CARE
The technology can enable people to live in their own home, in their own neighbourhood, as opposed to residential care
it also means that the tenant receiving care at home can stay in touch with their care provider at the touch of a button and have video calls with them too.” OUTSIDE THE BOX Providers are really starting to think outside the box when designing residential care homes and independent living schemes, building and adapting their services around the common needs of their client group and making changes to suit individuals. In September last year, the Abbeyfield Society opened a multi-million pound dementia care home with lots of clever design features to ensure residents are happy, safe and stimulated. The 60-bed Berkshire home is the result of years of research from Abbeyfield, and designed entirely with dementia in mind. Each resident has their own front door, letterbox and key, as well as a ‘window’ beside their front door containing a memory box filled with personal items to help them identify it as their own. The hallways also have adjustable lighting to help residents recognise whether it is night or day. Royal Blind in Scotland are expanding their services beyond their Edinburgh base, opening their first care home for elderly visually impaired people in Paisley. The new-build, which is opening in October, has been designed with visual impairment in mind, and features specialist lighting to reduce glare, hand rails to make moving
around easier, tactile signage, talking notice boards and a sensory garden. “It’s all been specially designed for people with sight loss, and all the staff will be trained from the very beginning in working with people with sight loss,” says the organisation’s Davina Shiell.
include details like window handle heights, circulation space and potential for fitting hoists. The idea is that people will be able to enjoy their home now, and stay there forever, adapting to their needs, rather than having to move when they get older. As technology – and thinking – within the housing and care sectors develops, more and more is being done to enable disabled people to live full and independent lives. The home of the future might not be to space ship standards – but it has got access in mind.
ACCESS FIRST Building design, like with Abbeyfield and Royal Blind’s new developments, is starting to come round to the way of access too, with the Lifetime Homes standards becoming commonplace for many developers and local authorities. i FIND OUT MORE In London, all local Blackwood authority housing www.blackwoodgroup.org.uk is now built to 0131 317 7227 the standards – a set of 16 design Abbeyfield criteria which make www.abbeyfield.com a house more 01727 857 536 accessible, and easy Lifetime Homes to adapt. www.lifetimehomes.org.uk The criteria
Royal Blind
www.royalblind.org 0131 229 1456
Canary Care
www.canarycare.co.uk 01865 408 366
GrandCare
www.grandcare.co.uk 0161 241 1777
www.enablemagazine.co.uk
034-035_EN_SO17_Housing.indd 35
35
29/08/2017 09:28