Effective signage to orientate and enable

Wayfinding is one of the areas in which dementia environments struggle. Effective signage can enable care home residents to orient themselves in the space that they live in and locate key areas such as their own room, toilets and communal areas such as activity rooms and dining areas. Not being able to do this can be a source of anxiety so it is of the utmost importance to get it right. 

Traditionally, most signage for dementia environments was approached in a very similar way to signage for young children. It tended to be bright in colour and images were fairly primitive in style. There did not appear to be any specific theory behind this colour choice, and in addition architects and designers creating these environments seemed reluctant to specify them. 

In order to create something that delivered on its objective of aiding successful wayfinding for those with dementia while also being aesthetically appropriate for the environment, it was therefore necessary to determine how people with dementia perceive informational signage and research the latest thinking on presenting such information.