Innovative designs to help Alzheimer�s patients live safely
By Judith Duffy Health Correspondent

PLAIN carpets, old-style taps and glass-fronted cupboards may not sound like crucial design features, but these simple changes can enable people with dementia to live independently for longer.

A showhouse which demonstrates how small alterations in the environment can help people to live safely in their homes is being launched tomorrow by designer Wayne Hemingway at Stirling University.

The mocked-up suite of bathroom, living room, bedroom and kitchen, which will be open for carers, health professionals and architects to tour, also highlights how technology can be employed to make life easier for people with dementia.

With the number of people suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer's disease predicted to almost double in the next 25 years, experts have warned that "dementia-friendly" design will be crucial.

Professor June Andrews, director of the Dementia Services Development Centre at Stirling University, said that around 60% of people with dementia lived in the community.

"The person with dementia is probably old and has probably got some kind of hearing or visual impairment which happens to all of us as we age," she said. "You recognise that all of those things are happening to a person who is losing their capacity to adapt or cope.

"People with dementia sometimes get visual effects that they don't understand - so a big, black swirly pattern on a carpet might be misperceived as a hazard that they have to walk round."

Glass-fronted cupboards and fridges can act as a visual reminder to cook a meal, as well as helping carers assess if the person is eating properly.

Other simple measures include having a phone with pictures of family and friends, which can be pressed to call them.

Andrews said developments in technology could be used to assist people or alert carers if something was wrong.

"You can have an infra-red beam by your bed, so when you get up and break the beam, the bathroom light switches on," she said.

West Lothian Council is using such devices to help people to live independently and has more than 3000 houses fitted with home safety technology.

Anne Sherriff, of the council's home safety service, said: "There is a lot of technology in use, from the basic core package which includes a pendant alert, fire, flood and intruder alert, to extended packages which are designed around a person's individual needs."

A new initiative is trialling a bracelet that has a satellite link, so if the wearer wanders off they can be located quickly.

Spokeswoman for Age Concern, Ann Ferguson, said: "It is simple things that make it much easier for people with dementia to manage on their own."

Public health minister Shona Robison said dementia is a national priority, with the setting up a forum to advise on ensuring early diagnosis and support for sufferers.