Research:

‘Deception’ in design

A lot of dementia care homes resort to creating ‘fake’ realities in the aim of creating a safe living environment. Such ‘fake’ realities include nonfunctioning shops, transport and material finishes like ‘fake’ bookcases. This is with the aim of transporting patients to an era before their illness consumed them. However, the argument about whether designing to deceive is ethical or not remains.

An example of a dementia care home creating fake realities for its patients is The Lantern Care Home, Ohio. There are fake porches, grass, and even a fake fibre optic sky which releases different ‘aromas’ throughout different times of the day to stimulate certain feelings within the patients.

There is an abundance of research suggesting other effective solutions to designing environments for those with Alzheimer’s that do not use deception, such as careful materiality choices, spatial layouts and creating both social and private spaces.