Way back home: A new care environment for dementia
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Other Title
Authors
Shayal, Shonika
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Master of Architecture (Professional)
Grantor
Unitec, Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
Date
2022-10
Supervisors
O'Connell, Ainsley
Foote, Hamish
Chaplin, David
Foote, Hamish
Chaplin, David
Type
Masters Thesis
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
Flat Bush (Auckland, N.Z.)
Auckland (N.Z.)
New Zealand
people with senile dementia
architecture for patients with dementia
dementia facilities
older people
therapeutic design
age-friendly design
Auckland (N.Z.)
New Zealand
people with senile dementia
architecture for patients with dementia
dementia facilities
older people
therapeutic design
age-friendly design
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Shayal, S. (2022). Way back home: A new care environment for dementia (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional)). Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6096
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION
How can architectural stimulation improve the wellbeing of individuals with dementia in care facilities?”
ABSTRACT
50 million people are living with dementia and an estimated 70,000 of those are in New Zealand. These numbers are expected to double every twenty years, which means dementia cases in New Zealand could reach around 170,000 by 2050. The diagnosis drastically affects an individual’s lifestyle due to brain deterioration, leading to difficulty in performing basic daily tasks and the effect on memory and thinking with time. As there is no cure, people with dementia rely on 24 hour care that nursing homes are able to provide. However, these spaces are designed with regards to efficiency and health requirements, resulting in an institutionalised environment with little to no attention to the needs outside medical care. Due to the lack of understanding about this disease in New Zealand, people with dementia are treated differently and the idea of nursing homes is stigmatised in many cultures.
This project proposes to identify a range of elements that can work together to create an architectural form in order to argue against the stigmatisation of nursing/ retirement facilities. In order to produce an environment that is mentally stimulating for those with dementia and positively affects the overall wellbeing of the residents on the site. This has led to the research question: “How can architectural stimulation improve the wellbeing of individuals with dementia in care facilities?” By identifying dementia-friendly design methods beyond basic needs, innovation is achieved by including cultural ideologies of care of elderly family members. In order to provide a space that encourages community awareness, education and opportunities for growth in self-esteem for dementia-diagnosed individuals. This environment provides for its primary residents with dementia and the needs of secondary occupants on the site, such as staff and family.
The research is introduced through understanding the cause, stages and effects dementia has on an individual compared to someone who is not diagnosed, followed by identifying a range of dementia-friendly design principles, through focusing on possibilities and not the limitations of a person with dementia. In order to achieve a new design, which eventually aims to provide fulfilling lifestyle for their time in care. Elements are found through design theories, existing health design strategies, amenities required for the care and possible new forms of elements relating to the physiological stimulation of the brain. Analysis of both the existing care facility on the selected site of Summerset by the Park and of modern health care facilities specifically designed for dementia, has been used to identify the innovations occurring outside of standardised architecture for care homes and applied in this project.
The project redesigns the retirement facility of Summerset by the Park in Flatbush, Auckland. This redesign focuses on accommodating dementia-diagnosed individuals and acts as one of the pillars of wellbeing in Ormiston. This is accomplished through encouraging the surrounding community to become a part of a new care environment that challenges the stigmatised ideas of a nursing home. The inclusion of the community eliminates social boundaries and raises awareness. Through the use of disguised care, this care environment helps those with dementia to have freedom without being confined to a room and encourages exploration in a safe and supporting environment, overall showcasing how architecture has the power to contribute positively to the care of dementia.
Site: Sumerset by the Park, Flat Bush, Auckland, New Zealand
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