Sensory bedroom created to support patients with complex dementia in Bromsgrove hospital's specialist unit
The bedroom on New Haven's Meadow Ward located at the Princess of Wales Community Hospital aims to offer patients a safe space which can support them
Bromsgrove's New Haven Meadow Ward has had a new sensory bedroom installed on it to enhance its support for those who have complex dementia.
Located at the Princess of Wales Community Hospital, the project was led by ward manager Sarah Taylor and occupational therapist Clare McFadyen after they identified a growing need for a more purpose-designed environment to meet the changing needs of their patients.
In the room itself, it has soft flooring and padded walls to help prevent injury and support easier movement, particularly for those with poor spatial awareness or difficulties with balance and coordination.
Integrated sensory lighting and an in-built sound system are used to provide visual and auditory stimulation to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation and to create a therapeutic space that feels more welcoming and less clinical.
"Although memory difficulties can be and often is a key feature of dementia, some people who have dementia might experience other difficulties, perhaps with balance or vision or smell or touch, or spatial awareness," McFadyen said.
"Not everyone living with dementia will experience all of those issues but as a specialist unit we provide for people with a wide range of experiences and so staff wanted to create a bedroom for patients who might experienced some of these other challenges.
"That was the key driver and motivator for why we wanted to create that space, having a bit of an understanding about some of the complex needs that our patients sometimes have."
Earlier this year the ward was named the People’s Choice winner at the Design in Mental Health Awards which recognised their work to create a dementia garden which is also located on the ward called Meadow Green.