Healthcare Design - April 2021 - 46

The

Center

E A S I N G T H E WA I T

The Center adds resources to help create
dementia-friendly waiting spaces By Debra
Levin and Addie Abushousheh

Health Organization, approximately 50 million people worldwide have dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases diagnosed
each year. Though dementia mainly affects older
adults, it can be diagnosed in much younger people,
as well, because it's caused by a variety of diseases
and injuries that impact the brain. Here in the U.S.,
due to our growing population and the aging of the
baby boomers, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is expected to rise to nearly
14 million by 2060.
FOR THOSE WITH DEMENTIA,
Dementia leads to a deterioration in memory,
thinking, and behavior as well as creates chalWAITING ROOM DESIGN
lenges in the ability to perform everyday acCAN PRESENT ACOUSTICAL,
tivities. Designing spaces that accommodate
VISUAL, PERCEPTUAL, AND
people with dementia has become increasingly
important throughout the continuum of care.
PHYSICAL BARRIERS TO
That's why The Center for Health Design is
ACCESSING MEDICAL CARE.
adding dementia-friendly design to one of our
most popular online tools, the Interactive Design Diagrams. The tool is funded through the generous support of the
Angelo Donghia Foundation and can be used to connect desired outcomes to design strategies and then link to research that underpins those
strategies. Since the tool's inception, the research team at The Center has
created 10 different diagrams focused on inpatient rooms, outpatient/
ambulatory care rooms, and home environments. This month, we added
a dementia-friendly waiting room.
Waiting room configurations, clearances, and characteristics can
influence the patient and family experience as well as organizational

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efficiency by either accommodating or compromising a patient's needs. For older adults,
especially those with dementia, waiting room
design can unintentionally present acoustic, visual, perceptual, and physical barriers
to accessing medical care. Patient confusion
and difficulty in negotiating spaces increases
reliance upon mobility aids and dependencies upon companions, which, in turn, poses
challenges to waiting room occupancy and
comfort. By translating person-centered
strategies drawn from dementia-focused design interventions used in residential settings,
waiting rooms can better support a broad
range of patients.
For example, the overall layout of the space
should avoid obstructions in pathways between seating areas and restrooms. Flooring
with energy-absorbent properties (such as
rubber, cork, or linoleum) will help reduce
impact that causes injury while also providing enough firmness to reduce the risk of falling due to poor balance. Flooring should also
avoid glare and excessive contrast and patterns, which can be perceived as or conceal
actual changes in level, which pose a potential
trip hazard. Walls might feature a wainscot
trim that's securely fastened to the wall while
offering a frame of reference and a touchstone for balance. Color-coded elements,
such as flooring and walls, together with
lighting, landmarks, and views of the exterior,
also will make wayfinding easier for patients.
Noise reduction measures and positive audio
distractions (music, nature sounds, etc.) can
help minimize patient stress and anxiety.
I encourage you to check out the tool on The
Center's website to explore a variety of settings and the evidence-based design strategies and desired outcomes tied to them. Two
additional diagrams will be added later this
year, including one on safe emergency department design. 
Debra Levin is president and CEO of The Center for
Health Design. She can be reached at D L E V I N @
H E A L T H D E S I G N . O R G . Addie Abushousheh is
a research associate at The Center. She can be
reached at A A B U S H O U S H E H @ H E A L T H D E S I G N .
ORG.

http://AABUSHOUSHEH@HEALTHDESIGN.ORG http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM

Healthcare Design - April 2021

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