Helping People With Dementia - Article Example

 Dementia Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Dementia Introduction Dementia is an irreversible and progressive condition that affects cognitive, emotional, physical and social functions of a person. The physical environment can improve or worsen their health condition. Dementia-friendly environments have been proved to prolong and enhance the lives of people living with the situation. These environments are the systems that cater and recognize the conditions of people living with dementia while providing the best assistance to ensure that they continue with their daily activities without hindrances ("Dementia," 2014). These environments are good in libraries because they allow people to feel loved and safe by giving them a chance to continue with their lives usually. They feel restricted if the places they live or work from do not have access to external environment and nature. This essay will explore how to design an environment-friendly library. People living with dementia should have a friendly surrounding where they can access nature and perform their duties with less disturbance which helps improve their recovery. The staff should know how to communicate using body language because the affected people have difficulties in hearing in some instances. Difficulties Involved when Accessing the Physical Environment People with dementia have difficulties accessing the physical environment because they cannot relate well to their surroundings without assistance. Firstly, they have trouble in performing complex tasks. In a library environment, they may experience difficulties using the materials to achieve their desired result; using computers to search reading materials; and performing simple arithmetic tasks. Secondly, they have mild cognitive impairments whereby they might fail to remember the names of the employees; take a long time locating the books they require or misplace urgently needed library material thereby affecting their performances. Thirdly, they have difficulties reading words written in small letters and understanding spoken words (DeMarco, 2017). Fourthly, they experience disorientation with people, time and place. They cannot step outside the library alone because they might not find their way back on time. Additionally, a library located in a city that hosts 25546 people can be a complex environment when they encounter many people in a day. A crowded environment can lead to adverse impacts like stress, violence, and depression. They might meet arrogant people who can negatively affect their health and prolong their recovery period. Moreover, in a more advanced stage, they may not walk or sit without support. Sometimes they have problems seeing things especially when they are painted in dark colors and might fall and have injuries in the process of finding their way to places like toilets. Lastly, although in rare and extreme conditions, the affected can have withdrawal signs and start hallucinating in the library which might disrupt the peaceful environment for other people. Improving the Physical Environment Lighting. When designing the library to be used by people living with dementia, some considerations should be taken into account. It is recommended that the library have sufficient lighting. The lighting should have minimum glare, good contrast and should not be adjusted suddenly without alerting them. It is also advisable for the library to be located in an open garden. During the daytime, sunlight should be used because it provides a proper color interpretation. Therefore, the doors and windows should remain open during the day to allow maximum light to enter the library. Adequate lighting enables them to see the signage and follow the instructions correctly. Moreover, it helps them see people’s faces and understand their body language. Poor lighting reduces their ability to perform tasks successfully because of fear to fail. It can also cause accidents due to stress like falling when frightened by shadows on the floor ("People living with dementia and the built environment," 2014). Bulbs should regularly be changed because they give less light when used for a long time. The space of study for people having dementia should be near the windows to absorb more vitamin D and regulate their mood. Bright fluorescent tubes should not be fixed on the wall near their study area. Navigation. Signage is highly recommended to be written correctly in big letters with directions accurately shown to avoid confusion. They should be put in strategic places where bright color illuminates on them for people to see clearly. Signage put in dark spots and written in small letters does not help the intended people. The symbols should be printed in bright colors like yellow and pink which are visible and provides emotional responses related to cultural background and past experiences. Signage should be put to show directions to the restrooms, doors, windows and staff rooms. It is essential to organize and label materials that are similar to reduce distress and time spent trying to access them. The shelves should be at a low height. When people living with dementia can access and use materials from the library on time, they feel proud of themselves because of self-improvement. They get used to the environment and feel motivated to perform duties without assistance (Brooker & Latham, 2015). Walls separate shelves to reduce their encounter with too many people at a given time. Meeting many people in a short period can cause confusion and distress thereby decreasing their chances of recovering. Moreover, in case of hallucination, other people will not be affected by the behavior of the affected because the chances of meeting are reduced. There is need to use assistive technology devices to help them perform their tasks when the need