Dementia causes the loss of cognitive functions such as memory and reasoning. It affects more than 55 million people worldwide, with almost 10 million new cases each year. Living with dementia can be extremely difficult, given that its effects can vary by nature and severity from person to person.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is thought to contribute to 60-70% of cases worldwide. Though researchers are working tirelessly for a cure, it continues to evade them. However, there are plenty of ways that we can make life easier and more comfortable for people living with dementia.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, with World Alzheimer’s Day taking place on September 21. Ahead of this important date, print specialists Solopress have taken a look at how you can improve your inclusivity by ensuring your documents, posters, and signage are optimised for people living with Alzheimer’s.

Key Findings:

• Research shows that the use of colours can help enhance the memory of people living with Alzheimer’s.
• Therefore, bold, contrasting colours can help to properly convey a message, but intricate patterns and colours can be confusing.
• Associating different shapes with different ideas, concepts or decisions within your design can make your message easier for people living with dementia to understand.
• Sans-serif fonts like Arial in size 14 and above are easiest to read – block capitals are not recommended, as these can be difficult to differentiate between.
• Pictures can be helpful to ensure your message cuts through. Photographs are preferred to drawings or artists’ versions.
• Avoid making your signage using reflective materials – reflections can be confusing to people with dementia.
• By using durable materials, you can ensure the long-term efficacy of your sign.

Colours
Known to be one of the most powerful tools of communication, colour has a huge effect on the human brain, and has the potential to trigger emotions and memories. In fact, academic research has shown that the right colours can help enhance the memory of those living with Alzheimer’s, one of the most common forms of dementia.

Dementia can affect how a person views colours, particularly how they differentiate between certain colours. As a result, colours with a high level of contrast are easiest for people living with dementia to digest; for example, implementing bright or bold colours throughout the home can help separate objects.

With this thought in mind, use bold, bright, contrasting text when designing dementia-friendly documents. Ease of access comes first, so avoid loud patterns and stripes; these designs can be confusing and disorienting. Think simple, vivid colour combinations.

Shapes
Dementia affects people in different ways and can even cause hallucinations. If your signage or text must differentiate between two distinct ideas, choices or options, shapes can be a good way to highlight the difference between the two concepts.

Changing the overall shape of your signage is a subtle but effective way to create dementia-friendly print. Shapes associated with positive or negative feelings were found to reduce confusion amongst people with dementia, preventing them from becoming confused or lost in hallways containing those shapes.

Text
Given that dementia can affect one’s vision and ability to understand text, any message used in your document must be as easy to read as possible. Font sizes are crucial to ensure your work is easily readable, with at least size 14 recommended. If your content contains a lot of information, break it up into reasonably-sized chunks so that it is simpler to digest.

Dementia experts in the NHS warn against using block capitals, as these can be more difficult to read, particularly as dementia can cause visual impairments. Both upper and lower-case letters should be used for readability, as some people living with dementia will be able to recognise the shape of a word before actually understanding its meaning.

Think about how your document will be viewed. Alzheimer’s Society recommends using sans-serif fonts for websites or digital content as they are deemed more readable on-screen. Staying consistent with your fonts is also helpful – multiple fonts can make the interface and content confusing for someone living with dementia.

Pictures
Pictures can play a vital role in helping dementia patients to communicate more effectively by encouraging further memory retention. Looking at photo albums and family pictures has been proven to play a vital role in engagement for people with dementia, reducing feelings of isolation and helping strengthen personal relationships.

As a result, implementing pictures throughout your work or signage can be a great way to stimulate readers’ brain functions, ensuring that your message cuts through. Pictures can be particularly helpful for people with late-stage dementia, given that word-based communication may not be possible. Dementia can strip people of the ability to properly read and speak, so the use of pictures and images where possible can really help consolidate your messages.

Materials
If your work is designed for people to use then it’s important to think about which materials you will create your design with. Reflection of light can be difficult for people living with dementia to read, so it’s important that any physical signage is constructed with non-reflective materials.

Depending on the intended use and placement of your signage, it may need to conform to fire safety and infection control regulations. This is more likely if your sign will be used in a care home or hospital. Think about durability too – people living with dementia may take longer to read and understand the sign, so touching it may help them to better understand. If your sign is built to be highly durable, then people with dementia will be more likely to get access to the essential information they need.

Glen Eckett, Head of Marketing at Solopress, comments: “Dementia is an awfully cruel syndrome, one which has the potential to strip people of their dignity and personality. However, inclusive design practices can go some way towards helping people living with dementia maintain some of their dignity. With the above tips, any company can ensure that its resources are accessible and understandable for people living with dementia.”

https://www.solopress.com/flyers-leaflets