Designing for Dementia (Part 1) Posted: Sep 2018 Posted by: Mats Inc.

Creating spaces that safely and effectively serve America’s aging population is a critical component of today’s healthcare facilities design.  As nearly 44 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s and aging-related dementia, we’ve taken an in-depth look at its effect on healthcare design.  This is the introduction to our three-part article series on Design Considerations for the Aging and Alzheimer’s.

One in ten Americans over the age of 65 suffer from Alzheimer’s – making it a highly prevalent later-life disability.

Alzheimer related costs were an estimated $259 billion in the United States last year (2017). As the boomer population ages, a proportional rise in Alzheimer’s is expected to contribute to rising healthcare costs. This enormous expense will require industry planners to make more targeted considerations toward the design of efficient, safe and comfortable spaces for patients and families dealing with the effects of dementia.

By 2050, dementia-related expenses in the U.S. is expected to be upward of $1.1 trillion.

Designing environments that cater to patients dealing with dementia and impaired visuospatial skills is crucial to serving this growing segment of society – and maximizing healthcare budgets. Effectively serving this unique population requires an understanding of a dementia victim’s symptoms. Here are a few basic facts:

• Currently, Alzheimer’s is incurable and unpreventable. Protocol for managing and treating degenerative dementia focuses on providing compassionate care and comfort for patients.
• Dementia is not a disease, but a symptom describing cognitive impairment such as difficulty with memory, communication and comprehension, as well as issues completing regular physical tasks and recognizing people and things. Dementia primarily affects older adults, but is not considered a normal part of aging.
• Memory aids such as computerized recall devices can be used in early stages of Alzheimer’s in service of “brain training” to help improve cognitive functioning and help deal with forgetfulness.
• Psychological problems that can accompany cognitive impairment include depression, mood changes, visual and auditory hallucinations, as well as unusual behavior such as wandering, ceaseless walking or agitation.
• Dementia is can be caused by disease such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and HIV or trauma such as head injury, stroke and brain tumors.
• Reaction to medication or alcohol, hormone or vitamin deficiencies, and even depression can also cause dementia symptoms. However, these instances are considered to be potentially reversible.

Combining the effects of an aging population, and the pervasiveness of Alzheimer’s in people over 65, healthcare designers are compelled to create spaces that cater to this increasing segment of the population segment – now and in the future.

Stay tuned for our next article on incorporating dementia-friendly design into hospitals and other healthcare spaces.

Categories: Healthcare Flooring