How colour effects people living with Dementia

How colour effects people living with Dementia

How Colour Effects People Living with Dementia

This week is Dementia Awareness Week and is something we feel very strongly about here at Uniforms4Healthcare.

Last week I attended training to become a Dementia Champion and one of the most important aspects of caring for people who are living with Dementia is to be very aware of the impact of colour and patterns.

 People living with Dementia see patterns very differently to people living without Dementia. Swirling patterns on floors can look like snakes, spotty patterns can look like bugs, Black doormats on the floor can look like deep holes, couple this with the usual place you will find doormats – I’m sure you can appreciate how difficult this can make life for people living with Dementia.

Colours and contrast is crucial to people living with Dementia, a white table with a bright red plate is so much easier for the person to see clearly and use than a white plate on a white table. The same goes for uniforms, carers and nurses around patients ideally should wear something bright and contrasting against the environment they work in.

Red is also a great colour for people caring for Dementia patients as this is a colour that can seen clearly even through to the very late stages of Dementia. It is also a colour that helps to stimulate people with Dementia, increasing their appetite and activity levels. The colour red is shown to increase brain activity.

Pioneering Dementia care givers such as The Retreat in York, have opted for Bright Red uniforms which help patients identify careers and nurses, but also help with the added benefits of the colour red in their environment. We have a number of uniforms that are available in Red colour ways to help caring for people living with Dementia, including our Belle, Legacy and Clarity tunics. 

     

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