-be-launched Virtual Hospital sister site) is an accessible
distillation of that expert knowledge-base.
We know that people with dementia can be unintentionally harmed by
the environment in which they live: poor design can result in trips and
falls; if you don’t know how to find a drink of water, you can end up
dehydrated; unfamiliar surroundings can compound fear and distress
that may result in restraint and medication.
However, thoughtful design of environments can enable the wellbeing
of people with dementia, protecting health by anticipating how
surroundings are interpreted and promoting freedom and confidence
by reinforcing memory and personal identity. That is what the DSDC’s
virtual care environments are all about.
The concept has been developed in partnership with the Edinburgh-
based architect firm Burnett Pollock, whose founding partner Ricky
Pollock is a DSDC associate specialist.
It was Ricky Pollock who in the year 2000 designed the DSDC’s
headquarters on the campus of the University of Stirling in central
Scotland. The Iris Murdoch Building – named after the author, who
developed dementia in later life – was the first purpose-built dementia-
friendly building to have been constructed anywhere in the world.
Using CAD, and supported by a grant from the Nominet Trust
(established to support initiatives that harness digital technology for
social good), the Burnett Pollock team set out by turning the DSDC’s
evidence base into seven virtual care home room settings.
These demonstrate interactively how different design features can be
used to enhance safety and wellbeing among residents with dementia.
Information points reveal key findings that can be followed up through
the DSDC website, which links to the world’s most comprehensive
dementia library, and hosts a bookshop where a wide range of design-
related resources can be accessed.
THe demenTia SerViceS
deVelopmenT cenTre –
VirTual care Home
Professor June Andrews, Director The Dementia Services Development
Centre (DSDC). University of Stirling. Scotland. www.dementia.stir.ac.uk