Abstract
The evolution of a design embodying the alliance of movement to sensory stimulus for confused and Alzheimer sufferers.
The paper is an account of the design concept of an Elderly Severely Mentally I11 (ESMI) unit under the Government Private Finance Initiative (PFI) rules. Previous papers by the author recorded the development of elderly care nursing units that sought to use the planning of circulation as a means to provide stimulation for patients. The results demonstrated a therapeutic value for this approach.
In the latest version for ESMI, the concept has been taken further with the creation of a "Memory Trail" that provides a choice of routes with organised points of interest containing stimulus for the senses in order to trigger memory.
This is seen as beneficial not only for patient but also provides a positive role for relatives in escorting and planning the "journey". The paper records how the design amended the original brief by the participation of user groups re-evaluating the requirements in discussion and visits to earlier versions of this approach.
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