Lighthouse is the recently refurbished 10-bed dementia-specific household at Crowley Care in Ballina.
Thoughtful consideration was given to all aspects of the design to help Crowley achieve their goal in providing inspirational living experiences to their residents. The applied design principles reinstated a sense of privacy in a layout that has direct line of sight from bedroom to living areas.
In an environment committed to the comfort and wellbeing of their residents, creating a sense of belonging was a key principle in designing the dementia-specific household, Lighthouse. Incorporating different coloured bedroom doors, nooks for memory boxes and coat hooks for personal belongings promotes personalization for each resident’s bedrooms and creates a sense of belonging.
Through the refurbishment of Lighthouse, considered spaces have been created to allow residents to be able to participate fully in life through their facilities and accommodation. When designing the project, upgrading the kitchen to prioritize resident access and use was a high priority. By including the resident accessible kitchen in the home, this supports the kitchen-dining connection and enables visual engagement for residents to watch and be active in the kitchen.
Bedrooms were given a lighter touch, with new wall and floor coverings. Curtains were also replaced with a roller blind and sheer curtain, to improve flexibility and resident control.
The redeveloped outdoor space provides opportunities for residents to engage their senses. Numerous resting points were designed along the path with engaging outlooks towards Ballina’s North Creek, and tonal contrasting used between the path and the landscaping to enable clear wayfinding.
Activities for engagement and supporting wayfinding were also key design principles. To reflect this, people-centered environments were created with spaces for social connection, including space for groups of people to be outside at the same time, and space for grandkids to run around and play when visiting.