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The architects highlighted the importance of colour and light
within facilities for the elderly and they discussed colour, light
and space in terms of inseparable aspects of the environment.
They discussed the purpose of the building and different spaces
as central when planning residential facilities. Comparing to
the nursing home staff and managers they talked about colour
and light as aspects to understand and to interpret the room
and were not so focused on details such as fittings and objects.
According to this study it seems that some research within this
field had reached the professionals working with residential
settings since they were using colour coding and contrasts
to support the older persons. The architects reported that
colour and light could be used to conceal things in the physical
environment which was not the case for the nursing staff or
managers who only talked about intensifying aspects. A major-
ity of the informants had knowledge about flooring and to avoid
dark lines or spots in the floor surface when caring for persons
with dementia.
Conclusion
The findings from this study show that there is a need to in-
crease the knowledge about the interaction between colour and
light for nursing home staff and managers. Since colour and
light always are interacting and affecting each other, the physi-
cal environment could be improved if the staff and managers
are aware of this phenomenon and use this knowledge when
adjusting the physical environment to support the residents.
As a conclusion, it is important with knowledge sharing and
interdisciplinary work between different professions in order to
increase the design quality within nursing home facilities and
enhance the living conditions for this vulnerable group of our
population.
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