Residents' choice

Having a range of appropriate solution to choose from allows personalisation, helping residents maintain a sense of ‘self’ and enabling them to have a wider choice when they are involved in choosing their own décor. The Altro Space Visualiser can help residents see what their surroundings could look like.

It’s no surprise that colour plays an important role in creating a home. Altro flooring and wall cladding solutions can be used to create certain moods, stimulate or calm depending on the needs of the residents. The vast choice we offer also means that when residents choose their own décor, we have something to suit everyone.

There are no hard and fast rules on using colour, it’s about considering the needs and tastes of the particular residents. We do know:

• Humans have an attachment to nature as our body is synced to the natural environment around us. It’s called Biophilia. It means we are more likely to resonate with colours which are linked to nature and this can help with psychological recuperation. In care homes this can be achieved through colour but also using images of nature on the walls, created with Altro Whiterock Digiclad.
• Bright colours appeal to children and create stimulating, fun rooms however, for those with autism, oranges, reds and yellows can be overstimulating. They can cause an increase in heart rate and loss of temper. However, red can stimulate appetite which is important in residential care, so it’s about balance and being in tune with the residents’ needs. Using Altro Whiterock Splashbacks or using colour on the floor, rather than the walls, can be less overwhelming. It is recommended that learning areas or Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) rooms are a neutral grey so as not to distract from learning areas within the rooms, which tend to be brightly coloured.
• For the aging eye, the yellowing of the eye lens means that the blue end of the spectrum is lost first so many care homes with older residents prefer neutral shades or those at the yellow/red end of the spectrum.

If you need to choose colours that complement your branding or overall colour scheme, please speak with your Altro Consultant, who will be able to help.

Guidance to consider

• Use different colour schemes between clinical and non-clinical areas
• Choose colours that are visible to the eye of people living with dementia
• Consider visual impairments and light reflectance when selecting the colour palette for specific areas
• Use colour accents that promote appetite
• For walls, colours in the red to yellow zone are more easily identifiable than blues and greens. Soft white works well as a base colour

For more information see wayfinding and support orientation and to see what our shades look like in-situ, take a look at the Altro Space Visualiser.