3. 3 of 20
Ways to reduce environmental stress
• Increase connection to nature. This effect can be achieved by
providing: views to the outside, interior gardens or aquariums, or art
with a nature theme.
• Provide pleasant diversions. Diversions may include: artwork of
nature (not abstract art), videos of nature, and aquariums
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Ways to reduce stress and improve patient outcomes
continued…
• Offer options and choices -Options include the ability to: adjust
lighting and temperature, choose music, select places to sit, and
control the timing of meals.
• Enhance social support -Social support can be enhanced by providing
lounges with comfortable furniture that can be arranged as desired,
designing rooms to accommodate visitors, and making it comfortable
for visitors to stay overnight.
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Why is interior design significant for well-being?
• Getting the correct environment for a
person can help facilitate their wellbeing
making them happier and likely to live
longer
• The design of an environment through a
variety of means such as temperature,
sounds, layout, lighting, and colours can
stimulate perceptual and emotional
responses in people and affect their
behaviour
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Colour has been found to
increase a person’s arousal
(Huchendorf, 2007).
A colour can change our
mood from sad to happy,
from confusion to
intelligence, from fear to
confidence. It can actually be
used to “level out” emotions
or to create different moods
The Importance Of
Colour
8. 8 of 20
Checklist…
• Provide correct lighting levels
• Help aid hobbies with practical lamps
• Good bathroom mirror lights
• Chose warm bulbs rather than cold white ones
• Provide double circuits
• Dimmers
Lighting
9. 9 of 20
Type of floor Advantages Disadvantages
Carpet Soft and warm Poor air quality and hard to
keep clean
Cork Floors Soft and non slip. Easy to
clean
Easily water damaged
Linoleum Flooring Easily cleaned Expensive
Vinyl Flooring Easy to care for and
impervious to stains and
water damage
Bad impact on the
environment and slippery
surface
Rubber floors Soft and non slip and can be
impervious to stains and
water damage
Expensive and can smell
Avoid natural stone, brick, ceramic and glass
Flooring
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• Z-Wave is a wireless
technology that makes regular
household products, "smart“.
• When you're at home you can use
your tablet or smart phone to
control your environment.
• Make a "wake up" scene that
warms the house, turns on a few
lights and starts your coffee
Technology
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Law of closure: we want things to look
finished
Law of similarity: we tend to group
similar things together
Law of proximity: the closer things are,
the more we want to group them
Law of continuity: we see points that
are connected by straight or curving
lines as belonging together in a way
that follows the smoothest path
Law of foreground: we can only see
the positive or negative aspects of an
item one at a time (i.e. drawings
where can see an old woman outline
in black and a young woman in white)
Vision and Artwork- Gestalt theory
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Lavender- relaxing, relief from
headaches, muscle pain and stress.
Improvement in depression and
insomnia diseases
Mint- As vapour it is used to treat
bronchitis, asthma and coughing. It also
relieves mental fatigue, nervous stress
and palpitations
Jasmine- The essential oil is anti-
inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic and
expectorant. It is also a natural anti-
depressive agent and can produce
optimism and euphoria sensation
Aromas
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• Window shutters
• Window blankets
• Soundproof carpet
• Other pleasant noises
How to combat noise
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Furniture
Provide a variety of comfortable seat heights to suit all mobility groups and
ages.
Contrast upholstery fabrics with surrounding materials to help residents
navigate a room.
Consider sustainable materials.
Provide a variety of comfortable seat heights to suit all mobility groups and
ages.
Contrast upholstery fabrics with surrounding materials to help residents
navigate a room.
Consider sustainable materials.
19. 19 of 20
Ergonomic kitchens
Put floor mats in front of the stove and sink and other places
where someone might need to do a lot of standing.
Because it is hard for many seniors to raise their arms above
their shoulders, avoid high storage for frequently used items.
The storage should be below shoulder height,
Replace shelves in overhead cabinet with pull-down shelves.
Put the microwave on the counter instead of overhead above
the stove. This is a safe and simply way to avoid burns from hot
spills which are especially dangerous to the elderly, whose
thinner skin is easily burned
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Summary
• The right interior design can reduce stress and promote well-being
• Making sure the home is equipped with the right materials and furniture is
essential to keep older adults safe and well
