Dementia Design Forum

Photo by Luiz Medeiros For th e last 13 years I’ve spent mo st of my time and effort designing products to support people living with dementi a, and one of the first things I learnt was how changes in visual perception are critically influential. My initial dementia-design challe nge was creating internal signs that were highly visible and easier to interpret for people who live with dementia. Essentially I created two types: signs for toilets and bathrooms, and signs that enable people to identify their own room. My d esigns have been used all around the world and there are literally millions of examples whi ch observe this design – the difference tends to be the quality of materials and execution but they all follow the same visual construct. Working with the signage took me all over the place and I met some brilliant people, literally. One particularly brilliant University professor in Scotland was responsible for my reminiscence epiphany! The first time we met we talked for may...