Dementia-friendly ward opened in hospital

The ward uses colour to direct and calm patients

A hospital has opened its first fully dementia-friendly ward.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust has installed features "proven to have a calming influence" or help avoid confusion.

The new Care of the Elderly ward at South Tyneside District Hospital in South Shields is painted in pastel shades and uses colour-coding to make the purpose of different areas clear to patients.

Nurse consultant for older persons Chris Cairns said the ward had "many features" based on research carried out into keeping patients safe.

The previously white and beige Ward 8 had been used during the Covid pandemic as an intensive care unit but became free when a tailor-made replacement was set up on the hospital's ground floor.

As a ward dedicated to older patients it now has pastel-coloured walls to "create a calm environment", along with diffused lighting to reduce shadows.

Mr Cairns said: "We know it helps because patients don’t think they’re going to trip over what is really a shadow or think it’s something it’s not if they are experiencing delirium."

Unsettling time

Colour-coded blue and green bays will help patients return to their own bed more easily and bright yellow toilet doors with images will aid those who struggle with words, the trust said.

Meanwhile, doors to staff areas and other sections not used by patients are painted white to blend in with the main corridor.

Mr Cairns said staying in a hospital, which is busy and unfamiliar, can be "unsettling " for anyone.

"We know it’s extra hard for those who have dementia, are experiencing delirium or maybe struggle to see or hear as well as they once did," he said.

"Now it will be very clear which areas are for them."