Dementia-Friendly Flooring in Healthcare
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Walking into healthcare settings such as care homes and hospitals can be a daunting experience for any patient, as well as family and friends visiting. For those who are neurodiverse or living with dementia, it can be particularly difficult. This is why creating inclusive environments can contribute to more positive patient stays and outpatient visits.
With flooring being one of the largest surfaces of any environment, it can have a powerful effect on a space. The properties of any flooring should be a key consideration in interior design plans. From non-slip surfaces to flooring with acoustic properties, using the correct flooring in healthcare spaces is important when it comes to caring for those living with dementia.
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What is Dementia?
The NHS defines Dementia as a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning. It’s a serious condition that can severely impair cognition and impacts people’s daily lives in many ways.
Currently, there are around 900,000 people with dementia in the UK. This is projected to rise to 1.6 million people by 2040
How can dementia friendly flooring have an impact on patients in healthcare facilities?
The nature of dementia means that regular visits to healthcare facilities are important. It also causes various sensory, mobility and cognitive impairments that can have a serious impact on the way that those with the disease experience care facilities.
For those without dementia, navigating the intense, and often confusing environments within healthcare facilities is a generally easy task that doesn’t require much effort - besides possibly reading signposts or following arrows on flooring.
However, for those with dementia, this can be a difficult task and being able to navigate through a building without assistance is crucial for a person maintaining their independence. To help with this, many factors need to be considered when designing healthcare environments.
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In collaboration with the Dementia Services Design Centre (DSDC), Forbo has worked to identify which of our products can contribute to improving the quality of life for people with dementia when considerared holistically as part of of the DSDC’s design guidelines to ensure that everyone can navigate a building safely:
Keep the design simple
A matt finish with a simple, plain design is recommended for flooring. Flecked, striped or patterned effects or flooring that incorporates a logo should be avoided as these can cause confusion and even hallucinations.
Glossy or sparkly flooring should also be avoided, as it could be perceived as a wet surface and cause distress.
Ensure a tonal contrast between floors and walls
It is recommended that a difference of 30 degrees in Light Reflectance Values (LRV) is achieved between the critical surfaces – such as floors towalls, and doors to walls. A light reflectance value is a measure of the percentage of visible and usable light that is reflected from a surface when illuminated by a light source.
Making sure this tonal contrast is achieved will help delineate surfaces and allow people with dementia to see spaces three-dimensionally aiding with navigation and reducing the risk of accidents.
Adjoining floor areas must be similar tonally
Having adjoining floor areas that are similar in tone will prevent the perception of a step that is not there, as this could cause a fall. Flooring LRVs should be within eight degrees of each other (although less is better).
Matching transition strips
Greater tonal difference can create the illusion of a change in floor height, potentially leading to a fall. For this reason, the transition strips between flooring should also match the tones of both flooring surfaces, with an ideal difference of no more than three degrees of LRV.
Choose flooring that reduces impact sound
The busy nature of healthcare facilities means that the potential for unwanted noise is very high, causing stress, agitation, and disorientation to patients with sensory issues. Unwanted noise can be reduced with the use of acoustic flooring solutions , with surfaces that can dampen sounds caused by high foot traffic.
Best types of flooring for dementia patients
We have plenty of options in our flooring portfolio that are suitable for people living with dementia
Marmoleum
Our natural Marmoleum floors are available in a wide range of tranquil allover designs. The smooth surface of these linoleum floors makes manoeuvring easy even when walking is a challenge.
Step slip resistant vinyl
Step safety vinyl is available in natural wood and stone designs as well as various muted colours. The new Surestep balance range is specifically tailored for for dementia friendly spaces, with a subtle minimalist design and a matte finish – perfectly embodying our ‘design for purpose’ philosophy. All the colourways in the range have been rated 1b by the DSDC.
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Eternal design vinyl sheets
Eternal Heterogeneous vinyl is available in muted tones and all over natural designs that mimic homely environments, for added comfort. Seamless application is ideal for corridors as well as living areas.
Flotex Flocked Flooring
The Flotex Flocked Flooring range combines comfort with improved hygiene. It’s available in a variety of muted tones to reduce confusion or overstimulation of users, whilst the hygienic construction allows for easy-cleaning spills.
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Dementia friendly flooring can create environments that help those living with the condition maintain their independence, by making navigation easier and creating an atmosphere of comfort, whilst enhancing safety measures and reducing the risk of falls.
If you're interested in discovering how design can facilitate healing, download our whitepaper to learn more.