Reports
Too many residents, family, and staff at long-term care have to experience sterile hospital-like spaces where they live, visit and work. Environments where everyone struggles to feels at home, where energy is sapped, and visitors think - I hope I never end up here.
You might find all the latest equipment, but efforts at creating a home-like physical environment are done as if they are after-thoughts.
Since 2014, True Doors decals have been improving the lives of people in residential long-term care by transforming impersonal hallways into beautiful, warm, and friendly spaces that feel like neighbourhoods with homes.
Read on to learn about the research and peoples' own practical experiences of True Doors.
They are very nice. They make the rooms seem much more personal and individual not so much like a hospital institution. They are also much more pleasing to look at and add artwork to the unit. Also the residents seem very pleased and take pride in their doors/rooms.– Member of staff | at Bedford Campus, Northwood in Nova Scotia, Canada
The door has really improved this elder’s quality of life. She was having a really hard time adjusting and identifying her room as her space. She was spending her days sitting outside of her room and guarding it to make sure that none of the other elders went in. She would frequently tell us we could have the room back and that she was going home. We have seen a huge improvement in her since we got her True Door in place. No more episodes of blocking her door, she finally identifies it as her room, and she is not constantly asking to go home every day. She absolutely loves the door and couldn’t believe it was hers. It has truly improved her quality of life.– Tiffany Terriaco | Assistant Director of Nursing at Nazareth Home in Louisville, Kentucky, United States
My Mum always has difficulty locating her room, today I noticed that mum correctly identified her room door as it had a True Door put on it – Well Done.– Erica Graca | Daughter of resident at Acacia Living Group in Western Australia
How personalising interiors improves the lives of people with dementia
In this age of innovation, so often involving technology, we think it’s important to look back at what has already been established as a simple, good practice, and yet, is too often forgotten.
Since the early 1980s, numerous “design guides” in the form of books and articles have offered planning, architectural, and interior design recommendations to instruct architects and care providers on how to enhance safety, a sense of being at home, and personalisation in dementia care.
Whilst the ideas in this report are simple and intuitive, they are not easy to do well. This report is useful for anyone interested in bringing to fruition ideas that help people with dementia. Everyone involved in long-term care will benefit from reading this report, including policymakers and ombudspeople, management, medical, care, recreational, and therapeutic staff.
The final chapter is dedicated to True Doors and includes reviews by staff and family members of residents in long-term care in Australia, Europe and North America.
Trimbos Institute Report about True Doors
An explorative study on the added value of True Doors for residents of care homes.
This initial proof of concept research, conducted by the Trimbos Institute, a global centre of excellence for mental health research, is available to anyone interested in learning more about the effect of True Doors on the orientation, mood, memories, feeling of privacy, general atmosphere and social interaction for Elders with dementia or people with psychiatric problems living in a nursing home.
Transform impersonal hallways into neighbourhoods with homes.
Help people to recognise and find their own doors. Increase privacy and sense of safety. Stimulate reminiscence and social interaction. Help elders feel at home, and energise staff with a beautiful workplace.