DEMENTIA FRIENDLY

MAKING YOUR CLINIC

10:45

CLOCKSREADING MATERIAL

INFORMATIONCHAIRS & FURNITURE

MIRRORS LIGHTING SIGNAGE

DECOR SOUND BOOTHS

DEMENTIA FRIENDLY

MAKE YOUR CLINIC

WITH OUR BRIEF GUIDE TO:

A dementia friendly clock showing the day and date helps and takes the stress out of remembering what day of the week its is.

Orienting to time and space can be difficult for people with dementia.

Therefore, any clues and tips to help establish the date and time are

very useful and can help promote independence.

Reading a clock face and calendar may become challenging. As memory

and planning can be affected in dementia, using prompts such as writing

things down and using a calendar to remind them of appointments, are

very helpful and help the person to remain independent. However, it can

be difficult to remember which day of the week it actually is.

The digital format can also be beneficial for individuals who have

difficulty reading the time from a traditional clock.

CLOCKS

TIP: Clocks can promote independence as a reminder of the day, date & time.

10:45

Promoting a calming environment can help relax people with dementia, and therefore too many signs and things to read can be

distressing. However, provide things for patients and their families to do and look at in waiting areas can stimulate conversations

and be relaxing. e.g. dementia friendly books, pictures of local area

TIP: Avoid posters or signs that are not essential for patients for this clinic to avoid

information overload.Providing dementia friendly books can be

stimulating and relax people with dementia in waiting areas.

READING

Often, the general public don’t understand the overlaps between

hearing loss and dementia.

Although too much information and clutter can be distressing for

people with dementia, the is a great opportunity to offer support

materials for people with dementia and their families to understand

the importance of hearing loss and dementia, how they link together

and how one may specifically affect the other.

TIP: Provide families with information to help understand and support the person

with dementia to engage and manage with hearing rehabilitation.

INFO.

TIP: Have contrasting chairs to the rest of the room.

As people with dementia may have visuoperceptual problems as well as

poorer eyesight, it is important that there is a contrast between the colour of the

chairs and the colour of the flooring / walls. As everyone is different, it is important to

offer sturdy chairs of different types to suit different needs.

CHAIRS

TIP: Have contrasting chairs to the rest of the room.

TIP: Avoid fixed mirrors in waiting and clinic areas as you don’t know how the person with

dementia may react to mirrors.

Mirrors can be a source of distress for some people with dementia.

They may not recognise themselves in the mirror and become scared, or worried that

someone else is in the room with them looking at them. If mirrors are used for

fittings, please check this is appropriate.

MIRRORS?

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TIP: Make use of natural light.Ensure good levels of artificial light.

Do not block windows but use blinds to manage glare.

LIGHTING

Natural light is very important for people with dementia for many reasons.

Firstly, access to natural light helps to maintain natural circadian

rhythms. Circadian disruption can occur in dementia, which is

associated with increased levels of depression, sleep disruption,

and agitated behaviours. Secondly, can help prevent falls, identify

signs and enable people to move about more easily. Thirdly, for

people with hearing loss and dementia, good light is especially

important for communication and lip-reading.

TIP: Signs should be: Low enough so don’t have to look up

(recommended base of the sign 1.2m above floor level – dementia design centre)

Easy to understandInclude some pictorial information with words

Colour contrast with background so they are obvious to see

SIGNAGE

People with dementia may become very easily disorientated for

many reasons including visual perceptual problems and lack of

short-term memory. Even if someone has been to the clinic before

they may not remember and may need directional prompts.

It is important to have adequate signage for people so they can

easily find their way IN and OUT of places.

DECORRugs and carpets can make a clinical space feel more homely

which can relax patients during their appointments. However,

people with dementia may have visuoperceptual problems where

the way they see things can appear differently. For this reason it is

advisable to keep patterns neutral and avoid anything highly patterned

materials that may appear as something else. For example swirling

patterns could look like they are moving or something else like snakes.

Rugs are good to protect carpets but if they are a different colour to

the carpet or floor underneath them they may appear as something

else. For example, a grey carpet with a black mat may appear as a

step or a hole. Therefore, it is advised to keep a consistent tone

of flooring throughout the space, including threshold strips, so

people can clearly identify the walkways.

TIP: Keep patterns neutral. Match rugs similar to flooring (low contrast flooring).

Contrast floor and wall colours.

TIP: Keep patterns neutral. Match rugs similar to flooring (low contrast flooring).

Contrast floor and wall colours.

BOOTHS

TIP: If possible, use a sound-proof room rather than a booth.

If using a booth, use a large (paediatric) booth so that care-partner can go in

with the person.

For someone with dementia, the whole process of getting to the clinic may be

daunting and they may be apprehensive about the appointment even if they have

been to audiology before.

Therefore, putting someone in a booth on their own may cause them to feel

frightened and trapped.