“A must for all Residential Aged Care Facility Staff.”
– RACF Nurse Educator
Contrasting colours (on walls, floors, and skirting boards) provide spatial anchors that help patients navigate a space. However, tonally similar colours, like beige and tan, instil a murky disorientating feel.
Abstract imagery causes anxiety, whereas recognisable, bright, and clear photos leave patients with positive associations, connecting them to the subject matter. For example, in wayfinding, images of food signal a dining area. A small text sign on a door saying “Cafeteria” will be practically invisible to an aged person living with dementia.
Large interior windows into common areas and recreational spaces function in the same manner, allowing natural light to flow and longer sightlines to be established – creating familiar, easy to navigate and bright spaces.
– RACF Nurse Educator