Lady Wigram Village — Dementia

210 Kittyhawk Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch

Designing beautiful, functional spaces is never simply about looks, and Kirkcaldie’s work at the Lady Wigram Village’s specialised dementia care unit called for a truly bespoke approach to achieve the desired result. The 40-bed care facility provides a residential care service for patients with a complex range of needs requiring careful thought and planning to enhance the living environment and help keep patients safe.

Guests and visitors are made to feel welcome in the calming foyer area, painted in soft terracotta, complemented by quality, classic furniture and tonal artworks. Recreation rooms follow themes designed to jog memories and include a brick bakery façade and a weatherboard florist shop frontage. Colourful activity boards are mounted on hallway walls.

Wayfinding can be a challenge for dementia patients. To help orientate residents, hallways are decorated with themed artworks depicting familiar scenes such as the Wanaka lake front. To further assist residents, custom pin up boards for personal photos are attached to the doors of each room.

Careful selection of flooring and wallcoverings was crucial to creating a safe and calming environment at the unit. Busy or repetitive designs can be distracting for patients or cause them to become fascinated by the patterns, similarly the walls and flooring need to contrast to avoid confusion.

Kirkcaldie was delighted to contribute to creating a supportive environment for residents with specialised needs, helping to provide an enhanced living experience.