A Universal Design Perspective on Care Homes for Elderly People with and Without Dementia.

Within the coming years considerable resources will be spent on designing assisted living facilities for elderly people with dementia. Traditionally care homes are designed for elderly with physical impairment. However, people with dementia have others and supplementary needs. An important challenge is therefore to identify differences and similarities in what makes supportive, pleasant environments for both groups. As the group of people with Alzheimer's disease is numerous, this paper focuses on characteristics related to Alzheimer's - typically difficulties related to orientation, coping with larger groups of residential units and a lack of ability to handle welfare technology. In these respects, care homes for people with dementia differ from other settings. However, people with dementia are known to be positively sensitive to a wide range of architectural qualities such as sensory experiences, atmosphere and access to green outdoor areas. The paper argues that since these qualities have importance for a wider group of elderly, the design of care homes in this respect can be considered as an example of universal design in general. Pointing out some similarities and differences in demands for elderly with and without dementia the paper raises the question in how far it might be possible to apply some architectural qualities to care homes in general. If possible, it may lift the quality of the physical environment and at the same time make fewer alterations necessary when care homes are changed to house other inhabitants. The analysis is based on existing literature combined with own studies.

Can We Build Inclusion?

Inclusion of children with special needs in kindergartens and preschools may be approached from different angles. This paper raises the question of whether the physical framework of kindergartens makes any difference for daily life at the kindergarten at all, and whether it can support inclusion of some children with special needs. Hence the title - can we build inclusion? In the literature of Universal Design, accommodation and design features seldom reflect the less visible disabilities. The paper is based on a research project initiated to investigate how more or less space influences daily pedagogical practice in general. Twelve interviews were conducted with experienced teachers from twelve different kindergartens with different amounts of space, varying from a ratio of 2.1 m2 play area per child to 5.5 m2. The results indicated that, for a group of children with special needs in particular, the amount of space is crucial. This group consisted of children who were socially very extrovert, and who maybe were noisy, easily provoked, and quick to get involved in arguments with other children. Alternatively, children in the group were very restrained and withdrawn in social interaction. Based on the answers in the interviews, we found support for answering the question in the title in the affirmative; we can build inclusion! This is because the teachers' experience indicated that, if there was sufficient space per child, there were fewer conflicts and the children managed to stay in the same activity for a much longer period. Sufficient space made it possible to divide the children into smaller groups, and use any secluded space. Therefore, it was much easier for other children to include some children with special needs. Accordingly, we can say that, sufficient space per child and an adequate layout and furnishing of the kindergarten is an advantage for all children. This is a clear example of Universal Design in which architectural solutions that are good for one specific group are also beneficial for all children.

Designing for health in school buildings: between research and practice.

AIM: To investigate the kinds of knowledge practitioners use when planning and designing for health in school buildings. METHODS: Twelve semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with architects, teachers and officials to investigate use of knowledge in the making of school buildings. RESULTS: Practitioners drew on many kinds and sources of knowledge, but in particular they made use of concepts, examples or pictures or thought-provoking knowledge. However, the interviews indicate a number of hurdles for efficient knowledge sharing between research and practice: (1) a considerable discrepancy between kinds of knowledge used by practice and knowledge traditionally produced by research; (2) research-knowledge and practice-knowledge form two circuits and the flow from one circuit to the other is weak; (3) practitioners' knowledge was often based on experience and therefore person-dependent. It makes the knowledge vulnerable. CONCLUSIONS: Special attention has to be paid by research to concepts and principles to guide the decision-making in practice. Further is recommended to consider new kinds of collaboration between researchers and practitioners.