Research On Supportive Design Of Residential Space For People With Cognitive Impairment

In recent years,the number of people with cognitive impairment in the world has increased rapidly.In China,the public lacks understanding of cognitive impairment.At the same time,medical diagnosis is not immediate and the number of care facilities and service for people with cognitive impairment is insufficient and expensive.This is why the majority of people with with cognitive impairment are still receiving care at home.Because of cognitive decline,people with dementia should be taken care for at home.Howere,research on living environment is mainly concentrated in care facilities and the research on residence is still insufficient.In this paper,literature research,observation,in-depth interviewes and other research methods are used to sort out the multi-level related research on living spaces of people with cognitive impairment.Through the review of domestic and foreign research supplementing field research,this study proposes the core of supportive design of residential space.The core of designing residential space for people with cognitive impairment is to refine of existing research.Secondly,through investigating the Special Care Unit places and the survey of households,we understand the living situation and space use of people with cognitive impairment in China at present.After checking and complementing the design elements extracted from the literature,the support ive design core is put forward for the residential space of people with cognitive impairment in China.These cores include support for safty and security,support for wayfinding,support for accessability,support for positive stimulation and life continuity.The supportive design of residential unit appearance is designed from facade and entrance.The directional design of unit facade is designed from three aspects: facade composition,color material and detail node.The accessibility and directional support design of the unit's entrance is carried out from two aspects: the entity elements of the entrance space and the visual identification system.The supportive design of the traffic space of the residential unit is discussed from four main aspects: physical and mental safety support,accessibility support,cognitive support and positive stimulation support.The design strategies and corresponding implementation details of the traffic space,such as stair space,elevator space and standard floor corridor,are also proposed.The supportive design of the residential interior is carried out from two aspects,the layout pattern and the inner space.The layout pattern is carried out from the combination of the supportive design,the variation accessibility of the residential space and supplemented by the supportive design examples of layout pattern.The supportive design of the inner space is mainly carried out from four aspects: support for safety and security,support for wayfind,support for life sustaining support and positive stimulus.Through the concept and strategy of supportive design for people with cognitive impairment,this paper aims to provide a reference for the design of new residences and renovations.