Dementia Friendly Hospitals from a Universal Design Approach -Design Guidelines 2018
For many people, hospitals can be stressful and challenging places to visit and spend time in. This is particularly true for people with dementia who often become frightened and disorientated in unfamiliar surroundings.
The recent launch of a set of Dementia Friendly Hospital Guidelines by researchers from TrinityHaus may help with this. The guidelines provide detailed guidance on ways to incorporate the principles of Universal Design into the design of hospitals in Ireland. Importantly, the guidelines look specifically at the ways in which hospitals can be designed to provide better experiences for people with dementia, including their families and carers when visiting and spending time there.
The guideline booklet is divided into three parts:
Part A of the guidelines examines the symptoms of dementia so that designs cater for the needs of patients including their families and their carers and examines the benefits of Universal Design and how to use the guidelines at various design stages.
Part B introduces the design guidelines and is divided into Sections 1 – 8 as follows:
- Section 1: Experiencing the Hospital as a Whole
- Section 2: Site Location, Approach and Entry
- Section 3: Campus Design and Onsite Circulation
- Section 4: Building Entry and Internal Circulation
- Section 5: Key Internal and External Spaces
- Section 6: Building Components: Materials, Fit-Out, and Signage
- Section 7: Technology
- Section 8: Internal Environment
Part C provides useful Resources and Appendices including terminology and key organisations involved in the research project.
For further details on the Dementia Friendly Hospital Guidelines click here.
Alternatively, if you need further information on ways to incorporate the principle of Universal Design into the design of your buildings please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on 01-4151285 or e-mail [email protected]