During the recent Dementia Matters webinar, Lynsey Hutchinson, Interior Designer and Accreditations Assessor at the University of Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), announced that Furncare had just been awarded A1 & Gold Standard ratings for dementia-friendly interiors. Furncare’s exclusive Admonere wardrobes, drawer units, dressing tables and bedside cabinets were awarded the highest A1 rating.

Complementing the Admonere cabinets in the Remini Dementia Collection, are coordinated lounge and visitor chairs, upholstered in contrasting high-performance fabrics.

The Remini Collection features specialist room themes for those living with dementia. It includes fully electronic profiling beds, matching curtains, soft furnishings and accessories, and achieved the highest ‘Gold Standard’ rating.

Creating dementia-friendly environments

Having celebrated the news, the panel then explored more factors to consider when caring for residents with dementia, creating dementia-friendly environments and improving CQC ratings. Hosted by Mike Goldwater from Furncare, Lynsey Hutchinson and David Wilson-Wynne from the DSDC joined Ruth French of Stow Healthcare and Director of The Outstanding Society, and Paul Gaskell from Runwood Homes on the panel. Jade Eaglen, Interior Design Coordinator at Furncare completed the expert line up.

Dementia is like a thief…

David Wynne-Wilson from the DSDC gave an overview of dementia and the care challenges it presents. Paul Gaskell of Runwood Homes explained aspects of his dementia care model and training courses. He likened dementia to a thief, stealing different things from different people. “When we know the individual, we can see what dementia is stealing, and can help to replace some of those missing pieces.”

Ruth French agreed, and highlighted the importance of documented evidence of change on the journey from ‘requires improvement’ to an ‘outstanding’ CQC rating. She recalled the documented story of a resident who could no longer shave himself. Trained carers encouraged him to use a vegetable peeler to prepare carrots until he regained sufficient manual dexterity to use a razor again. A great example of how ‘lost’ functions can be retrieved with the right care and encouragement.

Light Reflectance Values (LRV)

LRV helps designers to plan dementia-friendly interiors. Lyndsey Hutchinson explained how these important values measure the contrast between different surfaces. 0 indicates black whilst 100 indicates white. Lyndsey recommended a difference of at least 30 points between surfaces to help dementia residents to make sense of their environment. Jade Eaglen agreed, and explained why the LRV for each product is specified in the Remini Collection.

The Remini Dementia Collection is available from stock within just five days. For more information and to see the Dementia Matters webinar, visit furncare.co.uk/remini or call 01603 664 900.