Chalmers Conferences, ARCH12

Use of exit concealment techniques to reduce the unwanted exit attempts in nursing homes: an exploratory study
Pauline Mourits, Eliane Schreuder, Sanja Durmisevic

Last modified: 2014-09-11

Abstract


Main goal of this exploratory research was to study the perceived effectiveness, perceived safety and satisfaction of residents, their relatives and staff regarding a specific design feature of a nursing home: concealment of exits (such as a bookcase, train compartment and forest) that has been applied in order to reduce the amount of unwanted exit attempts. The study was carried out using semi-structured interviews and focus group techniques. The results indicate that residents, their relatives and staff are generally satisfied with the applied design principles. According to the participants, the concealment design principles contribute to the peacefulness of the unit, they give rise to a conversation and are part of the emotion-focused care. Regarding the perceived safety and the effectiveness of the concealment technique, in order to guarantee safety, additional measures are required.

Keywords


dementia; interior design; exit attempts; wellbeing

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