The number of Alzheimer’s patients is expected to increase up to the year 2050 from the current 1.6 million to three million. The disease is considered incurable. For a life of dignity homes, tinkering, however, as a rule, the right of the parallel worlds – with alpacas, plain floors, and without a mirror.
First, it is the search for the key, then the missed appointment, and later on the way home is heavy and the own children to Strangers. Dementia makes people Forget sink. Some run away time and again. Because the home is suddenly alien – you just want to go home. Some of the homes and public buildings, and bus stops which residents waited then the Bus stopped. It is now more likely. More and more homes but in the gardens and paths that ultimately lead in circles: Run impossible. But people can live out their strong need to move safely.
They sought over the decades, especially after therapies, and hoped to vaccination, caregivers, Doctors, and architects have been trying for a few years, with the design of spaces on the dwindling mental capabilities.
The environment must adapt to the people
If the person cannot adapt to the environment, then it must adapt the environment to the people, says the Director of the Bavarian Institute for age and dementia sensitive architecture, Birgit Dietz. To the world-Alzheimertag this Friday, she has published a book on the topic. Light, colors, smells, acoustics, and symbols can support, according to Dietz: How people can develop a kind of personal map of the city in mind: one’s own house or room to recognize how you come to the toilet. There were in this about to the door, a mirror, my some people with dementia who sees it, whether the toilet is occupied. Here to help, the mirror is essentially. Sometimes it is quite banal things.
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By 2050, three million dementia patients
More than 1.6 million people in Germany have dementia, two-thirds of them Alzheimer’s. By 2050, it is expected in the case of rising life expectancy, with three million dementia patients. Until today the disease is incurable.
In the clinic of the Technical University of Munich, psychiatry and psychotherapy, head of the dementia clinic, Janine Diehl-Schmid, the architect of Dietz tried different things, to provide more security and orientation, as in the case of the floors: solid light grey or grey with black transverse stripes. The patient saw the latter as a-level or trap-door. Tripping hazard – especially if the disease progresses. Then it is already harder, to the experiential world of the patient to participate. You know little about. This is the crux of the disease: people can no longer report it to us. We can only observe carefully, says Diehl-Schmid.
The motion detector and the light strip can point the way, colored markings, light switch, sink, toilet glasses, or plates. Labels or pictures on cupboards to facilitate Finding things, even at the end of electrical equipment tripping ban dangers. The Next one will be: How can digitisation and phone help applications?, Diehl-Schmid says. I have more and more patients have a Tracker on it. To control where you are.
In the world of patient thinking
It is in the more and more fall to pieces at the end of the world, says Dietz. If, for example, a black pattern can be perceived in the ground as holes, it could mean: Let’s not a black manhole cover. Who look at a Situation in a black-and-white photo, recognize where problems might arise. White stripes, for example, serve the visually impaired for orientation, can be the case for dementia patients to the risk of tripping because they see it as a stage. These goal conflicts have to be aware of to be able to careful considerations at the planning meeting.
Alois Alzheimer discovered the disease over 100 years ago
As first recognized by Alois Alzheimer over 100 years ago, the then named after him, the Form of the brain disease. The loss of memory of the 51-year-old Auguste Deter was the Doctors puzzles. Alzheimer’s dialogue with her went down in the history of medicine: what’s your name? – Auguste. – Family name? – Auguste. – What is the name of her husband? – I Auguste believe. After her death he discovered in your brain to a massive cell loss and abnormal protein deposits. These are considered to be the main cause of Alzheimer’s disease by destroying about nerve cells, inflammation reactions, and the signal transmission between the nerve cells hinder.
How far volunteers can go in dealing with confused people? Must lock systems of the doors when you approach? Hurt fake stops Would be? Dementia villages are like in the Danish city of Svendborg, in the Dutch town of De Hogeweyk, and in the case of Hameln a solution?
In many of the homes will be adapted, experimented with, transformed. In the Park of the Munich pen-house, St. Martin’s, a station was dismantled. Who knew you still know that there is never a Bus stop and am frustrated, says the head of the sheltered enclosed area, Laura Otto. Milk glass at the station door has been removed.
Alpacas as therapy animals
Now the inhabitants of what is going on out there, see the employee of the Munich pin-Board, Susanne Krempl says. This could bring more unrest. But, We want as much freedom as possible. Instead of the Bushalts a small animal enclosure is planned. Animals are like music is often the key to demented people. About the Congregatio Jesu in Neuburg on the Danube, recently took in alpacas as therapy animals for people with dementia sisters.
In addition to the design of the environment, there is a very important topic: the health-care crisis, says Diehl-Schmid. Before I adapt the architecture, I wish I was enough many, the dementia experienced nurses. Dietz says: We need both, because the architecture can support care and reduce the burden. Your request: Common research approaches and a multidisciplinary Department.