arises. For instance, a calendar clock should be put in their desks to indicate the date, time and year. The device is necessary because it shows the time when they entered the library, the time supposed to stop studying and the next day he or she is supposed to come back. E-book readers or tablets projected to a big screen can help aid those unable to turn pages of the book using the hand ("eBook Readers for the Disabled," 2013). The e-book reader turns the page using touch on the iPad. The words on the screen should be written in big letters to provide a clear view. At a more advanced stage, affected people might be unable to walk without assistance from family or friends. The library should have wheelchairs to help them move from one shelf to the other. The wheelchairs reduce the cost of hiring additional staff to assist them to move around when in need. Telephone services should be available in the study area because movement might be tiresome and some people might not have the ability to stand on their own. The telephone is used to contact the staff in the library when the need arises; for instance, when the affected person has a problem locating the required material. Floor. Color affects people physically and emotionally. A right color can promote the learning behavior of affected people and help them recover. Many dementia-friendly color schemes are possible. Flooring materials are categorized into resilient, carpet and hard surfaces. Hard surfaces should not be used because they do not have a home-look. The color scheme for walls and carpet should be deep red to ensure a warm, calm and friendly environment for the people ("Designing Libraries - Wakefield's dementia-friendly library," n.d.). High-performance carpets provide anti-microbial fibers which reduce microbial buildup. The carpet is cheaper in long-term compared to the hard surface because it is stain-resistant thereby less time and labor is required to clean. Moreover, the noise is reduced by using acoustic ceiling tiles and sound-absorbing carpet and fabrics. Conducive environment for learning ensures that the affected people can concentrate more on their studies rather than spending time looking for mitigating factors for the disturbances. For safety purposes, steps and edges should be clearly defined. Reflective surfaces like walls and floors should be reduced to increase the chances of recognizing people against the colors. The people around them should be visible than the walls and floors. The floors should be smooth to avoid accidents. Door frames and handles should also have bright colors to prevent accidents when opening and getting out of the library. The doorknobs should be C-shaped so that they can be opened easily ("Dementia-friendly environments - interior design," n.d.). The furniture such as chairs and tables for learning are supposed to have a plain design so that the affected can sit comfortably and perform their studies optimally. They should not have many edges which can make the affected struggle standing or sitting down. The chairs should be comfortable because people with dementia might sit for an extended period and uncomfortable seats can lead to back problems (Latham & Brooker, 2017). Wood made tables provide warmth, and the affected people are familiar with them hence feels like they are home when studying. In a situation when people are using the wheelchairs, the shelves that are frequently used should be near them and in an open space where they can go round searching for the materials without much struggle. Moreover, the floor area mostly used by these people should be resilient because its surfaces are not slippery and have non-reflective finishes which is suitable for wet places. Conclusion Although designing a dementia-friendly environment in a library is expensive regarding money, time and resources, the benefits are more than the costs. The number of staff in the library used to direct people with dementia will be reduced. The affected will have confidence while in the place and will be calmer and respond positively to the environment thereby prolonging their quality of life. Moreover, they will reduce disturbances caused by accidents or distress when they fail to access required materials. When designing a house to be used by people living with dementia, it is advisable to consider the lighting, the type of floor and the means of navigation. References Brooker, D., & Latham, I. (2015). Person-Centred Dementia Care, Second Edition: Making Services Better with the VIPS Framework. DeMarco, B. (2017, April 9). What are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's? Retrieved from https://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2016/03/alzheimers-seven-stages-of-alzheimers-disease.html Dementia - activities and exercise. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/dementia-activities-and-exercise Dementia-friendly environments - interior design. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/ageing-and-aged-care/dementia-friendly-environments/interior-design Designing Libraries - Wakefield's dementia-friendly library. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://designinglibraries.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=574 eBook Readers For The Disabled: Are There Enough Choices Available? (2013, August 20). Retrieved from https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/ebook-readers-for-the-disabled-are-there-enough-choices-available Latham, I., & Brooker, D. (2017). Reducing anti-psychotic prescribing for care home residents with dementia. Nurse Prescribing, 15(10), 504-511. doi:10.12968/npre.2017.15.10.504 People living with dementia and the built environment – Australian Journal of Dementia Care. (2014, September 3). Retrieved from http://journalofdementiacare.com/people-living-with-dementia-and-the-built-environment/ Read More