AAU Student Projects - visit Aalborg University's student projects portal
A master's thesis from Aalborg University
Book cover


When life outlive memories: - Designing a dementia friendly nursing home

Translated title

When life outlives memories: - Designing a dementia friendly nursing home

Authors

; ;

Term

4. term

Publication year

2017

Submitted on

Pages

164

Abstract

Dette speciale udvikler et moderne, demensvenligt plejehjem og dagcenter. Demens – en sygdom der påvirker hukommelse og tænkning – bliver mere udbredt. I Danmark anslås det, at 84.000 mennesker lever med demens i dag, og tallet forventes næsten at fordobles inden 2040. Samtidig har hver femte beboer på plejehjem en demensdiagnose, men kun en ud af syv boligenheder er indrettet med demens for øje. For at kunne designe demensvenligt bygger projektet på et omfattende program med analyser af sygdommen og de mennesker, den rammer, af eksisterende plejehjem og dagcentre samt af projektstedets kontekst. Da analyserne på området ofte peger i forskellige – og til tider modstridende – retninger, diskuterer specialet, hvordan demensvenligt design kan omsættes i praksis. Det endelige forslag, Dementia and Brain Centre Aarhus (DBC Aarhus), består af tre boligblokke med cirkulær plan omkring et centralt, beskyttet gårdrum. Dagcenteret er hjertet i DBC Aarhus og samler kulturelle aktiviteter, undervisningsfaciliteter og korttidsboliger til gavn for både beboere og besøgende. Hele komplekset er udformet til at være så stressfrit som muligt, let at finde rundt i og med et komfortabelt indeklima.

This thesis develops a modern, dementia-friendly nursing home and day care centre. Dementia—an illness that affects memory and thinking—is becoming more widespread. In Denmark, an estimated 84,000 people live with dementia today, and this number is expected to nearly double by 2040. At the same time, one in five nursing home residents has a dementia diagnosis, yet only one in seven housing units in nursing homes are designed with dementia in mind. To guide a dementia-friendly design, the project draws on an extensive program of analyses: the illness and who it affects, existing nursing homes and day care centres, and the context of the project site. Because studies often point in different—and sometimes contradictory—directions, the thesis discusses how dementia-friendly design can be carried out in practice. The final proposal, Dementia and Brain Centre Aarhus (DBC Aarhus), consists of three housing blocks with circular layouts around a central, sheltered courtyard. At its heart is the day care centre, which brings together cultural activities, educational facilities, and short-term housing for the benefit of residents and visitors. The whole complex aims to be as stress-free as possible, easy to navigate, and to provide a comfortable indoor climate.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]